Balford processes stainless steel into deep-drawn housings, sleeves, washers and structural components for automotive, valve and industrial applications.
Short answer: Stainless is chosen for a housing when the medium or the service temperature rules out coated carbon steel, and the grade then decides the forming route: 304 and 316L work-harden quickly, so a deep part needs more draws and inter-stage annealing than the same part in DC04. Zhejiang Balford Mechatronics Co., Ltd. (balford.net) stamps and deep draws 304, 316L, 310S and 430 on presses from 25 t to 350 t up to Ø250 mm.
Deep-drawn stainless housings for wheel-speed, pressure and temperature sensors.
Thin-wall stainless sleeves for solenoid valve magnetic isolation.
Precision-stamped stainless washers and nut plates.
Stainless steel is Balford's most-used material for corrosion-resistant deep-drawn housings, sleeves and washers — including 304/316-class grades for sensor and solenoid valve applications.
What each grade actually is, what the standard guarantees, where it is used, and which grade to move to when the first choice does not work. Values are the standard minimums or typical annealed ranges; every lot is confirmed against its mill certificate.
Austenitic grades (304/304L/316L) are the drawing workhorses; 430 is the magnetic, cost-driven choice; 310S exists for the hot end.
| Grade | EN | UNS / AISI | JIS | GB | Chemistry (wt%) | Mechanical | Typical use | Use instead when… |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 304 | 1.4301 | S30400 | SUS304 | 06Cr19Ni10 | C ≤0.08 · Cr 18.0–20.0 · Ni 8.0–10.5 | Rm ≥515 · Rp0.2 ≥205 · A80 ≥40 | General housings, covers, sensor shells | Default grade when there is no chloride duty |
| 304L | 1.4307 | S30403 | SUS304L | 022Cr19Ni10 | C ≤0.03 · Cr 18.0–20.0 · Ni 8.0–12.0 | Rm ≥485 · Rp0.2 ≥170 · A80 ≥40 | Welded housings, heavier draw sequences | Replaces 304 where welding or deep draws risk intergranular attack |
| 316L | 1.4404 | S31603 | SUS316L | 022Cr17Ni12Mo2 | C ≤0.03 · Cr 16.0–18.0 · Ni 10.0–14.0 · Mo 2.0–3.0 | Rm ≥485 · Rp0.2 ≥170 · A80 ≥40 | Coolant, road salt and chloride service | Replaces 304 when pitting, not general corrosion, is the failure mode |
| 430 | 1.4016 | S43000 | SUS430 | 10Cr17 | C ≤0.12 · Cr 16.0–18.0 | Rm ≥450 · Rp0.2 ≥205 · A ≥22 | Heat shields, fittings that must be magnetic | Replaces 304 where the part has to carry flux or cost is the driver |
| 310S | 1.4845 | S31008 | SUS310S | 06Cr25Ni20 | C ≤0.08 · Cr 24.0–26.0 · Ni 19.0–22.0 | Rm ≥515 · Rp0.2 ≥205 · A80 ≥40 | Exhaust-side sensors, EGT and NOx parts | Replaces 304 above roughly 700 °C |
Rm = tensile strength, Rp0.2 = 0.2% proof stress, A80 = elongation at 80 mm gauge. Chemistry is the ladle range from the named standard. Cold work, temper and heat treatment move the mechanical values, so the certificate for the delivered coil is the governing document.
Other materials: Carbon steel · Aluminium · Brass · Copper · Monel 400 · Special alloys
Full material catalogue — every grade we form and machine, with process fit →
Real Balford projects that specified this material. The grade and the wording from the job record are kept so you can compare against your own drawing.
| Case study | Grade | Raw material as specified |
|---|---|---|
| Brake Solenoid Magnetic Shield | 304 · 316L | 316L stainless steel |
| Connecting Pipe for Exhaust Gas Temperature Sensor Harness | 304 | 304 stainless steel |
| Deep-drawn Magnetic Isolation Sleeve | 304 | stainless steel |
| Fittings for cooling water | 304 | Stainless steel 304 |
| Fuel Injector Outer Sleeve | 304 | 304 stainless steel |
| Hex Nut for Sensor | 304 | Stainless steel 304 |
| Metal Cap for Methanol Injection Solenoid Valve | 304 | 304 stainless steel |
| Precision Stamped Stainless Steel Nut Washer | 304 | 304 stainless steel |
| Pump Motor Rotor Sleeve | 304 | stainless steel |
| Sprocket and Pinon Shaft Nut Lock Plate | 304 | 304 stainless steel |
| Stainless Steel Coiled Tube — Helical Coils to Drawing | 304 | Stainless steel 304 |
| Stainless Steel Housing for ABS Wheel Speed Sensor | 304 · 316L | 316L stainless steel |
| Stainless Steel Sleeve for Solenoid Valve | 304 | 304 stainless steel |
| Tightly Wound Stainless Steel Helical Coil with Tube Ends | 304 | Stainless steel 304 |
| end cap for square tubing | 304 | Stainless steel 304 |
15 cases on this page.
