Stainless Steel

Nickel-bearing martensitic stainless steel with higher corrosion resistance than 410/420. Highest strength of the standard martensitic grades (up to 1100 MPa). Used for marine shafts, propeller shafts, high-strength fasteners, valves, and pump components.

17% Cr Ti-stabilized ferritic stainless. Cost-effective alternative to 304 for many applications — no Ni means ~30-40% lower cost. Immune to chloride SCC. Used for automotive exhaust systems (downstream), kitchen sinks, washing machine drums, heat exchangers, and architectural trim.

High-carbon martensitic stainless steel with molybdenum and vanadium. Hardenable to 58+ HRC while maintaining moderate corrosion resistance. Used for cutlery, surgical instruments, valve components, bearings, and pump parts where hardness and corrosion resistance are both needed.

Highest-hardness standard martensitic stainless steel. Achieves 57-60 HRC — the hardest commonly available stainless grade. Excellent wear resistance from chromium carbides. Used for bearings, races, valve components, surgical instruments, high-end cutlery, and precision molds.

Stabilized ferritic stainless steel with Mo addition. A cost-effective alternative to 316L for applications where austenitic properties are not needed. Excellent resistance to chloride stress corrosion cracking. Used for hot water tanks, solar collectors, automotive exhaust, and catering equipment.

Precipitation-hardening martensitic stainless steel — the highest-strength stainless in common use. Solution anneal at 1040°C then age at 480-620°C for UTS >1300 MPa. Corrosion resistance similar to 304. Cu+Nb precipitation hardening. Trade names include 17-4PH, SUS630. Used for aerospace structural parts, turbine blades, valve components, nuclear waste casks, medical instruments, and oil/gas equipment.

Super-austenitic stainless steel with high Mo and Cu content. Excellent resistance to sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, and chloride environments. Bridges the gap between standard austenitics (316L) and nickel alloys (Inconel/Hastelloy). Used in chemical processing, oil & gas, and pharmaceutical.

Soft martensitic (supermartensitic) stainless steel with good corrosion resistance and high toughness. Low carbon prevents embrittlement. The standard material for hydraulic turbine runners, pump impellers, compressor components, and offshore valves.

The most widely used duplex (austenitic-ferritic) stainless steel. Balanced 50/50 microstructure provides twice the yield strength of 304/316L with superior chloride and stress corrosion resistance. Used in oil & gas, chemical processing, marine, and pulp & paper industries.

Lean duplex stainless steel with minimal Ni and Mo — the most cost-effective duplex grade. Uses Mn and N instead of expensive Ni for austenite stability. Double the yield strength of 304 (450 MPa vs 190 MPa). Used as a direct replacement for 304/316L where higher strength or better SCC resistance is needed.

Lean duplex stainless steel with low Mo content. More economical than 2205 with better corrosion resistance than 304/316L. Developed for construction, water treatment, and storage tanks where full duplex properties are not required.

Premium aerospace precipitation-hardening stainless. Al-precipitation for the highest transverse toughness and most uniform properties of all PH stainless grades. SCC-resistant in marine environments. Used for landing gear, structural airframe parts, nuclear components, and high-performance shafts.

Super duplex stainless steel with PREN >40. Superior corrosion resistance to standard 2205 duplex, especially in chloride and H₂S environments. Used for subsea pipelines, offshore platform components, desalination plants, and chemical processing equipment.

Japanese martensitic stainless steel — the higher-carbon variant of the 420 family (C 0.26-0.40%). Achieves HRC 50-55 after heat treatment. Very good corrosion resistance for a martensitic grade. THE budget knife/cutlery steel worldwide. Also used for surgical instruments, haircutting scissors, and industrial blades. ≈ EN X30Cr13 (1.4028) / Chinese 3Cr13.

High-chromium ferritic stainless steel (23–26% Cr) with aluminum (1.2–1.7%) and silicon (0.7–1.4%) additions for maximum scaling resistance up to 1150°C. The highest oxidation resistance among ferritic stainless steels. Non-hardenable. Resistant to sulfur compounds and reducing gases. Used for furnace linings, kiln rollers, burner parts, thermocouple protection tubes, steam boiler superheater elements, and extreme-temperature components. Equivalent to AISI 446.

High-chromium creep-resistant martensitic steel equivalent to ASTM Grade 91 (P91/T91/F91). V and Nb additions with controlled N provide exceptional creep rupture strength at temperatures up to 580°C. The foundation steel of modern ultra-supercritical (USC) power plants worldwide. Used for main steam pipes, boiler headers, superheater tubes, and high-temperature pressure components in fossil and nuclear power generation.

Work-hardening austenitic stainless — AISI 301. Higher C (0.05-0.15%) than 301LN enables extreme cold-work strengthening to UTS 1300+ MPa in full-hard temper. THE spring-temper stainless: used for flat springs, retaining clips, conveyor belts, automotive structural parts, and rail car body panels. Corrosion resistance similar to 304 in annealed state.

Advanced creep-resistant martensitic steel equivalent to ASTM Grade 92 (P92/T92/F92). Improved version of P91 with 1.5-2.0% tungsten addition for 25-30% higher creep rupture strength. Currently the strongest commercially available steam pipe steel. Enables ultra-supercritical power plant operation up to 300 bar / 600°C. Used for main steam pipes, headers, and pressure components in the most advanced fossil power plants worldwide.

Basic martensitic stainless steel with 12% chromium — the DIN/EN designation for AISI 410. Heat-treatable to a wide range of mechanical properties from soft-annealed (≤730 MPa) to quenched and tempered (650–850 MPa in QT650). Good scaling resistance up to 650°C. Used for cutlery, surgical instruments, turbine blades, shafts, bolts, valve components, and pump parts. Machinability similar to carbon steels at same hardness.

Free-cutting ferritic stainless — AISI 430F equivalent. S 0.15-0.35% + Mo 0.2-0.5% for machinability and slight improvement in pitting resistance. THE ferritic Automatenstahl for CNC screw machines. Used for screws, nuts, bushings, fittings, and automotive components where ferritische Korrosionsbeständigkeit with machinability is needed. Magnetic, not weldable.

Heat-resistant 25Cr-21Ni austenitic stainless — AISI 310S (low-C variant). Oxidation resistance to 1050°C continuous, 1150°C intermittent. Higher Cr+Ni than 304/316 = much better high-temperature scaling resistance. Used for furnace parts, radiant tubes, heat treatment fixtures, kiln linings, and thermocouple protection tubes. Also used in petrochemical cracker tubes.

Martensitic stainless for steam turbine blades and discs — 12Cr-3Ni-Mo-V. Higher Ni (2.5-3.5%) than X20Cr13 gives better toughness and corrosion resistance. V addition for creep strength at elevated temperatures. Used for LP/HP turbine blades, compressor discs, pump shafts, and valves in power generation. Service temperature to ~550°C.

Free-cutting martensitic stainless steel with sulfur addition for improved machinability. Equivalent to AISI 416. Based on X12Cr13 (AISI 410) composition with 0.15-0.35% S added. Can be hardened by heat treatment. Corrosion resistance is somewhat reduced compared to non-free-cutting grades but improves in the quenched and tempered condition. Used for automatic screw machine parts, valves, fittings, bolts, nuts, pump components, and precision turned parts.

Free-cutting martensitic stainless steel with Mo and S additions. Equivalent to AISI 430F. Higher Cr (15.5-17.5%) and Mo addition provide better corrosion resistance than X12CrS13 while maintaining excellent machinability from S content. Used for automatic screw machine parts, fasteners, valve bodies, pump shafts, and precision components requiring both corrosion resistance and easy machining.