Material qualities

Stainless materials resist to corrosion, and they are ideal for a number of ordinary and industrial application because of their low maintenance cost and their regular glossy surface. There are more than 150 different standards, but only 15 of them are the most current ones. Differend kinds of alloys are produced in rolls, panels, bars, wires, tubes and they are applied in kitchens, medical equipment, large industrial equipment of the automotive industry and aircraft industry. Tanks and tank trucks and other food industry equipment made of stainless materials because of their corrosion resistant and anti-bacterial nature. This influences its application in commercial kitchens and food-processing plants, because it can be cleared and sterilized by steam instead of painting or surface treat. Jewellery and watches (316L) are often manfactured of it. Beneficially, it's timeless and does not change its color.

Classification by crystal structure:

Austenitic: aka 300 series, gives more than 70% of the stainless steel production. It contains maximum 15% coal and minimum 16% chromium and nickel and/or manganese in order to preserve its austenitic structure at all temperatures. One typical compound contains 18% chromium and 10% nickel, also known as 18/10 stainless steel, and is often used in producing cutlery.

Ferritic: generally possesses better technological quality than the austenitic structure, but its less incorrodible because of its lower chromium and nickel content, therefore it's also cheaper. Chromium part is between 10,5% and 27%, and it contains very little nickel, but some varieties contain lead as well. Most qualities contain molybdenum, some contains aluminium or titanium.

Martensitic: less incorrodible than the other two, but extremely robust and tough, and well machinable and toughenable. Chromium content is between 12% and 14%, molybdenium 0,2-1%, nickel is less than 2% and coal is 0,1%-1%. That's why it's tough and rigid. Toughenable and can be magnetized.