Exploring the Versatility of Stainless-Steel Clad Plates in Industrial Applications

In today’s cost-conscious and performance-driven industrial world, stainless-steel clad plates have become one of the smartest material choices when you need corrosion resistance without paying for 100 % solid stainless or super-austenitic alloy. By explosively or hot-roll bonding a thin layer of high-performance stainless steel or duplex onto a much thicker carbon-steel or low-alloy backer, manufacturers achieve 70–90 % of the performance of solid alloy at only 30–50 % of the cost.

What Are Stainless-Steel Clad Plates?

A stainless-steel clad plate is a composite consisting of: ● Backer (substrate): usually carbon steel (SA516 Gr70, Q345R, P355GH) or low-alloy Cr-Mo steel (SA387 Gr11/22) ● Cladding layer: 2–20 mm of corrosion-resistant alloy metallurgically bonded to one or both sides

Bonding methods: explosion bonding (most common for thick plates), hot-roll bonding, or weld overlay (less common for large flat plates).

Common Standards for Stainless-Steel & Duplex Clad Plates

Popular Cladding Material Grades (2025)

Austenitic Stainless Steel 304/304L, 316/316L, 316Ti, 321, 347H, 317/317L, 310S, 904L (N08904), 254SMO (S31254)

Duplex & Super-Duplex S31803 (2205), S32205 (2205), S32750 (2507), S32550 (Ferralium 255)

Nickel Alloys (when stainless isn’t enough) Alloy 625, C-276, C-22, 400, 600, 825

If your required grade is not listed above, most top-tier manufacturers can bond almost any ASME/ASTM-listed alloy.

Typical Manufacturing Capabilities (2025)

100 % ultrasonic testing (ASTM A578 Level C or better) and minimum shear strength ≥ 210 MPa are now standard at reputable mills.

Where Stainless-Steel Clad Plates Truly Shine: Top 8 Applications

1. Oil & Gas / Refining Stainless-steel clad plates are widely used in crude distillation columns, hydrocracker reactors, and amine absorbers. The typical choice is an SA516 Gr70 carbon steel base with 3–6 mm of 317L or Alloy 825 cladding, delivering excellent resistance to sour service, high-temperature sulfidation, and chloride stress corrosion cracking.
2. LNG & Cryogenic Service In LNG storage tanks and ethylene spheres, 9% nickel steel or Q345R is paired with thin 304L or 316L cladding. This combination ensures toughness at –196 °C while providing a fully austenitic corrosion barrier against liquefied natural gas and trace impurities.
3. Desalination & Water Treatment Multi-stage flash (MSF), multi-effect distillation (MED) chambers, and reverse-osmosis pressure vessels rely on duplex or super-duplex cladding. S32205 and especially S32750 offer outstanding resistance to hot brine, pitting, and crevice corrosion at significantly lower cost than solid super-duplex.
4. Chemical & Petrochemical PTA reactors, urea strippers, and phosphoric acid vessels operate in some of the most aggressive environments. Urea-grade 316L, 25-22-2 (UNS N08926/N06022), titanium, or Alloy 625 cladding is selected to withstand carbamate corrosion, nitric acid, wet phosphoric acid, and chloride contamination.
5. Pulp & Paper Continuous digesters and bleach towers face hot alkaline liquors and chlorine-based bleaching agents. 2205 duplex or 304L cladding on carbon steel provides the necessary corrosion resistance and allows fabricators to build large vessels that would be prohibitively expensive in solid stainless steel.
6. Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD) in Power Plants FGD absorber towers and limestone slurry piping are exposed to acidic chlorides and abrasive solids. Alloy C-276 cladding is used in the most severe zones, while 2205 duplex cladding handles milder areas, dramatically extending service life compared to rubber-lined or solid alloy alternatives.
7. Offshore & Marine Seawater piping systems, risers, and topside process modules demand exceptional pitting and crevice corrosion resistance. 6–8 mm of 2507 super-duplex or Alloy 625 cladding on carbon steel forgings or plates has become the industry standard for North Sea, Gulf of Mexico, pre-salt Brazil, and Australian projects.
8. Other Extreme Environments Coal-to-chemical plants, polysilicon reactors, spent-nuclear-fuel storage components, and high-pressure acid leach (HPAL) autoclaves push materials to their limits. Alloy 625, C-276, 904L, or titanium cladding delivers maximum corrosion resistance while keeping wall thickness and total project cost under control.

In all eight fields, stainless-steel clad plates prove the same powerful principle: use the minimum amount of high-alloy material exactly where it’s needed, and let low-cost carbon steel carry the structural load.

Why Choose Clad Instead of Solid Stainless?

Finally

In 2025, stainless-steel clad plates are no longer a “compromise” material — they are often the optimal engineering solution. When you need proven corrosion resistance, code compliance, and dramatic cost/weight savings, clad plates deliver where solid alloy becomes uneconomical.

Looking for ASME SA-264 316L clad plates for your next pressure vessel? Or super-duplex S32750 cladding for an offshore platform? Most leading mills can supply plates up to 3600 × 16000 mm with 2–20 mm cladding thickness, fully certified and ready for fabrication.

Drop your project details (operating temperature, corrosive medium, design pressure, and required grade) and we’ll help you select the perfect clad specification that meets both performance and budget in 2025 and beyond.