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The archived shop sold polished 316 balustrade tube — slotted for glass, unslotted for a handrail — and it sold 316 as “marine grade” with a useful caveat: 316 still stains in many marine atmospheres. That caveat is the whole hub. Australian coasts are chloride machines. A pretty polish without drainage, passivation or the right fastener is a brown photograph waiting to happen.
316 stainless balustrades in Australia is the post-and-rail essay. Coastal stainless steel care is the maintenance calendar. A2 versus A4 fasteners is the bag of bolts that quietly undoes a 316 job. Pool and marine stainless fittings covers water that is trying even harder than the sea breeze.
If the alloy choice is still open, return to 304 versus 316 in Australia and what marine-grade stainless steel actually means. Structural adequacy for a barrier is a design job, not a blog; we will not pretend a 50.8 mm tube is a certified system.