The lead content of food grade stainless steel is much lower than that of general stainless steel. Generally, 304 stainless steel is not food grade, and special processed ones are food grade.
Austenitic stainless steel (1Cr18Ni9Ti, 0Cr19Ni9, 1Cr18Ni9) should be selected for various food storage containers and food processing machinery. Various tableware: Martensitic stainless steel (0Cr13, 1Cr13, 2Cr13, 3Cr13) should be used.

When the heavy metal migration of stainless steel products exceeds the limit, it may endanger human health. Therefore, the production of stainless steel cookware requires a balance between corrosion protection and safety. If the content of nickel and chromium is high, the anti-corrosion function will be enhanced, but the subsequent precipitation of nickel and chromium will also increase, which means that the safety risk will increase. Because of this, the “Stainless Steel Products” (GB9684-2011) national food safety standard has made strict regulations on the precipitation of chromium, cadmium, nickel, lead and other heavy metals in cookware. Why does the national standard not stipulate the migration limit of manganese (the vast majority of countries in the world do not stipulate it)? One reason is that as the manganese content in stainless steel increases, it is accompanied by the loss of functions such as corrosion resistance and rust resistance of the cookware. Once the manganese content reaches a certain value, this product cannot be used as a cookware or cannot be called a stainless steel cookware. Up. But even with such a high manganese content, it generally does not affect health. Therefore, although the national food safety standard does not specify the manganese content, it clearly points out that the main part of the food container must be made of stainless steel that meets the national standard. Food grade stainless steel is stainless steel that meets the GB9684 standard. 304 stainless steel is a very common stainless steel, also known as 18/8 stainless steel in the industry. Its corrosion resistance is better than 430 stainless iron, corrosion resistance and high temperature resistance, and good processing performance. Therefore, it is widely used in industry and furniture decoration industry and food and medical industry, such as some high-end stainless steel tableware, bathroom and kitchen utensils. 304 is a versatile stainless steel, which is widely used to make equipment and parts that require good overall performance (corrosion resistance and formability). In order to maintain the inherent corrosion resistance of stainless steel, steel must contain more than 17% chromium and more than 8% nickel.