Investment casting
Materials
Materials for Casting, CNC Machining & Finishing
Choose the material from the manufacturing route, service condition and governing specification. Investment casting uses controlled castable alloys; CNC machining covers a broader range of metals plus selected engineering non-metals.
Materials
Choose material by manufacturing route
Casting, machining and finishing do not have the same material limits. Start with how the part will be made, then apply the drawing and service specification.
CNC machining
A much broader machining-material range
We machine stainless and alloy steels, aluminum, copper alloys, titanium and other industrial metals, plus selected engineering non-metals where appropriate. Machinability, distortion and tooling risk are reviewed with the drawing.Specify the exact grade, temper / heat-treatment condition and stock form on the RFQ.Review CNC capability ↗
Finishing
Match material to the required surface
Mechanical polishing and other surface treatments can be applied across many metals, with stainless and hygienic surface control as core specialties.Define visual finish, Ra where functional, treatment/passivation and cleanability requirements.Review finishing capability ↗Materials
Common stainless grades for investment casting
Dedicated pages cover the stainless casting grades most frequently specified on RFQs. Additional common grades are summarized here so cast and wrought designations can be compared in one place.
Austenitic stainless
304 / 304L / 316 / 316L
The most common corrosion-resistant families for pump, valve, food, sanitary and general industrial parts.Strength + corrosion
PH, duplex & super duplex
Higher-strength or chloride-service grades where heat treatment, phase balance and verification matter.Other cast alloys
Carbon, low-alloy, heat-resistant & nickel alloys
Carbon, low-alloy, heat-resistant and nickel-alloy castings are reviewed against the exact project standard, chemistry, heat treatment and service requirements.Materials
Common stainless casting and EN / DIN cross-references
Use this as a purchasing cross-reference, not as an automatic substitution table. Cast and wrought specifications have different chemistry, heat-treatment and mechanical-property requirements.
| Common family | ASTM / ACI cast designation | EN cast reference | Common wrought EN / DIN reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 304 | CF8 · ASTM A351/A743/A744 | 1.4308 · GX5CrNi19-10 | 304 · 1.4301 |
| 304L | CF3 · ASTM A351/A743/A744 | 1.4309 · GX2CrNi19-11 | 304L · 1.4307 / 1.4306 |
| 316 | CF8M · ASTM A351/A743/A744 | 1.4408 · GX5CrNiMo19-11-2 | 316 · 1.4401 / 1.4436 |
| 316L | CF3M · ASTM A351/A743/A744 | 1.4409 · GX2CrNiMo19-11-2 | 316L · 1.4404 / 1.4435 |
| 347 | CF8C · ASTM A351/A743/A744 | 1.4552 · GX5CrNiNb19-11 | 347 · 1.4550 |
| 410 | CA15 · ASTM A217/A743 | 1.4011 · GX12Cr12 | 410 · 1.4006 |
| 420 | CA40 · ASTM A743 | 1.4027 · GX20Cr14 | 420 · 1.4021 / 1.4028 |
| 17-4 PH | CB7Cu-1 · ASTM A747 | 1.4540 · GX4CrNiCuNb16-4 | 17-4 PH · 1.4542 |
| Duplex 2205 | CD3MN · ASTM A890/A995 4A | 1.4470 · GX2CrNiMoN22-5-3 | 2205 · 1.4462 |
| Super Duplex 2507 | CE3MN · ASTM A890/A995 5A | 1.4469 · GX2CrNiMoN26-7-4 | 2507 · 1.4410 |
| 254 SMO | CK3MCuN · ASTM A351 | No direct EN cast equivalence assumed; confirm the governing project grade | 254 SMO · 1.4547 |
Important: 1.4435 is a common EN wrought reference for 316L, while CF3M is a cast grade and is commonly cross-referenced to cast EN 1.4409. We do not treat a wrought and cast designation as automatically interchangeable.
Materials
Additional common stainless grades for machining or project review
These grades are commonly encountered in bar, plate, forging or customer specifications. Casting feasibility is confirmed against the exact cast standard rather than assumed from the wrought name.
Free-machining austenitic stainless; mainly a machining-stock choice.
Ti-stabilized austenitic stainless for elevated-temperature service.
Ti-stabilized molybdenum-bearing austenitic stainless.
Higher-molybdenum austenitic stainless; cast projects use the governing cast specification.
Ferritic stainless, commonly encountered as wrought/machining stock.
High-alloy austenitic stainless for severe corrosion; project-specific route review.
Precipitation-hardening stainless commonly used in machined/forged forms.
Lean duplex wrought grade; cast route must be specified separately.
Start a project
Send the drawing and we can review the manufacturing route.
Include the 2D / 3D file, material, quantity and critical requirements.