The term “Inox” is a general term, it comes from the French word “Inoxidable” which means rustless, to refer to a steel-based material developed more than 100 years ago, which has high corrosion and acid resistance values, and it represents a number of silver-nickel-plated steels (stainless steels) to which other materials can be added.

More than 100 different types of stainless steel are now available for a wide range of applications and requirements.

In many countries, the term “Inox” is used very frequently in everyday life as a name for stainless steel, or white steel, and it even appears in our company name. Therefore, we would like to take this opportunity to define the material designation “Inox” a little more precisely and bring this topic a little closer to interested customers.

Therefore, the material names “Inox” and “Stainless Steel” represent the same group of materials and are not considered different materials.

In contrast to ordinary steel/mild steel or other materials such as aluminum, all stainless steels have one common property:

They form an oxide/passive layer to protect against corrosion and chloride-containing environments.

In addition, stainless steel/stainless steel tends to have a hard surface and high strength and hardness.

Stainless Steel Stainless steel is also very weldable and can be formed in a variety of ways, for example by bending, deep drawing, forming, etc.

Furthermore, unlike steel or aluminum surfaces, for example, stainless steel has excellent polishing properties and offers a wide range of other processing and finishing options.

Stainless steel is an extremely hygienic material and is now being used more and more in this field, not only in the food industry, medical technology, swimming pool construction but also in many other fields where people come into contact with surfaces and other materials that require more hygiene.

Thanks to its quality and not too expensive price, stainless steel is an ideal material for industry as well as architecture and design. Both austenitic and ferritic steels of different material types meet a multitude of functional and visual requirements.

Thus, in contrast to conventional steel, stainless steel creates great added value and increases exclusivity for any architectural work or product thanks to its long service life.

Other names or synonyms for stainless steel are:

- Stainless steel

- White steel

- Stainless steel

- Stainless

- Stainless steel

- Nirosta

- Chrome steel

- Nickel chromium steel

- Chromium alloy steel

- VA

- V2A

- V4A

QUESTIONS ABOUT STAINLESS STEEL:

The term “stainless steel” is often misunderstood and so we mistakenly believe that stainless steel products are not affected by corrosion problems in any case and at any time. Next, we will analyze when and why stainless steel can corrode and what kind of measures can prevent this.

Can stainless steel rust?

First of all, stainless steel can rust. However, stainless steel is very strong and highly resistant to corrosion under regular conditions because it contains chromium, among other things.

If this element is present in sufficient quantities in the alloy and if it is exposed to the oxidizing effects of acids, alkalis, water, air and other environments, a very thin (130 Angstroms) impermeable layer of chromium oxide (CrO) will form on the stainless steel, which prevents corrosion and keeps the material from rusting, unlike mild steel or ordinary carbon steel.

These chromium proportions must be evenly distributed in the chemical composition of the material to give stainless steel its resistance. Therefore, corrosion (rust) occurs on the surface of stainless steel when they are exposed to strong impacts and there is not enough chromium to create and maintain the necessary oxide layer.

When does stainless steel rust?

Many cases of rust on stainless steel surfaces are due to damage to the protective chromium oxide layer. During the processing of the material or the manufacture of stainless steel products, damage to the protective layer often occurs due to thermal and/or mechanical stress (e.g. welding and grinding). Therefore, “freshly treated” surfaces can be particularly susceptible to corrosion and require careful reworking and maintenance of these areas.

Another case where rust on stainless steel can occur is in contact with ordinary carbon steel or low alloy steel. When working with stainless steel materials and products, it is important to ensure that they do not come into contact with any ordinary steel.

For example, when working in the construction industry, extreme care must be taken to ensure that no particles of construction steel (e.g. when cutting rebar) come into contact with stainless steel surfaces (e.g. the surfaces of facade components). These can stick to the stainless surface, which then leads to small sources of corrosion in the form of spots or specks.

Some stainless steels are more susceptible to corrosion. Why are others not susceptible to corrosion?

The main alloying element in stainless steel is chromium (12-20%). To improve corrosion resistance, nickel, titanium and molybdenum are also added to the alloy in varying amounts, depending on the required properties. For simplicity, we will consider some of the most common stainless steels on the market, such as AISI 430, AISI 304 and AISI 316 / 316L.

430 Stainless Steel:

AISI 430 is a low carbon iron chromium stainless steel that is completely nickel-free. Therefore, oxidation reactions can occur in a very short time with this type of steel and therefore the application of this material is quite limited.

