Cracking in cold working of stainless steel (bending, deep drawing, stamping) usually does not have a single cause; checking in the following order is the most efficient:

1. Material condition: hard-temper material or a work-hardened layer that has not been annealed has poor ductility. 2. Die fillet radius and clearance: too small a fillet radius or too tight a clearance concentrates stress. 3. Lubrication: stainless steel tends to adhere to the die; insufficient lubrication causes galling and induces cracks. 4. Working speed and amount of deformation: a single deformation that is too large should be divided into multiple forming steps. 5. Material orientation: cracking is more likely when the rolling direction is parallel to the bend line.

If 304 cracks at low temperature or under large deformation, the influence of strain-induced martensite must also be considered; if necessary, switch to 316L or a low-carbon grade.