Stainless steel: six common questions

What is stainless steel?

Stainless steel is the general term for a group of corrosion-resistant alloy steels, which contain ≥ 10.5% chromium.

As an endlessly recyclable material, stainless steel leaves a minimal carbon footprint and has an extremely high recovery rate in the construction sector because of its longevity.

How does it work?

While both carbon steel and stainless steel contain iron – which oxidises when exposed to the environment – the added chromium in stainless steel makes it more corrosion resistant.

The chromium in stainless steel attaches itself to oxygen more readily than iron, creating a thin, stable film known as a chromium oxide layer.

This film protects the material by acting as a barrier that limits the amount of oxygen and water that can pass through to the underlying metal surface. If it is damaged, either mechanically or chemically, the film is self-healing.

Common steel does not have as much chromium content, which means it reacts with oxygen and allows it to bond with the iron, resulting in iron oxide (rust).

Austenitic

Austenitic steel is the most common type of stainless steel and is extremely high in nickel content. It generally contains large amounts of chromium, nitrogen and molybdenum.

Austenitic steel is a popular option because of its formability, fabricability and ductility. It has excellent corrosion resistance and cleanability, with good hygiene characteristics. It is non-magnetic (if annealed) and is hardenable by cold work only.

Grade 316 is a superior grade common type of austenitic stainless steel and is in stock at Edcon Steel. Known as the marine alloy, 316 has better corrosion resistance than other types of austenitic steels (particularly in marine environments) and can retain its toughness over the broadest temperature range.

304 grade is a widely used austenitic stainless steel variety, thanks to its resistance to corrosion and excellent workability, weldability and impact strength. Edcon Steel can source 304 stainless steel upon request.

Duplex

While duplex stainless steel contains relatively high amounts of chromium, it only has moderate amounts of nickel. As such, it results in a combination of ferritic and austenitic structures, known as duplex.

Known for high resistance to stress corrosion cracking, duplex stainless steel has good weldability and formability and higher tensile and yield strength than either austenitic or ferritic steels.

Martensitic

Martensitic stainless steel has a relatively high carbon content and moderate corrosion resistance. While it can be hardened by heat treatment, which allows for high strength and hardness levels, martensitic steel has poor weldability.

What are the benefits of stainless steel?

While famous for its corrosion resistance, stainless steel has a range of other benefits that are often overlooked.

Firstly, stainless steel has excellent high and low-temperature resistance.

High chromium and nickel-alloyed grades can resist scaling and retain strength at high temperatures, while other grades show extraordinary toughness in subzero temperatures.

The ease of fabrication for most stainless steels, as well as their strength-to-weight ratio, are other advantages.

Why does stainless steel stain?

Many customers become frustrated when brown stains or rust appears on their ‘stainless’ steel, and rightly so. Without a lengthy chemistry lesson, these tea-coloured stains are due to the finish (surface roughness) and cleanliness of your stainless steel.

As a rule, the smoother the finish on your stainless steel, the less likely there will be small craters and crevices for contaminants to react (i.e. rust) to your stainless steel.

To protect your stainless steel, and for the best resistance to staining and discolouration, you should consider chemical cleaning (called passivation) as high or near to mirror polish as you can afford, along with a final electropolish.