Abstract: In the paper, the tests of cyclic strain ratcheting and low cycle fatigue for 304 stainless steel under uniaxial cyclic straining were carried out to systematically explore the deformation and failure behavior of the material. The experimental study shows that the cyclic strain ratcheting deformation behavior of the material is different from either the uniaxial monotonic tensile one or the cyclic deformation one under the symmetrical cyclic straining with the same strain amplitude, and the strain ratcheting deformation and failure behaviors depend on both the plastic strain amplitude and the strain increment at the cyclic maximum strain. Some significant results were observed.