Stainless Steel : Classification

Since it's invention in the early part of the twentieth century many grades of stainless steel have been
developed. This wide variety of grades has been developed to meet challenges across many industries,
challenges that include highly corrosive environments and tough working conditions where strength and
the endurance of high temperatures may be required.

It's worth noting too that whilst stainless steel production utilises vast quantities of scrap metal, it is itself
also fully recyclable ensuring that whatever your requirements, however tough the operating conditions,
there's likely to be an appropriate grade of stainless available to create a sustainable solution.

Effect of Chromium :
For a steel to be called "stainless" it must contain a minimum of 10.5% chromium. It is chromium that
makes the steel stainless and this means improved corrosion resistance. The better corrosion resistance is
due to a chromium oxide film that is formed on the steel surface. This extremely thin layer, under the
right conditions, is also self-repairing.

Besides chromium, typical alloying elements are molybdenum, nickel and nitrogen. Nickel is mostly
alloyed to improve the formability and ductility of stainless steel. Alloying these elements brings out
different crystal structures to enable different properties in machining, forming, welding etc.

The four major types of stainless steel are:
Austenitic Stainless Steels:
o Chromium-nickel
o Chromium-nickel-molybdenum
o High performance
o Heat resistant
Ferritic Stainless Steels
Duplex Stainless Steels combining qualities of both Austenitic and Ferritic grade
Martensitic
Each of these grades and grade families is designed to enhance the stainless steel characteristics and
properties required across a range of typical industry applications, from kitchen appliances to oil rigs.

Austenitic Stainless Steels :
Austenitic is the most widely used type of stainless steel. Nickel and manganese are two alloying
elements that will make the structure fully austenitic if added in appropriate amounts. An austenitic
structure promotes ductility, non-magnetic properties, good weldability and possibilities for a wide range
of service temperatures. The range of applications of austenitic stainless steel includes housewares,
containers, industrial piping and vessels, architectural facades and constructional structures.

Ferritic Stainless Steels :
Ferritic stainless steel has properties similar to mild steel but with the better corrosion resistance. The
most common of these steels are 12% and 17% chromium containing steels, with 12% used mostly in
structural applications and 17% in housewares, boilers, washing machines and indoor architecture.
Ferritic grades are used extensively in automotive exhaust applications.

Duplex (Austenitic-Ferritic) Stainless Steels :
Duplex stainless steel has a ferritic and austenitic lattice structure - hence the common name: duplex
stainless steel. Duplex stainless steels have a smaller nickel-content to the austenitic grades. The structure
is 50 % ferritic and 50 % austenitic and this gives a layered structure with high strength. The Duplex
grades are widely used in tank applications, pulp & paper industry, oil& gas industry and in desalination.
In the construction industry, durable composite structures such as concrete and high-strength duplex
grades are particularly applicable in harsh service environments with warm, humid and saline air and sea
spray.

Martensitic Stainless Steels :
Martensitic stainless steel contains mostly 11 to 13% chromium and is both strong and hard with
moderate corrosion resistance. This steel is for instance used in turbine blades and in knives.


Duplex :

Outokumpu has been at the forefront of development of Duplex stainless steels, also referred to as
ferritic-austenitic stainless steels. This new family of stainless steels combines many of the beneficial
properties of ferritic and austenitic stainless steels. With their high strength and excellent corrosion
resistance they are fast becoming the material of choice in harsh and demanding applications.
General characteristics :
Due to the high content of chromium and nitrogen, and often also molybdenum, these steels offer good
resistance to localized and uniform corrosion. The duplex microstructure contributes to the high strength
and high resistance to stress corrosion cracking. Other prominent properties include good resistance to
fatigue and corrosion fatigue, good abrasion and erosion resistance, high energy absorption, low thermal
expansion and good weldability.
Outokumpu produces a whole range of duplex grades from the lean alloyed LDX 2101

and 2304, up to
the super duplex grades 2507 and 4501. We also produce the standard duplex grade 2205, which can in
some cases be replaced by the leaner grade LDX 2404

