304L stainless steel plate is a variant of 304 stainless steel plate with a lower carbon content and is used where welding is required. The lower carbon content minimizes the precipitation of carbides in the heat-affected zone close to the weld, and the precipitation of carbides may cause intergranular corrosion of stainless steel in certain environments. Basically, using 304L eliminates the need to anneal weld joints prior to using the completed metal form, 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 minor enough that one isn’t considered massively more useful over the other. 304L stainless steel plate is widely used in fields such as food processing equipment, building materials, automobile parts.