One would assume that everyone knows what stainless steel is right. It is a mixture of Iron alloy and 10.5% Chromium, Nickel, Titanium, and Copper that enhances its structure and toughness. The best thing about stainless steel is that it is corrosion resistant and has high ductility. Stainless steel has many applications being a versatile material and below is a list of things that it could be used in:
- Architecture/Construction – offshore drilling, household appliances and buildings
- Medical /Surgery Equipment – surgical instruments, pins and plates to hold broken bones in place
- Chemical/ Pharmaceutical – storage tanks and pipes
- Liquefied Natural Gas – stainless steel pipes
What Types of Stainless Steel are out there?
The thing that most people do not know about stainless steel is that it has different grades and/or series of how it is used and applied. There are about nine different grades and several series of stainless steel available. How the stainless steel is made, mixed, and applied is going to determine what grade you will use. Below is a list of the types of steels that are out there:
There are five different stainless steels to name off for the stainless steel industry:
- Ferritic – 400 series with home appliance usage
- Austenitic – 200 and 300 series and the most popular usage
- Martensitic – medical usage
- Duplex – chemical & piping usage
- Precipitation Hardening – oil and gas, nuclear and aerospace industries
What 321 Stainless Steel is Used for
321 Stainless Steel is a 1.25% Nickel and 1.07 % Chromium mixture, which is usually used for rolled products such as a plates, sheets, or coils. The steel pipes, steel flanges, steel round bars, steel plates and sheets, and forged piped fittings of the 321 Stainless Steel series could be best fit for the welding industry. This type of steel does not polish well, so using 321 Stainless Steel to decorate is not ideal.
Specialty Metal Usage
The most practical use for 321 Stainless Steel is for slitting, shearing, blanking, and edging in most facilities. It is known to be a specialty metal that is in high demand for bars, pipes, tubes, and welding wire. There are several technical standards when it comes to this stainless steel and creating 321 Stainless Steel, as well as, the application in which it will be used. With these technical standards, you need people or facilities to create and/or cater their services for you from the materials, to the product, and systems. With the different types of stainless steel and its versatility, customization is endless.