. It has somewhat lower corrosion resistance than

2205 but have higher mechanical strength.
Positioning of Duplex grades - An excellent combination of high strength and corrosion resistance


Mechanical properties :
The duplex microstructure and the alloying with nitrogen contribute to the high mechanical strength of
the duplex grades. The high strength gives opportunities of weight saving and therefor cost savings in a
number of applications, thinner gauges can be used with a duplex material compared to an austenitic
material.
Physical properties :
The duplex grades have a lower coefficient of thermal expansion than the austenitic grades, close to that
of carbon steel. Other physical properties are very similar to the properties of austenitic stainless steel.

Corrosion resistance :
The resistance to uniform and localized corrosion of the duplex grades increases with alloying content
and the leaner grades like LDX 2101

and 2304 can be compared to the standard austenitic grades with

and without molybdenum and the ferritic grade 4521 in chloride containing environments. In the same
way can the corrosion resistance of the super duplex grade 2507 be considered similar to the austenitic
grade 254 SMO

. The duplex grades are superior to the standard austenitic grades when it comes to stress
corrosion cracking, SCC, resistance. The duplex grades show good performance in a number of acidic
and alkaline environments, a large number of tests has been carried out and the results are available in
Outokumpu Corrosion Handbook.

Fabrication :
Duplex stainless steel is suitable for all forming processes available for stainless steel. The high proof
strength compared to austenitic and ferritic stainless steel can impose some differences in forming
behaviour depending on chosen forming technique, such as an increased tendency to springback. This
point is particularly relevant to forming of any high strength steel.

Duplex steels generally have good weldability and can be welded with most of the welding methods used
for austenitic stainless steel, but parameters like heat input and speed needs to be modified when changing
from austenitics to duplex.


Austenitic Cr-Ni Stainless Steel :
The Chromium-Nickel (Cr-Ni) group of steels includes the most widely used grades of stainless steels.
With good resistance to atmospheric corrosion and to many organic and inorganic chemicals these general
purpose grades are suitable for a wide range of applications.

Because of their versatility, Cr-Ni grades command a dominant position in the stainless steel market. The
group includes the very common 4301 (ASTM 304) and 4307 (304L) steels, but also the stabilized 4541
(ASTM 321). Austenitic steels are characterized by their high content of austenite-formers, especially
nickel. They are also alloyed with chromium, manganese and sometimes with copper, titanium, niobium
and nitrogen. Alloying with nitrogen raises the yield strength of the steels. Austenitic steels cannot be
hardened by heat treatment. They are normally supplied in the quench-annealed state, which means that
they are relatively soft and highly formable.

Chromium-Nickel grades are non-magnetic in the annealed condition but may become moderately
magnetic as a result of phase transformation to martensite or ferrite after cold working and welding
respectively. Cold working increases their hardness and strength. Certain steel grades are therefore
supplied in the temper-rolled condition.

Grade 4318 is a low carbon, high nitrogen stainless steel which work hardens very rapidly when cold
worked. 4318 cover requirements of strength class +CP350 as in annealed condition (Rp0.2
350N/mm2). It has a long track record of satisfactory performance in the railcar industry , beer kegs and
is equally suitable for automotive, aircraft and architectural applications. Grade 4318 has similar
corrosion resistance to 4301 and is most suitable for applications requiring higher strength than 4301
where large volumes are required.

Austenitic stainless steels have a very wide range of applications, e.g. in the chemical industry and the
food processing industry. The molybdenum-free steels also have good properties at medium to high
temperatures and are therefore used in furnaces and heat exchangers. Their good impact strength at low
temperatures is often exploited in apparatus such as vessels for cryogenic liquids. Due to their excellent
surface properties they are suitable for processing, storing and transporting foodstuffs and beverages.
This, together with their good formability and that they are supplied with a wide range of functional and
aesthetic surfaces, makes them suitable for use in a variety of applications. Non-titanium-stabilized grades
generally have a better surface finish than titanium-stabilized grades.

