Resources

Material Selection
Guide

Compare the six alloys used in FILTURE sintered metal filters and titanium components — properties, corrosion performance, typical applications, and cost efficiency — to identify the right material for your process conditions.

316L Stainless Steel Pure Titanium Ti-6Al-4V Hastelloy C-276 Monel 400 Inconel 625

316L Stainless Steel

Most Popular Max 400 °C

Properties

Corrosion Resistance 75%
High-Temp Rating 60%
Mechanical Strength 65%
Cost Efficiency 95%
Availability 98%

Advantages

  • Lowest cost among all alloys listed
  • Excellent availability — short lead times
  • FDA-compatible, suits pharma and food-grade
  • Easy to weld, machine and sinter
  • Proven in thousands of filtration applications

Limitations

  • Susceptible to chloride stress-corrosion cracking (SCC) above 60 °C
  • Not suitable for concentrated HCl or H₂SO₄
  • Lower corrosion resistance than titanium in aggressive media
  • Max service temp limited to ~400 °C in oxidising atmospheres
Best for:
General Filtration Water Treatment Pharma / Food CIP / SIP Gas Filtration Chemical Dosing
Avoid for:
Concentrated hydrochloric acid Seawater above 60 °C Reducing strong acids High-chloride environments at elevated temp

Default recommendation for most new applications. Move to titanium or higher alloys when corrosion data indicates.

Pure Titanium

Best Corrosion Max 350 °C

Properties

Corrosion Resistance 95%
High-Temp Rating 62%
Mechanical Strength 58%
Cost Efficiency 62%
Availability 80%

Advantages

  • Superior corrosion resistance vs. 316L in most environments
  • Immune to chloride stress-corrosion cracking
  • Biocompatible and FDA-compatible — ideal for pharma
  • ~40 % lighter than stainless steel
  • Excellent resistance to seawater, wet chlorine, and oxidising acids
  • Standard choice for PEM electrolyser gas-diffusion layers

Limitations

  • Lower yield strength than Ti-6Al-4V alloy or Hastelloy
  • Attacked by fluorine, fluoride solutions, and red fuming HNO₃
  • More expensive than 316L SS
  • Maximum service temp lower than nickel-based alloys
Best for:
PEM Electrolysis / Hydrogen Pharmaceutical Seawater Service Wet Chlorine Biomedical Oxidising Acid Handling
Avoid for:
Fluorine / HF gas Concentrated H₂SO₄ above 80% Reducing acid environments Applications above 350 °C

Preferred upgrade from 316L when chloride SCC or corrosive media is a concern. FILTURE specialty material.

Ti-6Al-4V

Fasteners & Parts Only Max 300 °C

Properties

Corrosion Resistance 92%
High-Temp Rating 56%
Mechanical Strength 96%
Cost Efficiency 38%
Availability 72%

Advantages

  • Highest strength of the standard titanium alloys — ideal for load-bearing fasteners
  • Excellent fatigue resistance for threaded and torqued components
  • Corrosion resistance equivalent to pure titanium
  • ~40 % lighter than equivalent stainless steel fasteners
  • Widely used in aerospace, medical, and industrial fastener applications

Limitations

  • Cannot be sintered into porous filter media — not applicable for filtration products
  • Al and V alloying elements may limit compatibility with certain process fluids
  • Significantly more expensive than pure titanium or 316L SS
  • Overkill where pure titanium fasteners meet strength requirements
Best for:
Titanium Screws & Bolts Titanium Nuts & Washers Precision Machined Parts Structural Fasteners CNC Components
Avoid for:
Sintered filter elements Any porous media application Fluorine / HF environments Food or pharmaceutical direct contact

FILTURE uses Ti-6Al-4V exclusively for machined components and fasteners. All sintered filter products are made from pure titanium or stainless steel — not this alloy.

Hastelloy C-276

Best Chemical Resistance Max 650 °C

Properties

Corrosion Resistance 98%
High-Temp Rating 86%
Mechanical Strength 80%
Cost Efficiency 14%
Availability 45%

Advantages

  • Outstanding resistance to a wide range of aggressive chemicals
  • Resistant to pitting and crevice corrosion in chloride-rich media
  • Excellent performance in both oxidising and reducing environments
  • High service temperature up to 650 °C
  • Resists HCl, H₂SO₄, HF in many concentrations

Limitations

  • Very high cost — typically 8–12× more than 316L
  • Limited availability, longer lead times
  • Heavy (nickel-based density ~8.9 g/cm³)
  • Overkill for most standard filtration duties
Best for:
Highly Corrosive Chemicals Flue Gas Scrubbing Chloride-Rich Environments Chemical Processing Wet HCl Service
Avoid for:
Cost-sensitive applications Non-corrosive service Any duty where 316L or titanium suffices

Reserve for environments that have corroded or degraded lower-grade alloys. Justify with corrosion data.

