A new grade of the 200 series has been defined for the
European market as a candidate alternative to austenitic
grade EN 1.4301 (AISI 304). The grade was recently
assigned a material number by VDEh (1.4618 - X9CrMnNiCu
17-8-5-2). The paper presents mechanical properties of
the grade including drawability and corrosion resistance
characteristics. The newly designed grade has mechanical
properties slightly superior to those of EN 1.4301 (AISI
304) and equivalent to those of EN 1.4310 (AISI 301)
grade. In terms of corrosion resistance, the grade is close
to that of grade EN 1.4301 (AISI 304), upgrading the
classical 200 series.