In Balford's own sensor housing programmes, stainless steel is the standard choice: 300-series grades and SUS 430 account for almost every one of the 398 catalogue configurations. That is not a preference - it is what the operating environment forces. A sensor housing sits in coolant, road salt, brake dust, fuel, oil or exhaust condensate, and it has to keep a thin drawn wall dimensionally stable for the life of the vehicle. Carbon steel needs a coating to survive that, and every coating brings its own problems: plating thickness stacked on top of a wall tolerance, cut edges and threads where the coating is thin, and hydrogen-embrittlement risk on high-strength parts. Stainless removes the coating step and the failure modes that come with it.
| Sensor | Typical housing grade | Why that grade |
|---|---|---|
| Oxygen / lambda (upstream) | 304, 310S | 900 °C exhaust gas and thermal shock on start-up |
| NOx | 304, 310S | High temperature plus acidic condensate |
| Exhaust gas temperature (EGT) | 304, 316L, 310S | Continuous high temperature and vibration |
| ABS / wheel speed | 304, 316L | Road salt, brake dust and stone impact; non-magnetic |
| Coolant / water temperature | Brass (C3604, C3771) or 304 / 316L stainless | Brass conducts heat about 10× faster than stainless, so the thermo-well responds sooner - see brass temperature sensor housings. Stainless takes over where chlorides or aggressive coolant rule brass out |
| Oil and fuel pressure | 304, 316L | Fuel, oil and additive compatibility |
| Position / speed (magnetic circuit) | 430 / 1.4016 | Ferritic grade provides the magnetic return path |
The grade table above, with the reason behind each choice, is also available as a full page: stainless steel grades for deep drawn sensor housings (also as a 10-page PDF).
Stainless is not drawn like carbon steel, and a supplier who treats it as if it were will crack parts or miss the wall tolerance. Austenitic grades work-harden quickly, so the tool needs more draw stages, inter-stage annealing where the draw ratio demands it, more open die radii, a higher blank-holder force and polished draw surfaces. Balford plans the stage sequence and the annealing route during the DFM review - before the die is cut - and controls wall thinning as a drawing characteristic rather than accepting whatever the first tryout produces.
After forming, stainless sensor housings are passivated to remove free iron from the surface. Because there is no plating step, a finished housing goes straight from forming and cleaning into inspection: one less supplier, one less tolerance stack, and no coating thickness on the drawing.
See the application page for forms, sizes and catalogue series - deep drawn automotive sensor housings - or the design guide, automotive sensor housing design: materials, wall thickness and tolerances.
Real projects from Balford's production history:
In Balford's catalogue, almost all of them are. The housing has to survive coolant, road salt, fuel, oil or exhaust condensate while holding a thin drawn wall to tolerance, and stainless does that without a plating layer. Carbon steel housings do exist, but they are normally plated, and the coating adds a thickness tolerance and loses its protection at cut edges and threads.
304 and 316L cover most pressure, ABS and exhaust-side temperature applications; coolant and water temperature housings are usually brass, because brass conducts heat about ten times faster and the thermo-well has to respond quickly. 310S is used where exhaust gas temperatures reach 800-900 °C. 430 ferritic stainless is used where the housing has to form part of a magnetic circuit, because 304 and 316L are effectively non-magnetic.
Yes. Thin-wall stainless housings are drawn in multiple stages with inter-stage annealing where the draw ratio requires it, and wall thinning is controlled as a drawing characteristic. Typical sensor housing walls run from about 0.3 mm to 1.0 mm depending on diameter and grade.
No. It is passivated after forming to remove free iron, and that is normally the whole surface treatment. Removing the plating step also removes the coating thickness tolerance and the hydrogen-embrittlement risk that comes with plating high-strength steel.
We regularly process 304 and 316-class stainless steel. Material grade is confirmed against your application and drawing before quoting — other grades on request.
Yes. Deep drawing of stainless steel housings, sleeves and cups is a core capability, with controlled wall thickness and surface finish.
Stainless generally has higher material and tooling wear costs than carbon steel; quoting is based on grade, thickness and complexity.
Send us your 2D drawing or STEP/IGES model. We will review material, tolerances, forming requirements and production volume before quoting.
Related: ironing in deep drawing — how a thinned wall holds both the inside and the outside diameter · ironing instead of turning · ironing for solenoid valve housings (DT4E, DC04) · ironing tolerances and surface finish
Related: the parts this material goes into are specified on the application pages — stainless steel sensor housings (O2, NOx, ABS, EGT and pressure) and the published sensor-housing catalogue.
Related: ready-tooled stainless enclosures and cans are listed on stainless deep drawn enclosures.
Deep drawn stainless steel parts supplier — 304, 316L, 430 and 310S parts, and why the grade choice changes the draw schedule.
Stainless drawn parts are usually sensor housings — see deep drawn stainless sensor housings for the wall, tolerance and corrosion requirements they have to meet.