Although the majority of us are unaware of this, stainless steel comes in many different grades. This can be very hard to understand for those of us who have no knowledge of stainless steel and how it works. Here are some of the different stainless steel grades in layman’s terms:

Austenitic Stainless Steels

This group of stainless steel grades is very common and is used within many different industries. It is also used within many appliances in the home and also machinery in the work place. Austenitic Stainless Steels include general purpose grade 304 (as well as 301, 302HQ, 303 and 305) and marine grade 316.  This family of Stainless Steels is particularly resistant to corrosion, whilst still being very suitable in high temperatures.

There are many other different grades that have to be considered as well. Some of the other grades of stainless steel include Martensitic Steels, Ferritic Steels and Duplex Steels such as 2205 and 2507 Super Duplex.   Also 2343 or 316LHiMo Bumax Stainless.  All of these grades of stainless steel are very commonplace in this day and age and can be explained to you by a specialist in the area, like stainless steel supplier, Anzor.

Martensitic Stainless Steels

This group of stainless steel grades can be heat treated which Austenitic 304 and 316 can not be.  This means alloys such as 410 Stainless can be hardened by heat treatment which makes them excellent as self drilling screws.

Ferritic Stainless Steels

Ferritic Stainless Steels have very low or no levels of Nickel.  In fasteners 420 grade is sometimes used for Roll or Tension/Spring Pins due to its spring qualities.

Duplex Stainless Steels

This group of Stainless Steels has high levels of Chromium and Nickel and has high levels of strength and Corrosion resistance.  It includes grades such as 2205 and Super Duplex 2507.

Precipitation Hardened Stainless Steels

This class of Stainless Steel is used for extremely high strength requirements. This group includes grades such as 17-4PH. It is heat treated after machining (Which 304 and 316 can’t be) and has significant tensile strength properties, though lower levels of corrosion resistance.  These items are made to order.  For high strength AND high corrosion resistance, Bumax 88 and Bumax 109 are the ideal grades of Stainless Steel.

When it comes to finding the right grade of stainless steel for certain appliances and fittings, careful consideration must be taken. Each grade is composed of different things, so therefore, suitable for different things. For those who are unsure as to what they are looking for, there are plenty of resources available online, including Anzor’s website, listing more information about each grade.

Click the links below to view more information about Stainless Steel:

How to clean and maintain your Stainless	How Stainless Works	Which Stainless is right for me?