Monel 400

HF & Marine Max 480 °C

Properties

Corrosion Resistance 82%
High-Temp Rating 76%
Mechanical Strength 78%
Cost Efficiency 32%
Availability 58%

Advantages

  • Exceptional resistance to hydrofluoric acid (HF)
  • Excellent resistance to seawater, brine, and marine atmospheres
  • Good resistance to alkalis and reducing acids
  • Higher service temperature than titanium
  • Superior to 316L in many halide environments

Limitations

  • Susceptible to SCC in moist HF vapour under stress
  • Not resistant to strong oxidising acids (HNO₃)
  • Significantly more expensive than 316L SS
  • Nickel-copper alloy — restricted in some food contact regulations
Best for:
HF Acid Handling Marine / Seawater Oil & Gas Brine Service Alkali Solutions
Avoid for:
Oxidising acids Nitric acid service Food-contact applications Environments with moist HF vapour under tensile stress

First choice for HF acid duty. Also preferred in offshore and marine filtration where seawater is the process fluid.

Inconel 625

Extreme Temperature Max 980 °C

Properties

Corrosion Resistance 96%
High-Temp Rating 99%
Mechanical Strength 92%
Cost Efficiency 9%
Availability 40%

Advantages

  • Exceptional high-temperature strength up to 980 °C
  • Outstanding oxidation and scaling resistance
  • Excellent fatigue and thermal-fatigue strength
  • Resistant to pitting, crevice corrosion and chloride SCC
  • Wide chemical resistance — suits exotic process fluids

Limitations

  • Extremely high cost — premium alloy
  • Very limited availability, long lead times
  • Properties are overkill for most industrial filtration
Best for:
High-Temp Gas Filtration Aerospace Exhaust Heat Treatment Extreme Chemical Environments Calcination
Avoid for:
Any application below 500 °C where Hastelloy or titanium suffices Budget-constrained projects

Specified for furnace and high-temperature gas filtration where no other alloy meets both corrosion and temperature requirements.

Side-by-Side

Property Comparison

Quick-reference table across key performance indicators. Scroll horizontally on smaller screens.

Property 316L SS Pure Ti Ti-6Al-4V C-276 Monel In.625
Max Service Temp 400 °C 350 °C 350 °C 650 °C 480 °C 980 °C
Corrosion — General Good Excellent Excellent Superior Very good Excellent
Chloride Resistance Moderate Excellent Excellent Excellent Good Excellent
Strong Acid Resistance Limited Moderate Moderate Excellent Moderate Excellent
HF / Fluoride Service Poor Poor Poor Good Excellent Good
High-Temp Strength Moderate Moderate Excellent Good Good Excellent
Biocompatibility / FDA Yes Yes Check No No No
Excellent Good / Yes Moderate / Check Limited Poor / No
Decision Help

How to Choose

Match your primary process condition to a starting material recommendation. Always confirm with your FILTURE engineer for final selection.

Standard service, moderate budget

Non-aggressive process fluids, temperatures below 300 °C, no specific corrosion concern.

→ 316L Stainless Steel

Corrosive media or chloride risk

Seawater, bleach, wet chlorine, oxidising acids, pharmaceutical CIP/SIP, hydrogen electrolysis.

→ Pure Titanium

Titanium fasteners or machined parts

Screws, bolts, nuts, washers, and precision CNC components requiring high strength and light weight.

→ Ti-6Al-4V (Fasteners & Parts)

Highly aggressive chemicals

Concentrated HCl, mixed acids, flue gas scrubbing, environments that corrode 316L or titanium.

→ Hastelloy C-276

HF acid or marine seawater

Hydrofluoric acid handling, offshore / sub-sea brine, alkali process streams, oil and gas.

→ Monel 400

Very high temperature (> 500 °C)

Furnace gas filtration, aerospace exhaust, high-temp calcination, extreme oxidising atmospheres.

→ Inconel 625

Not sure which material to choose?

Send us your process conditions — temperature, pressure, fluid chemistry — and our engineers will recommend the right alloy and pore size for your application.

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