Stainless Steel Reference

• White Paper - Stainless Steel
• Physical Properties
• Chemical Properties
• HRAP Mill Specifications

Properties

Stainless steel is a remarkable versatile material with many applications. Choose one of the links to the right to explore the typical physical and chemical properties and specifications of a variety of stainless steel grades.

Certifications

The properties listed in the tables represent a general interpretation of the ASTM A240, ASME SA240 and QQS-766 standards.

Upon request, material certification sheets will be shipped with your order which list the exact chemical and physical properties of the material you receive. These mill certifications are based on physical and chemical tests performed on the material at the time of manufacture. You should always request these certifications when your project has strict tracability requirements.

Special Chemistry

Originally, the manufacture of stainless steel was a crude process. It was very difficult to control the exact quantities of each of the chemical components of the material and thus it's physical characteristics. You'll notice that most of the chemical properties for any given specification are listed as a range of acceptable values. Even within these ranges, the physical properties of the material can vary significantly for any particular specification.

Today, with advances in steel making technolgy, it is possible to control both the chemical and physical properties of the material with a high degree of accuracy. This allows us to create "designer grades" of stainless steel by skewing some of the chemical components to the high or low side of their acceptable ranges and thereby altering the physical properties of the finished material to suit a particular application.

This approach has significant advantages over the traditional practice of creating a specially engineered grade of stainless steel for demanding applications.

	R&D costs associated with the development, production and certification of a new grade are virtually eliminated
	Costs associated with the production of a special heat are elminiated
	Liability concerns both during production and in the application of the finished material no longer exist because the material is in essence a standard grade
	"Economy of Scale" is no longer a determining factor when deciding to use an engineered grade. Lot sizes decrease  because the material conforms to the standard specifications and can also be used for other less demanding applications.

Stainless Plate Products maintains a substantial plate inventory from a wide variety of manufacturers. In most cases, we find that our customers can satisfy their requriments from our existing inventory. We have also worked closely with many of our customers to develop value added mill production standards which exactly match their particular needs.

Either way, you'll find that our staff is dedicated to helping you solve your most challenging plate product requirements, quickly, accurately and with cost savings that will give you an edge over your competitors.