Billet is a primary product obtained by casting molten steel from a steelmaking furnace, typically in the form of slabs (for sheet production), blooms (for section and wire rod production), or billets (for tube production). It is an important semi-finished product in the iron and steel industry, possessing good plasticity and workability. Billet can serve as a raw material for downstream processes, being further processed through rolling, forging, or drawing to produce finished steel products of various specifications and shapes, such as steel plates, steel tubes, and steel bars. 304 stainless steel, also known as 18/8 stainless steel, is one of the most widely used austenitic stainless steels. Its main components include approximately 18% chromium and 8% nickel, along with iron and small amounts of carbon, manganese, silicon, phosphorus, and sulfur. Stainless steel slabs are the primary form in the stainless steel manufacturing process and are typically further processed into various stainless steel products.