The general properties of our CrNi stainless steels are described in this section. In our Steel Finder tool
you can find data on mechanical properties, physical properties and also corrosion data is available in our
corrosion handbook. You can access the grade specific datasheets, the steel finder and other available
online tools such as calculation tools from the Useful Tools box on the top right corner.

Austenitic Cr-Ni-Mo Stainless Steel :

Cr-Ni-Mo grades are molybdenum-containing austenitic stainless steels intended to provide improved
corrosion resistance relative to the standard Cr-Ni steel grades enabling them to be employed in more
corrosive environments.

In particular, the addition of molybdenum provides improved resistance to pitting and crevice corrosion in
environments containing chlorides or other halides.

These grades are used in applications for handling the wide range of chemicals used by process industries,
e.g. pulp and paper, textile, food and beverages, pharmaceutical, medical, and in the manufacture of other
chemical processing equipment. These materials are supplied with a wide range of functional and
aesthetic surfaces.

Today, Outokumpu produces stainless steels with low carbon contents and the risk of chromium carbide
precipitation at high temperatures (e.g. welding) has thereby decreased significantly. Furthermore,
Intergranular corrosion caused by chromium carbides is therefore rarely an issue nowadays. In some
applications, however, stabilized grade 1.4571 has to be specified. When aesthetics are important it's
worth noting that Non-titanium-stabilized grades generally have a better surface finish than titanium-
stabilized grades.

Given their fully austenitic structure, all these grades are non-magnetic in the annealed condition but may
become slightly magnetic as a result of phase transformation due to cold working or welding. The high
nitrogen grades, i.e. 1.4406 and 1.4429 have an increased mechanical strength as well as a more stable
austenitic structure. Consequently they have a lower permeability in comparison to the other standard Cr-
Ni-Mo stainless steel grades.

The general properties of our CrNiMo stainless steels are described in this section. In our Steel Finder
tool you can find data on mechanical properties, physical properties and also corrosion data is available in
our corrosion handbook. You can access the grade specific datasheets, the steel finder and other available
online tools such as calculation tools from the Useful Tools box on the right.

Ferritic Stainless Steel :

Ferritic stainless steels are a nickel free alternative suitable for various applications ranging from rough
industrial applications of grade 4003 to 4521 having corrosion resistance comparable to 4401/4404 type
materials.

General characteristics :
The absence of nickel helps to keep the pricing stable and makes ferritic grades more attractive and cost
optimized choice.

Ferritic stainless steels contain between 12 % and 30 % chromium. Their specific use depends largely on
their level of chromium content. Lower-chromium grades are widely used in automotive-exhaust
systems. Intermediate-chromium grades (approx. 17 % chromium) are extensively used in home
appliances.

Ferritic stainless steels are ferromagnetic, which can be used as a functional part of the product design.
The physical properties include two key characteristics in which ferritics differ from austenitic grades:
thermal expansion is lower and thermal conductivity is higher in ferritic grades.

Cost stability :
The volatility in nickel prices greatly affects the final pricing of nickel bearing stainless steel. Outokumpu
ferritics contain no nickel and therefore, the final price is much more stable, allowing easier and more
accurate forecasting and budgeting.

Attractive finishes :
Outokumpu ferritics are produced and offered in a wide range of different and attractive surface finishes,
from bright to non-reflective and from brushed to polished.

Fabrication :
Outokumpu ferritic grades can be readily cold-formed by all standard processes. Their forming properties
are similar to those of low alloyed carbon steels. The stabilized grades 4512, 4510, 4509 and 4521 are
particularly suitable for deep drawing.

Ferritic stainless steels are relatively easy to machine. Their machining characteristics are similar to those
of low alloyed carbon steels with tensile strength of 500 MPa. Modern ferritic stainless steels are readily
weldable with all conventional welding methods.

Material selection :
Outokumpu Ferritics are available in a number of different grades with diverse mechanical and corrosion
properties. Therefore, correct material selection is important. Our experts can suggest the optimal grade
for your application, ensuring the most cost effective solution.