What types of sheath materials are available for MI cables?

Below you can find a list of common sheath materials for mineral insulated cable with their main characteristics.

Also see our comparision between the Sheath Materials for MI cable page for more in-depth information about the usage and differences of sheath materials.

Sheath materialMax. working temperature Melting temperatureDescription
AISI 304900°C1400°CAISI 304 (1.4301) contains ± 18% chromium and ± 8% Nickel. It offers high resistance to corrosion. Typical industries: Chemical & petrochemical industries, oil industries, equipment for food industry. 
AISI 310(S)1090°C1400°CAISI 310 (1.4845) contains ± 24% chromium and ± 20% Nickel. It offers high resistance to corrosion and can withstand high temperatures. Typical industries: Furnaces and hazardous environments.
AISI 316(L)900°C1370°CAISI 316 (1.4401 & 1.4404) contains ± 17% Chromium and ± 11% Nickel. It can be compared with AISI 304, but offers better resistance to corrosion due to its addition of molybdenum. Typical industries: Oil & petroleum refining, food industry, pharmaceutical industry. AISI 316L is similar to AISI 316, but is low in carbon which making it an excellent product for the food industry.
AISI 316Ti900°C1370°CAISI 316Ti (1.4571) contains ± 17% Chromium and ± 11% Nickel. It can be compared with AISI 316, but due to an addition of titanium it is stabilized. Additionally, the material has excellent resistance to acids. Typical industries: Chemical industry, textile industry, oil industry. Read here more about AISI 316 Ti
AISI 3211090°C1350°CAISI321 (1.4541) contains ± 18% Chromium and ± 11% Nickel. It can be compared with AISI 304, but has an addition of Titanium. Additionally, it has a good resistance to hydrochloric and organic acids. Typical industries: food industry, chemical industry.
AISI 347900°C1400°CAISI 347 (1.4550) contains ±18% Chromium and ± 11% Nickel. Due to its addition of niobium, this material can withstand high temperatures. Typical industries: aerospace, food industry, chemical industry.
AISI 4461090°C1400°CAISI 446 (1.4762) contains ± 25% Chromium with an addition of aluminum. This material can withstand high temperatures and is generally very strong. Typical industries: industrial furnaces.
Inconel6001175°C1345°CInconel 600 (2.4816) contains ± 15% Chromium and ± 72% Nickel. This material has an excellent resistance to oxidation, carburization and nitriding. Inconel 600 is widely accepted in Europe as a standard sheath material for mineral insulated thermocouple cables since it can withstand high temperatures. Typical industries: industrial furnaces, chemical industry, reactors.
Inconel6011200°C1345°CInconel 601 (2.4851) contains ± 23% Chromium and ± 60% Nickel. Like Inconel 600, Inconel 601 offers great resistance to oxidation at high temperatures. Inconel 601 has an addition of aluminum. Typical industries: industrial furnaces, glass industry.
*Pyrosil D®1250°C1380°CPyrosil D® is a brand name from Tyco and is a Nickel-Chromium alloy. The material contains about ± 22% Chromium and has an addition of molybdenum. This makes the material appropriate for usage at temperatures reaching 1250°C. Due to the strength of the material, a thermocouple with Pyrosil D generally has a long lifetime. Typical industries: industrial furnaces, glass industry. Read more about Pyrosil D alloy here.
Hastelloy X1200°C1260°CHastelloy X (2.4665) contains ± 22 % Chromium, ± 9% Molybdenum and ± 18% Iron. This material can withstand high temperatures in demanding circumstances. The material provides excellent resistance to corrosion against most sorts of chemicals. Typical industries: industrial furnaces, process industry, petrochemical industry.
Pt10%Rh1550°C1850°CAs its name suggests, Pt10%Rh contains 90% Platinum and 10% rhodium. This material can withstand extremely high temperatures at very demanding applications. Typical industries: Glass industry, chemical industry, nuclear industry. More physical properties of Platinum sheath material, you can read here.
Pt20%Rh 1550°C1850°CAs its name suggests, Pt20%Rh contains 80% Platinum and 20% rhodium. This material can withstand extremely high temperatures at very demanding applications. Typical industries: Glass industry, chemical industry, nuclear industry. Visit this page for more information about platinum als outer sheath.
Haynes Alloy HR-160 1175°C1345°CHaynes Alloy HR-160 (UNS N12160) is a nickel-cobalt-chromium alloy that contains ± 36% Nickel, ± 28% Chromium, and ± 29% Cobalt. The alloy is excellent for providing resistance to corrosion, and for protection of sulfidation and chloride attacks in several different atmospheres. The material has an inner tube of Inconel 600, so the HR-160 functions as an extra layer of protection. Read here more about Haynes® as sheath material.

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