What Is The Difference Between Monel And Inconel 600?

What is the difference between Monel and Inconel 600?

Inconel and Monel Alloy
Both Inconel and monel are nickel containing alloys. However, in addition to containing nickel as their primary alloyant, they also include other elements as their secondary alloyant. For instance, Monel alloys consist of copper, which ranges between 30% to 40% of their total weight. Whereas Inconel alloys contain chromium as their secondary alloyant. In terms of their performance, monel rates as a mid performance alloy in comparison to nickel containing Inconel alloy, which is a high performance type. Several Inconel alloys are also referred to as superalloys because of their outstanding resistance to corrosion in addition to their ability to outperform several conventional alloys at elevated temperatures. Monel is a solid-solution binary metal, whereas Inconel is an austenitic superalloy.

Inconel vs Monel price
In comparison to monel, the price of Inconel is very high. The inclusion of high contents of nickel and chromium in its alloy makes the metal expensive. Since both alloys contain nickel, they are much more expensive in comparison to stainless steel alloys. However, market volatility combined with the fact that nickel is a commodity metal makes them expensive. And as the content of nickel is higher in some Inconel alloys, the cost of these alloys would be higher than some monel alloys.

Nickel content in Inconel and Monel
Both types of alloys have multiple grades that fall under them. The difference in their chemical composition led to their grading. This being said, the content of nickel in Inconel alloys varies between 44.2% to more than 72%. Though the composition would depend on the addition of nickel. For instance, Inconel 600 contains more than 72% nickel, whereas grade 617 contains nickel between 44.2% – 61%. On the other hand, the content of nickel in Monel alloys ranges anywhere between 52% to 67%, which is also why they cost lesser than Inconel alloys.

Difference between Inconel and Monel corrosion resistance
While both alloys have excellent corrosion resistance properties, the copper content in monel gives them outstanding resistance to seawater or salt sprays. Though Inconel alloys also have the ability to resist seawater, it is too expensive for use in marine engineering applications. However, because it has a higher content of nickel, Inconel alloys are able to withstand elevated temperature settings, which is not a feat that is achieved by monel alloys. Monel grades have limited tolerance to elevated temperature. In addition to marine environments, monel alloys are useful in environments that contain both hydrofluoric and sulfuric acids. Furthermore, they have the capacity to resist alkalies and harsher acids as well. Inconel alloys are great at parrying corrosion by oxidation.

Inconel Chemical Composition

Inconel Equivalent material

Inconel mechanical properties

Monel material equivalent

Monel chemical composition

Monel mechanical properties