High pressure hydrogen imposes challenges to materials of construction for hydrogen storage and delivery systems. There are several types of mechanical property degradations in metallic materials when in contact with high pressure hydrogen. Some impact material performance more than the other. Different materials also respond to hydrogen exposure differently. Owing to its intrinsically high ductility and its mild mechanical property deterioration when exposed to high pressure hydrogen, 316 stainless steel is one of the favored materials for hydrogen system construction. Property changes of materials in hydrogen have been shown to be closely related to the specific chemical composition of the material. Higher contents of certain alloy elements in 316 stainless steels can lead to higher resistances to property degradation, and possibly longer component service life, in hydrogen. It is also realized that the costs of materials depend on the chemical compositions and the quality of materials. Engineering designs require consideration of both technical efficacy and business impact. In depth analyses of these effects and factors indicated that a material selection approach balanced with engineering needs, technical excellency and economic consideration can be achieved