Stainless steel Page 1 of 6
Description
Image
Caption
1. Siemens toaster in brushed austenitic stainless steel (by Porsche Design) © Granta Design 2. Scissors in ferritic stainless
steel; it is magnetic, austenitic stainless is not. © Granta Design
The material
Stainless steels are alloys of iron with chromium, nickel, and - often - four of five other elements. The alloying transmutes plain
carbon steel that rusts and is prone to brittleness below room temperature into a material that does neither. Indeed, most
stainless steels resist corrosion in most normal environments, and they remain ductile to the lowest of temperatures.
Composition (summary)
Fe/<0.25C/16 - 30Cr/3.5 - 37Ni/<10Mn + Si,P,S (+N for 200 series)
General properties
Density 7,61e3 - 7,87e3 kg/m^3
Price * 2,59 - 2,78 EUR/kg
Date first used 1915
Mechanical properties
Young's modulus 190 - 210 GPa
Shear modulus 74 - 82 GPa
Bulk modulus 140 - 160 GPa
Poisson's ratio 0,27 - 0,28
Yield strength (ela stic limit) 257 - 1,14e3 MPa
Tensile strength 515 - 1,3e3 MPa
Compressive strength * 252 - 1,2e3 MPa
Elongation 10 - 49 % strain
Hardness - Vickers 170 - 438 HV
Fatigue strength at 10^7 cycles * 256 - 542 MPa
Fracture toughness * 57 - 137 MPa.m^0.5
Mechanical loss coefficient (tan delta) * 3,1e-4 - 0,0012
Values marked * are estimates.
No warranty is given for the accuracy of this data
Stainless steel Page 2 of 6
Thermal properties
Melting point 1,4e3 - 1,49e3 °C
Maximum service temperature 640 - 747 °C
Minimum service temperature * -150 - -73,2 °C
Thermal conductor or insulator? Poor conductor
Thermal conductivity 14 - 24,9 W/m.°C
Specific heat capacity 450 - 510 J/kg.°C
Thermal expansion coefficient 10,8 - 16,5 µstrain/°C
Electrical properties
Electrical conductor or insulator? Poor conductor
Electrical resistivity 64 - 87 µohm.cm
Optical properties
Transparency Opaque
Critical Materials Risk
High critical material risk? Yes
Processability
Castability 3 - 4
Formability 2 - 3
Machinability 2 - 3
Weldability 5
Solder/brazability 5
Durability: water and aqueous solutions
Water (fresh) Excellent
Water (salt) Excellent
Soils, acidic (peat) Excellent
Soils, alkaline (clay) Excellent
Wine Excellent
Durability: acids
Acetic acid (10%) Excellent
Acetic acid (glacial) Excellent
Citric acid (10%) Excellent
Hydrochloric acid (10%) Excellent
Hydrochloric acid (36%) Limited use
Hydrofluoric acid (40%) Limited use
Nitric acid (10%) Excellent
Nitric acid (70%) Limited use
Phosphoric acid (10%) Excellent
Phosphoric acid (85%) Excellent
Values marked * are estimates.
No warranty is given for the accuracy of this data
Stainless steel Page 3 of 6
Sulfuric acid (10%) Acceptable
Sulfuric acid (70%) Limited use
Durability: alkalis
Sodium hydroxide (10%) Excellent
Sodium hydroxide (60%) Excellent
Durability: fuels, oils and solvents
Amyl acetate Acceptable
Benzene Acceptable
Carbon tetrachloride Excellent
Chloroform Excellent
Crude oil Excellent
Diesel oil Excellent
Lubricating oil Excellent
Paraffin oil (kerosene) Excellent
Petrol (gasoline) Excellent
Silicone fluids Acceptable
Toluene Excellent
Turpentine Acceptable
Vegetable oils (general) Excellent
White spirit Excellent
Durability: alcohols, aldehydes, ketones
Acetaldehyde Excellent
Acetone Excellent
Ethyl alcohol (ethanol) Excellent
Ethylene glycol Acceptable
Formaldehyde (40%) Acceptable
Glycerol Excellent
Methyl alcohol (methanol) Excellent
Durability: halogens and gases
Chlorine gas (dry) Excellent
Fluorine (gas) Excellent
O2 (oxygen gas) Excellent
Sulfur dioxide (gas) Excellent
Durability: built environments
Industrial atmosphere Excellent
Rural atmosphere Excellent
Marine atmosphere Excellent
UV radiation (sunlight) Excellent
Values marked * are estimates.
