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Common Uses for Stainless Steel

Stainless steel is 100% recyclable, easy to sterilize, and used in many applications. In fact, ordinary citizens interact with products made of stainless steel on a daily basis. Whether in the kitchen, on the road, at the doctor's office, or in a building, stainless steel is everywhere.

In this blog, I will cover some of this versatile metal's common traits, products, and applications.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STAINLESS AND REGULAR STEEL?

Unlike ordinary steel, stainless steel isn't prone to corrosion, rusting, or staining with exposure to water. But this isn't to say it's completely stain-proof. In areas with low oxygen, high salinity, or poor air circulation, stainless steel is vulnerable to staining.

Similar to ordinary steel, stainless steel is a poor conductor of electricity (especially when compared to a material such as copper with higher electrical conductivity).

WHAT ARE STAINLESS STEEL PRODUCTS AND APPLICATIONS?

Most often, stainless steel is used for applications requiring steel's unique properties and corrosion resistance. You will find this alloy milled into coils, sheets, plates, bars, wire, and tubing. Here are some examples of common stainless steel uses:

  • Culinary uses
  • Kitchen sinks
  • Cutlery
  • Cookware
  • Surgical tools and medical equipment
  • Hemostats
  • Surgical implants
  • Temporary crowns (dentistry)
  • Architecture (pictured above: Chrysler Building)
  • Bridges
  • Monuments and sculptures
  • Airport roofs
  • Automotive and aerospace applications
  • Auto bodies
  • Rail cars
  • Aircraft

IS STAINLESS STEEL CORROSION-RESISTANT?

Stainless steel in the 300 series is resistant to weaker bases like ammonium hydroxide - even in high concentrations and at high temperatures. However, these same steels, when exposed to stronger bases like sodium hydroxide, are vulnerable to etching and cracking. While stainless steel is often unaffected in damp or acidic environments, other metals in those environments often experience galvanic corrosion.

WHAT TYPE OF STAINLESS STEEL DOES MEAD METALS STOCK?

Mead Metals regularly carries Stainless Steel in AISI 301 and AISI 302/304 in sheet and coil. We may carry additional grades at any given time, so feel free to contact us if you require another grade of stainless steel.

301 STAINLESS STEEL TRAITS

AISI 301 is known to harden through the cold working process more quickly than other grades. It has excellent corrosion and heat resistance, and it is especially well-suited for applications requiring drawing, stamping, or forming.

302/304 STAINLESS STEEL TRAITS

AISI 302/304 is austenitic and known for delivering even greater corrosion and heat resistance than 301 stainless steel. It is ideal for applications that employ laser and etching processes. It is sometimes referred to as A2 stainless.

Stainless steel is hugely versatile, thanks largely to its strength and anti-corrosive properties. An iron alloy, metals like nickel, titanium, and manganese are added to enhance its natural properties in line with the project it's required for.

From your dinner table to spaceships, without stainless steel, it’s pretty safe to say that the human race would not be where it is today. So, where is stainless steel most commonly used?

Common uses of stainless steel

Here’s where you’ll find stainless steel.

In the home

Let’s start in your home. From your cutlery drawer to your supporting beams, stainless steel is commonplace in every area of the house. When it comes to the kitchen, you only have to open your pots and pans cupboard or your cutlery drawer to see a common use for stainless steel. Even your windows can be made from stainless steel.

In the hospital

Thanks to its hygienic properties, stainless steel is commonly used in the medical industry - from instruments to tools to help broken bones heal. In fact, thanks to its resistance to bacteria and other dangerous bugs, medical grade stainless steel is commonly used for piercings, dental equipment, and theatre trays.

In construction and architecture

Stainless steel is commonly used on construction sites. Thanks to its strength, it’s used as the skeleton frame of buildings. Stainless steel can be cut to specification, delivered to site and installed in a time-efficient manner – meaning buildings can be constructed far quicker than they used to. In addition, steel joists can be used as support if a supporting wall is knocked down to create open plan living space.

Extreme environments

Because stainless steel doesn’t rust, it’s the perfect construction material for oil rigs and boats. It’s commonly used for shipping containers and oil refineries. In fact the properties of stainless steel are so robust, it’s used in aerospace and for deep sea construction.

ClickMetal is your go-to for stainless steel products

It’s safe to say that stainless steel is commonly used in all manner of projects. Thanks to its versatility, stainless steel can be worked into different shapes – from bars and tubes to sheet and box sections. Click Metal makes it easy to purchase stainless steel online to your specifications – just enter your dimensions and length on the page and get an instant price!

Common Uses for Stainless Steel

What are the Common Uses of Stainless Steel?

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