Stainless Steel

Stainless steel is a metal known for its resistance to corrosion and nonmagnetic properties. These abilities are due to the presence of chromium in its chemical composition. For a steel to be classed as stainless, there must be at least 11% chromium used in the alloy process. The lower the chromium content the more magnetic the material becomes and the resistance to wear decreases.

Stainless steel is available in a range of grades which corresponds to its chromium content and is usually used to select the right grade of stainless steel for the application. As an illustration, T303/304 grades are considered a low-grade stainless steel and is often used in cutlery. While the A4 and 316L range of stainless steels are the much higher-grade versions which are used in more hostile environments such as marine applications.

This material is tough and has high mechanical strength which often makes it harder to work with. Due to the hardness of the material, it is more difficult to cut than mild steel and other machining tools display more wear when cutting stainless steel than mild steel.

Aesthetically, stainless steel is a bright shiny material which can be post processed to produce a range of decorative finished such has brushed or mirror polished.