What is the difference between the “annealed” condition and the “dead soft” condition for stainless steel?
The usual “condition” that stainless steel products (sheets, plates, bars, wire etc.) are supplied to is the “annealed” condition. That means that the last operation is to heat the material up a temperature where the residual stresses of manufacturing can be relieved, and the material will be in the “soft” condition. Most flat rolled products however are made in coils and when a “sheet” is cut from the coil it is usually “flattened” which does add some small amount of stress to the material. Bar products are usually straightened and that adds some small amount of stress as well. The term “dead soft” usually refers to a product where the even this small amount of stress is removed, but as a practical matter, this condition is not readily available.
