What is stainless steel?
by Gary Coates, Technical Director, Nickel Institute and Dr. David Jenkinson, Director Nickel Institute Australasia. Stainless steel is the name given to a group of corrosion resistant and high temperature steels. Their remarkable resistance to corrosion is due to a chromium-rich oxide film which forms on the surface. When ordinary carbon steel is exposed to rain water, for example, it corrodes forming a brown iron oxide, commonly called rust, on the surface. This is not protective and eventually the entire piece of steel will corrode and be converted to rust. But when enough chromium (more than about 10%) is added to ordinary steel, the oxide on the surface is transformed – it is very thin, virtually invisible and protective in a wide range of corrosive media. This is what we call stainless steel and there are several different types, and many different grades. Types of Stainless Steel The basic composition of stainless steel is iron (Fe) and chromium (Cr). This is the simplest form o
Stainless steel is a family of iron based alloys that must contain at least 10.5% CHROMIUM (Cr). The presence of chromium creates an invisible surface film that resists oxidation and makes the material “passive” or corrosion resistant (i.e. “stainless”). This family can be simply and logically grouped into five (5) branches. Each of these branches has specific properties and a basic grade or “type.” In addition, further alloy modifications can be made to “tailored” the chemical composition to meet the needs of different corrosion conditions, temperature ranges, strength requirements, or to improve weldability, machinability, work hardening and formability. CHROMIUM CONTAINING: As we mentioned, to be a stainless, the iron base must contain at least 10.5% Cr. and the carbon content is less that 1%. These two things made stainless “Steel” totally different from mild “Steel.” The basic stainless with 12 to 18% chromium are called “Martensitic” (based on the structure) and have the followin
Stainless steel is the generic name for a number of different steels used primarily for their resistance to corrosion. The one key element they all share is a certain minimum percentage (by mass) of chromium: 10.5%. Although other elements, particularly nickel and molybdenum, are added to improve corrosion resistance, chromium is always the deciding factor. The vast majority of steel produced in the world is carbon and alloy steel, with the more expensive stainless steels representing a small, but valuable niche market.
Stainless steel is an iron-containing alloy made from some of the basic elements found on earth: iron ore, chromium, silicon, nickel, carbon, nitrogen and manganese. Properties of the final alloy are tailored by varying amounts of these elements. There are more than 57 stainless steels recognized as standard alloys on the market. Klean Kanteens are constructed from high quality sanitary grade 304 stainless steel, which has a low nickel content. Stainless steel has excellent resistance to stain or rust due to its chromium content making it a material of choice among the food processing, dairy and brewery industries. Stainless steel is easy to clean, durable, inert and sanitary.
Stainless steel is an iron-containing alloy made from some of the basic elements found on earth: iron ore, chromium, silicon, nickel, carbon, nitrogen, and manganese. Properties of the final alloy are tailored by varying amounts of these elements. There are more than 57 stainless steels recognized as standard alloys on the market. Klean Kanteen’s are constructed from high quality sanitary grade 304 stainless steel which has a low nickel content. Stainless steel has excellent resistance to stain or rust due to its chromium content making it a material of choice among the food processing, dairy and brewery industries. Stainless steel is easy to clean, durable, inert and sanitary.
