Characterization of 304 Stainless Steel Material in Food Tray

Reza Zikri Hadi; Andril Arafat; Intan Amita Waluya; Zainal Abadi; Rifelino

doi:10.24036/eksakta/vol27-iss05/745

EKSAKTA: Berkala Ilmiah Bidang MIPA

Open Access

Characterization of 304 Stainless Steel Material in Food Tray

Reza Zikri Hadi ¹

, Andril Arafat ¹

, Intan Amita Waluya ¹

, Zainal Abadi ¹

, Rifelino ¹

¹ Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Negeri Padang, Padang, Indonesia

Published 2026-10-12

Vol. 27 No. 05 (2026) PAGES 859-871

DOI 10.24036/eksakta/vol27-iss05/745

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Abstract

Commercial SUS304 food trays produced through forming are expected to maintain appropriate material and surface conditions for food-contact applications. However, physical and visual defects were observed in products from a commercial batch, including a problematic tray. Preliminary SEM-EDS indicated lower-than-specified Ni content, raising an initial suspicion of material-grade deviation; owing to EDS limitations in quantitative alloy analysis, this finding was subsequently verified using OES. This study aimed to identify material-related and post-forming characteristics that may contribute to the observed condition through comparative characterization of problematic and reference food trays. OES confirmed that both samples complied with the specified SUS304 composition, indicating that the low-Ni finding was not confirmed. Median Vickers hardness values were comparable (267 and 271 HV, respectively), although the problematic sample exhibited greater local hardness variability. Whole-region AFM analysis revealed distinct surface roughness classes: N4 (0.15–0.30 μm) for the problematic sample and the finer N2 class (0.04–0.08 μm) for the reference. Overall, the less favorable condition was more strongly characterized by local mechanical and surface heterogeneity than by overall hardness or material grade. These findings highlight the importance of evaluating local mechanical variation and post-forming surface characteristics when investigating defects in commercial deep-drawn stainless-steel products.

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Characterization of 304 Stainless Steel Material in Food Tray

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