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304 Stainless Steel Sinks: What the Grade Means for You

304 is a grade of stainless steel, and gauge is how thick it is. They're two separate lines on a listing. Ruvati lists T-304 with 18/10 chromium and nickel, and recommends the 300 series for better corrosion resistance. Look for both lines.

by the editorial teamupdated November 3, 20262 min read

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AI-generated image: a folded grey microfiber cloth in a brushed stainless steel sink bowl. — Image: AI-generated (OpenAI)

In short

T-304 is a stainless steel grade. On Ruvati's sheets it comes with 18/10, meaning a chromium and nickel mix. Ruvati recommends 300-series steel because it's non-magnetic and has higher chromium and nickel content, for better corrosion resistance. Grade isn't thickness: that's gauge. A good listing states both. If it doesn't, ask the seller or check the spec sheet.

On this page

Steel sink listings mix two numbers that do different jobs. It's worth keeping them apart.

Grade and gauge are different

	Grade	Gauge
Example	T-304 or 300 series	16, 18, 22
Tells you	What kind of steel	How thick it is
Why you care	Corrosion resistance, per Ruvati	Dents and heavy use, per Ruvati
Read more	This page	16 or 18 gauge

So a thin sink can be 300-series, and that's real. Elkay's sheet for a Dayton double lists 300-series steel at #22 gauge. A good grade doesn't make it thick.

What the sheets say

Ruvati lists T-304 and 18/10 on the sinks we read, and says it resists rust and stains.
Elkay's Dayton sheet lists 300 series.
Other makers may state a grade somewhere else in their papers. If a listing gives none, look for the maker's spec sheet or ask.

Ruvati recommends 300-series steel on its gauge page and describes it as non-magnetic, with higher chromium and nickel content. Ruvati is selling steel sinks, so read that as a maker's advice, though we didn't find anyone arguing the opposite.

What it doesn't do

A grade doesn't give a free pass on care. KRAUS still warns about chlorine, and Franke about chlorides. Rust marks can also come from outside, as rust spots explains.

On our list

The Ruvati RVM4350^* states both lines clearly: T304 and 16 gauge. See Ruvati for the rest of that family, and the best sinks for every pick.

Asked before buying

What does 18/10 mean on a sink?

It refers to the steel's chromium and nickel content. Ruvati writes it as 18/10 Chromium/Nickel next to T-304. You'll see it on listings as a shorthand for the steel recipe. It doesn't say how thick the sink is. That's what gauge tells you.

Is 304 better than 316 for a kitchen sink?

We haven't read a source we'd rely on for that comparison. Ruvati has a separate article on it that we didn't read. All of the Ruvati sinks on this site are T-304, and that's the grade you'll most often meet in the listings we read.

Is a 304 sink rust-proof?

Not in an absolute sense. Ruvati says it resists rust and stains, and KRAUS warns that chlorine can cause corrosion if it isn't rinsed off. Many rust marks are left by cast iron or pipe particles anyway, as our rust page explains.