AISI 304 Material:

AISI 304 is probably the most common type in the stainless steel family and contains at least 17.5% chromium and 8% nickel. This nickel content ensures the formation of an oxide layer on the surface, giving the steel good corrosion resistance and resistance to a wide range of chemicals. These properties allow AISI 304 to be used in a wide range of fields, such as architecture and construction industry, food industry, construction industry, machinery and mechanics, vehicle construction, sanitary and food products, household appliances, etc. AISI 316/316L: One of the austenitic steels with exceptional corrosion resistance due to the presence of nickel (at least 10%) and molybdenum (at least 2%). Therefore, this material is recommended for use in environments with particularly aggressive elements such as chemicals, seawater, adverse weather conditions or similar. It is used in the architecture and construction industry for projects near the sea and high salt air or other locations with higher requirements for quality materials.

Is stainless steel magnetic? Why does stainless steel attract magnets?

This question is not easy to answer and can be a bit confusing. It is believed that high quality stainless steel is usually non-magnetic. Or you may hear over and over again that magnetic stainless steel, stainless steel attracted to magnets is always of low quality. However, both statements are not entirely correct.

In the following summary, we want you to have a deeper understanding of the topic “magnetic stainless steel”.

Which stainless steel is magnetic? Ferritic or Austenitic stainless steel?

The most common types of stainless steel can be classified into different types depending on the content of iron, carbon, chromium and other additives such as nickel, titanium or molybdenum. If steel consists mainly of iron alloys, it can be classified as stainless steel. So let's focus exclusively on stainless steel. However, "ordinary" steel can also be rust-resistant, and stainless steel can rust, in case it does not contain the necessary alloy. The proportion of additives such as iron, carbon, chromium, nickel and others determines the properties of stainless steel. Moreover, they are quite poor conductors of heat and have high corrosion resistance. Stainless steel also has limited electrical conductivity, unlike other steels.

Austenitic, ferritic and martensitic steels - these are three groups of stainless steels, called structures, which mainly differ in nickel content.

The composition of the structure determines how magnetic the iron content of the corresponding stainless steel is. The treatment of stainless steel can also have an effect on the magnetism of the material. In principle, ferritic stainless steels are more magnetic than austenitic and martensitic steels, which are generally non-magnetic. The majority of the more than 120 most common stainless steels are non-magnetic. The fact that stainless steel is corrosion resistant does not affect its magnetism, or its attraction to magnets as iron is sometimes seen.

So: The quality of stainless steel does not say anything about its magnetic, magnet-attracting, ferro-attracting properties. It would be wrong to say that stainless steel is never magnetic, never magnetized. There are some stainless steel products that customers want to have magnetism and magnetic properties, for example in cookware for induction cookers and some industrial and defense applications.

Please contact us for product selection advice

Apmetal Co., Ltd

Hotline: 0899507588/0941358139

Tel: 02573866879

APMETAL Co., Ltd. directly imports Nitronic steel and stainless steel/Inox from manufacturers in Europe, Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea...

We offer full range of Nitronic Steels and stainless steel such as:

-Nitronic 50, Nitronic 60, Zeron 100 

-F51 Duplex, F55 Superduplex, 

- SUS630 (17-4HP)

Austenitics steels: TP347H, 310H, TP316H, TP317L, TP316Ti, S31400, X5CrNi 18 10, X5CrNiMo 17 12 2, X6CrNi 18 10, X5CrNiMoTi 17 12 2.

Supper-austenitics steel: TP904L

Ferritics stainless steels: TP410, SUS420J1, SUS420 J2 Q+T

Duplex stainless steels: UNS S32205, UNS S31803, X2CrNiMoN 22 5 3.

Supper duplex stainless steels products: UNS S32750, UNS S32760

Standards: ANSI/ASME B36.10M, ASTM A312, ASTM A376, ASTM A790, ASTM A213, ASTM A269, ASTM A480, ASME SA213/SA213M, DIN 28180, EN 10216-5, DIN 28179, ASTM B163, TEMA RCB 2.31, ASTM A511 ect.

Standards: AISI - ASTM - JIS - EN - DIN...

Certificates: GL, BV, DNV, LR, EN 10204-3.1(3.2), Original CO-CQ.

Contact Apmetal Co., Ltd. for product consultation and quotation support:

Apmetal Co., Ltd.

Hotline: 0899507588 / 0941358139

Phone: 02573866879

Mail: Contact@apmetal.net