STAINLESS 2027

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Frequently asked

Glossary

1

Austenitic stainless steel (300 series)

The largest stainless family, built on a chromium-nickel (and often molybdenum) chemistry with a face-centred cubic structure, which makes it non-magnetic in the annealed condition and highly formable and weldable. Reference grades are AISI 304 / EN 1.4301 and AISI 316L / EN 1.4404.

2

Ferritic stainless steel (400 series)

Chromium-bearing, generally nickel-free stainless with a body-centred cubic structure, magnetic, with good stress-corrosion-cracking resistance but lower ductility than austenitics. Typical grades are 409, 430 and 441.

3

Martensitic and precipitation-hardening grades

Chromium stainless grades that can be hardened by heat treatment (for example 410, 420, 440C) or by precipitation of alloy phases (for example 17-4PH / 1.4542), used where hardness, wear resistance or high strength is the priority.

4

Duplex and super-duplex stainless steel

Grades with a mixed austenitic-ferritic microstructure (for example 2205 / 1.4462, 2507) that combine roughly double the yield strength of 304 with strong chloride pitting and stress-corrosion resistance.

5

Passivation

A chemical or electrochemical treatment, usually based on nitric or citric acid, that removes free iron and other surface contamination so the natural chromium-oxide passive film can re-form and protect the steel.

6

Pickling and pickling paste

Acid-based removal of the chromium-depleted, heat-tinted layer left after welding, hot forming or heat treatment. Immersion pickling is used in tanks or lines; pickling paste is applied locally on welds and repairs.

7

Cold rolling and 2B / BA surface finishes

Cold rolling reduces thickness and sets the surface condition: 2B is the standard smooth, matte mill finish after annealing and pickling, while bright annealed (BA) is produced in a controlled atmosphere for a reflective finish with no pickling step.

8

Electropolishing

An anodic electrochemical process that removes a thin, controlled layer of metal, leaving a bright, smooth and usually low-contamination surface with improved cleanability.

9

Intergranular corrosion and sensitisation

Attack along grain boundaries caused when chromium carbides precipitate during heating in roughly the 450-850 C range, depleting chromium next to the boundaries. Low-carbon (L) grades and stabilised grades (for example 321, 347) are the standard countermeasures.

10

Molybdenum-bearing grades

Grades such as 316L / 1.4404, 904L and 2205 use molybdenum (with chromium and nickel) to raise resistance to pitting and crevice corrosion in chloride environments.

11

Alloy and nickel surcharge

A price adjustment added to the base price of stainless products to reflect the current cost of alloying elements, chiefly nickel, molybdenum and chromium, usually quoted against published LME or index references.

12

Seamless versus welded tube and pipe

Seamless tube is pierced from a solid billet and has no weld seam, while welded tube is formed from strip or sheet and welded longitudinally. Seamless is preferred for high-pressure and critical service; welded tube usually has a cost advantage in lighter duties.

13

Scrap-based electric arc furnace (EAF) and AOD route

Most stainless is melted in electric arc furnaces charged largely with stainless scrap, then decarburised in an argon-oxygen decarburisation converter before casting, which is why scrap quality and availability feed directly into mill economics.

14

EN / AISI / UNS grade equivalence

The same stainless grade carries different designations by system: AISI 304 corresponds to EN 1.4301 and UNS S30400, while AISI 316L corresponds to EN 1.4404 and UNS S31603.