Stainless Steel

Kitchen Appliances and Utensils

Stainless steel is a widely employed choice in kitchen equipment of all kinds. It’s a durable and long-lasting material that can withstand heavy and constant use in the kitchen. It is resistant to corrosion, which is important in a food environment where there is constant exposure to water and other liquids. This results in no taint of food. It is a hygienic material that is easy to clean and maintain and withstands the most aggressive cleaning. It does not absorb food odors or flavors and is resistant to stains.

Medical Equipment

Stainless steel is a widely applied material choice in the medical sector for various equipment and devices. A main driver of this is its corrosion resistance, which prevents surface degradation by addition or pitting. It makes durable products that can tolerate the autoclave cleaning and aggressive chemical sterilization processes necessary for medical equipment. Since it is non-porous, it is easy to clean to extreme hygiene standards. Stainless steel is also a biocompatible material, so it is rarely actively rejected when implanted into patients. This property results in stainless steel being tolerated and durable in medical implants and devices that come into direct contact with the human body.

Automotive Industry

Stainless steel is an important material choice in many automotive components, due to its general strength, durability, and resistance to corrosion. It is used in exhaust systems, fuel tanks, external decorative/finishing applications, and sometimes in whole-body (monocoque) construction.

A primary benefit of stainless steel in automotive applications is corrosion resistance. The often high-salt environment results in rapid corrosion of even well-protected basic steels, quickly degrading vehicles. Stainless steel is resistant to rust and corrosion, making it an ideal material choice for automotive components that are exposed to harsh conditions, despite the mild salt vulnerability of some lower-cost alloys.

In exhaust, engine, suspension, and transmission parts it is durable and can withstand high temperatures and mechanical stresses. In exhaust systems, it can handle high-temperature, high-vibration applications without fracturing or corroding.

Construction Industry

Stainless steels are important in the construction sector in that they are widely used in sheet form for cladding purposes, lending high environmental resistance, but not as structural components. Stainless steels also feature extensively in “finishing” components such as flashings for window and door installations, and as structural and functional components for doors, windows, and balustrades/handrails. Stainless steels are widely employed in functional piping and exterior ducting, where corrosion resistance is paramount both from environmental causes and from potentially contaminated materials carried within pipes.

Aerospace Industry

Stainless steels find wide application in gas-turbine technologies, which have been a key driver of research into higher-performing alloys and processing methods, such as precipitation-hardening alloys. The materials compensate for their relatively high weight, in the highest-stress and higher-temperature applications by bringing extreme tolerances and strength to otherwise vulnerable parts. The use of stainless steel in landing gear is also critically important—high-stress tolerance is important, but landing gear encounters harsh conditions with complex mechanics exposed to runway environments that are wet, abrasive, and often chemically contaminated.

Chemical and Petrochemical Industry

Stainless steel is much favored in these sectors as good alloy selection and correct processing methods make remarkably stable and durable components for harsh conditions. It brings high-temperature tolerance, high resistance to vibration fatigue, great chemical resistance, and low maintenance needs to piping, valve gear, vessels, and structural parts.

Marine Industry

Stainless steel is a mainstay of small components in the marine sector. Marine environments are harsh in that materials undergo large temperature swings, constant wet-salt exposure, and high mechanical stresses. The material is widely used for engine parts, general fittings, anchors/chains, capstans, structural elements, and much more—from small pleasure craft to supertankers. Alloy selection is critical, in that some alloys have cosmetic and even pinhole/pitting sensitivity to salt environments. The use of the most chemically resilient alloys is important for both long-term durability and short-term cosmetic reasons.