What are the types of steel offered by stainless steel suppliers?
- Austenitic
- Martensitic
- Duplex
- Ferritic
- Precipitation-Hardening
The best stainless steel suppliers in Metro Manila offer a wide range of products that can be classified into subcategories based on the type of steel that they have. In particular, companies that focus on stainless steel have 5 major classifications.
Stainless steel is classified based on the other different alloying elements that are included in its chemical composition. For starters, stainless steel is known as a low carbon steel that contains chromium and other elements such as nickel, molybdenum, and nitrogen. Depending on the mixture of metals in the alloy, the properties will change—usually incorporating the properties of all the metals present in it.
Specializing in one specific type of stainless steel can be an advantage for some, but most of the time, the very best suppliers of stainless steel in Metro Manila have them all in store to add variety and a hint of expertise for them.
With that being said, here are the 5 types of steel that these suppliers should be able to supply for you!
Austenitic Stainless Steel
This type of stainless steel is the most common kind of stainless steel. it is composed of high chromium and nickel content thus providing it with greater corrosion resistance and good mechanical properties. It can only be hardened through cold-working and are not magnetic.
Austenitic stainless steel is further classified into 3 grades:
- Standard Grade – This grade contains a maximum of .08% carbon and does not have any minimum on it.
- Low Carbon Grades – These are used to provide extra corrosion resistance after welding. Carbon levels are kept at .03% or under.
- High Carbon Grades – These grades have a minimum of .04% and a maximum of 1.0% carbon. These higher levels of carbon help retain the strength of metal at extreme temperatures.
Listed below are some of the specific types of austenitic stainless steel
- Type 304 – One of the more popular stainless steel grades. It’s the preferred choice for making processing equipment for the chemical and food industries. it is known for its strength, corrosion resistance, and fabric-ability
- Type 321 – This contains a titanium addition of at least 5x the carbon content which eliminates or at least reduces the chromium carbide precipitation. It is primarily used in the aerospace industry.
Martensitic Stainless Steel
This stainless steel type is composed of stainless steel alloys that are made to be corrosion resistant and harden-able. These type of steels are straight composed of nickel without nickel. These grades are magnetic and are known for their hardness and strength.
Here’s a list of some specific types of austenitic stainless steel
- Type 410 – A basic martensitic grade that contains a relatively low alloy content. It’s cheap and has a wide variety of uses. It is also heat-treatable and is used where corrosion is not too severe
- Type 420 – This has increased carbon to help improve the mechanical properties of the alloy. Surgical instruments are a typical product.
Duplex Stainless Steel
A combination of austenitic and ferritic materials, the duplex grade is twice as strong as the mentioned. Though when it comes to ductility and toughness, it can be ranked as in between the two stainless steel types.
The most common and widely used duplex stainless steel is Type 2205 which is suited for high-pressure and highly corrosive environments. It has high corrosion and erosion fatigue properties and a lower thermal expansion and higher thermal conductivity than austenitic.
Ferritic Stainless Steel
This type of stainless steel is popular because of its resistance to corrosion, oxidation, stress, and cracking. They are magnetic and can only be cold-worked when annealed. Most ferritic stainless steel is used for decorative applications, automotive parts, and exhaust systems.
Listed below are some types of ferritic stainless steel:
- Type 409 – A relatively inexpensive stainless steel type because of its decreased chromium content, this type is usually used for interior or exterior parts of a non-critical corrosive environment. Usually, it is found in muffler stocks.
- Type 446 – Composed of a high amount of chromium content, it’s resistance to corrosion and scaling resistance at high temperature is better than most other types of ferritic stainless steel. It is very good with oxidation resistance in a sulfuric environment.
Precipitation-Hardening Stainless Steel
The PH stainless steel type can easily be strengthened and hardened by heat-treatment. Its versatility gives its designer a unique combination of strength, ease of heat-treatment, corrosion resistance and fabric-ability that is unique to this type of steel alone.
Type 17-4 is a chromium-copper precipitation hardening stainless steel that is used for applications requiring high strength and a medium level of corrosion resistance. It is strong and resistant to corrosion in all of the heat-treated conditions.
Key Takeaway
These are the 5 types of stainless steel that embody all of the stainless steel products that most stainless steel suppliers in Metro Manila provide. Choose the one that is best suited for your application for maximum results!