What are the types of stainless steel?

Stainless steel is known for its strength, beauty and corrosion resistance. However, not all stainless steel is created equal. There are five different families and about 150 different grades of this metal.

What is stainless steel exactly?

Simply put, stainless steel is any alloy steel that contains at least 10.5% chromium in a mixture of elements. Other elements can include nickel, molybdenum or titanium to enhance the special properties of the alloy. For example, the addition of molybdenum increases the corrosion resistance of stainless steel and changes the alloy from 304 stainless steel to 316 stainless steel.

Stainless steel can be classified as one of five different types: austenitic, ferritic, martensitic, duplex (austenitic-ferritic), or precipitated. Each of these types can be subdivided into stainless steel grades. Each grade has different levels of quality, durability and temperature resistance.