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General information

History of Stainless Steel - Stainless was discovered more or less contemporaneously around 1913 by researchers in Britain and Germany.
What is Stainless Steel - Stainless steels are chromium containing steel alloys. The minimum chromium content of the standardised stainless steels is 10.5%.

Detailed information

Austenitic-Ferritic Stainless Steels - This group of steels is intermediate in terms of structure and alloy content between ferritic and austenitic steels.
Austenitic Stainless Steels - This type of stainless steel is dominant in the market. The group includes the very common AISI 304 and AISI 316 steels, but also the higher alloyed AISI 310S and ASTM N08904.
Corrosion Resistance of Stainless Steels
Ferritic Stainless Steels - These steels are, in principle, ferritic at all temperatures.
High Temperature Properties of Stainless Steels
Martensitic Stainless Steels - Martensitic steels have the highest strength but also the lowest corrosion resistance of the stainless steels.
Mechanical Properties of Stainless Steels
Stainless Steel Surfaces - Surface quality or surface finish affects the sensitivity to corrosion, and its cleansability of dirt and bacteria, which is of particular importance in the food industry and health sector. Surface finish characteristics of stainless steel are therefore not merely question of appearance.

Stainless Steel Process

Raw Materials - The main raw material for stainless steel is recycled scrap but some virgin material is added in the form of alloying agents (e.g. ferrochrome, ferronickel).
Stainless Steel Melting - Steelmaking and the downstream processes necessary to reach the final finished product are highly energy intensive.
Hot Rolling - The stainless steel that has been cast into slabs, blooms or billets is then processed or hot rolled into much thinner and longer steel strips, so called coils, plates and long products such as rods.
Cold Rolling - In the cold rolling mill the stainless steel coil dimensions are reduced further. Part of this process involves the softening of the material by annealing and the cleaning of the surface by pickling.