304L stainless steel pipe is a variant of 304 stainless steel pipe with a lower carbon content and is often used in welding scenarios. The lower carbon content greatly reduces the precipitation of carbides in the heat-affected zone close to the weld, and the precipitation of carbides is associated with intergranular corrosion of stainless steel in certain environments. Basically, the need to anneal weld joints prior to using the completed metal form is not needed using 304L, saving time and effort. Generally speaking, both 304 and 304L stainless steel plates can be used for many of the same applications. The differences are often not significant enough that one is considered more useful over the other. 304L stainless steel plate is more commonly used in fields such as food processing equipment, building materials, automobile parts.