430 Stainless Steel vs. 304, 316 and 18/8: What the Numbers Mean

You may have seen “304” on a listing and wondered if it's the number to look for. This page explains the labels. It's not a ranking, and we don't rate any of them for your kitchen.

What do the numbers mean?

• 304, also called 18/8: about 8 to 10.5 percent nickel. Not attracted to a magnet unless it has been bent or formed.
• 18/10: in practice the same steel as 304.
• 316: 10 to 14 percent nickel, plus molybdenum. Usually only slightly magnetic.
• 430, also called 18/0: 16 to 18 percent chromium, at most 0.75 percent nickel. Sticks to a magnet.

These ranges come from industry and supplier documents, not from any air fryer.

What is 430 stainless steel?

It's the common magnetic kind, with very little nickel. Industry sources list cooking utensils and food equipment among its uses. A British industry body says it's used where corrosion resistance isn't too demanding, as an alternative to 304. A supplier data sheet says it resists tarnishing indoors but isn't suited to sitting in water. Those are general statements about the steel, not about an air fryer part.

Is 18/10 better than 18/8?

Not really. A U.S. industry group says both usually describe 304 and that “18/10” is sometimes used strictly for marketing. The British body is blunter and calls the extra “10” a marketing ploy.

Why won't a magnet settle it?

A magnet answers less than people hope. The steel maker Atlas calls it a useful sorting test but “not as clear-cut as is often thought”.

• Bent or drawn 304, like wire, can be strongly magnetic. Baskets and racks are often wire.
• A magnet also responds to the metal under a coating, so it can't tell you if a basket is coated. That point is our own reasoning.

Where do these numbers show up on an air fryer?

On most models, stainless describes the outside. A number on a listing often belongs to something else.

• “304 Stainless Steel” in a seller title: a claim about an extra such as a separate oven basket. We found no document behind it.
• Cosori Iconic: the page says the basket is 304 and the outside is 430. The basket is still coated, per the manual. See the Iconic page.
• Fritaire: the page says its extras are “Non-Coated” 304 stainless steel, in a glass-bowl fryer. That's for the extras, not a drawer or oven basket.
• Our Place: “Chromed steel”. That's a plated finish, not a stainless type.
• SharkNinja's California list: names elements such as nickel for some oven series, with no number and no part.

We couldn't find a brand document that describes an uncoated stainless drawer or oven basket as the main cooking part. So even a number you trust leaves the main question open. If you're eyeing a separate basket, read what a stainless insert does and doesn't solve.

What should I ask the brand?

• Which type of steel is each part that touches food?
• Is any of it coated or plated?
• Can you send the document that says so?

A named type in a brand document is worth more than a number in a title. A lower nickel figure isn't a recommendation for anyone with a nickel allergy, so please ask your doctor. Nickel allergy lays out what we found.

For what one study measured in cookware, see is stainless steel “non-toxic”?. The material table shows what we could read for every model.