No warranty is given for the accuracy of this data
Stainless steel Page 4 of 6
Durability: flammability
Flammability Non-flammable
Durability: thermal environments
Tolerance to cryogenic temperatures Excellent
Tolerance up to 150 C (302 F) Excellent
Tolerance up to 250 C (482 F) Excellent
Tolerance up to 450 C (842 F) Excellent
Tolerance up to 850 C (1562 F) Excellent
Tolerance above 850 C (1562 F) Unacceptable
Geo-economic data for principal component
Annual world production, principal component 3,9e9 tonne/yr
Reserves, principal component 8,1e10 tonne
Primary material production: energy, CO2 and water
Embodied energy, primary production * 69,1 - 76,2 MJ/kg
CO2 footprint, primary production * 5,18 - 5,71 kg/kg
Water usage * 130 - 140 l/kg
Material processing: energy
Casting energy * 10,6 - 11,7 MJ/kg
Extrusion, foil rolling energy * 9,45 - 10,4 MJ/kg
Roll forming, forging energy * 4,9 - 5,4 MJ/kg
Wire drawing energy * 34,9 - 38,4 MJ/kg
Metal powder forming energy * 36,8 - 40,6 MJ/kg
Vaporization energy * 1,14e4 - 1,26e4 MJ/kg
Coarse machining energy (per unit wt removed) * 1,12 - 1,24 MJ/kg
Fine machining energy (per unit wt removed) * 6,95 - 7,66 MJ/kg
Grinding energy (per unit wt removed) * 13,5 - 14,9 MJ/kg
Non-conventional machining energy (per unit wt removed) * 114 - 126 MJ/kg
Material processing: CO2 footprint
Casting CO2 * 0,797 - 0,879 kg/kg
Extrusion, foil rolling CO2 * 0,709 - 0,781 kg/kg
Roll forming, forging CO2 * 0,367 - 0,405 kg/kg
Wire drawing CO2 * 2,62 - 2,88 kg/kg
Metal powder forming CO2 * 2,9 - 3,2 kg/kg
Vaporization CO2 * 857 - 945 kg/kg
Coarse machining CO2 (per unit wt removed) * 0,0841 - 0,0928 kg/kg
Fine machining CO2 (per unit wt removed) * 0,521 - 0,575 kg/kg
Grinding CO2 (per unit wt removed) * 1,01 - 1,12 kg/kg
Non-conventional machining CO2 (per unit wt removed) * 8,57 - 9,45 kg/kg
Values marked * are estimates.
No warranty is given for the accuracy of this data
Stainless steel Page 5 of 6
Material recycling: energy, CO2 and recycle fraction
Recycle
Embodied energy, recycling * 15,2 - 16,7 MJ/kg
CO2 footprint, recycling * 1,19 - 1,31 kg/kg
Recycle fraction in current supply 36 - 39 %
Downcycle
Combust for energy recovery
Landfill
Biodegrade
Toxicity rating Non-toxic
A renewable resource?
Environmental notes
Stainless steels are FDA approved -- indeed, they are so inert that they can be implanted in the body, and are widely used in
food processing equipment. All can be recycled.
Supporting information
Design guidelines
Stainless steel must be used efficiently to justify its higher costs, exploiting its high strength and corrosion resistance. Economic
design uses thin, rolled gauge, simple sections, concealed welds to eliminate refinishing, and grades that are suitable to
manufacturing (such as free machining grades when machining is necessary). Surface finish can be controlled by rolling,
polishing or blasting. Stainless steels are selected, first, for their corrosion resistance, second, for their strength and third, for
their ease of fabrication. Most stainless steels are difficult to bend, draw and cut, requiring slow cutting speeds and special tool
geometry. They are available in sheet, strip, plate, bar, wire, tubing and pipe, and can be readily soldered and braised. Welding
stainless steel is possible but the filler metal must be selected to ensure an equivalent composition to maintain corrosion
resistance. The 300 series are the most weldable; the 400 series are less weldable.
Technical notes
Stainless steels are classified into four categories: the 200and 300 series austenitic (Fe-Cr-Ni-Mn) alloys, the 400 series ferritic
(Fe-Cr) alloys, the martensitic (Fe-Cr-C) alloys that also form part of the 400 series, and precipitation hardening or PH
(Fe-Cr-Ni-Cu-Nb) alloys with designations starting with S. Typical of the austenitic grades of stainless steel is the grade 304:
74% iron, 18% chromium and 8 % nickel. Here the chromium protects by creating a protective Cr2O3 film on all exposed
surfaces, and the nickel stabilizes face-centered cubic austenite, giving ductility and strength both at high and low temperatures;
they are non-magnetic (a way of identifying them). The combination of austenitic and ferritic structures (the duplex stainless
steels) provide considerably slower growth of stress-induced cracks, they can be hot-rolled or cast and are often heat treated
as well. Austenitic stainless steel with high molybdenum content and copper has excellent resistance to pitting and corrosion.
High nitrogen content austenitic stainless steel gives higher strength. Superferrites (over 30% chromium) are very resistant to
corrosion, even in water containing chlorine. More information on designations and equivalent grades can be found on the
Granta Design website at www.grantadesign.com/designations
Phase diagram
Values marked * are estimates.
No warranty is given for the accuracy of this data
Stainless steel Page 6 of 6
Phase diagram description
Most stainless steels are alloys of iron (Fe) with chromium (Cr) and nickel (Ni). This is the ternary phase diagram, at a
temperature of 800 C, for those three elements. The position of AISI 302 stainless steel (Fe-18%Cr-8%Ni) is shown.
Typical uses
Railway cars, trucks, trailers, food-processing equipment, sinks, stoves, cooking utensils, cutlery, flatware, scissors and knives,
architectural metalwork, laundry equipment, chemical-processing equipment, jet-engine parts, surgical tools, furnace and boiler
components, oil-burner parts, petroleum-processing equipment, dairy equipment, heat-treating equipment, automotive trim.
Structural uses in corrosive environments, e.g. nuclear plants, ships, offshore oil installations, underwater cables and pipes.
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Reference
Values marked * are estimates.
No warranty is given for the accuracy of this data
