Whether you realize it or not, stainless steel plays a big role in your daily life. When you get up in the morning, you use a stainless steel knife to spread cream cheese on your bagel and rinse that knife in a stainless steel sink. While commuting to you pass the stainless steel bus stop and telephone booth. At work, you walk into a building with a stainless steel façade and take a stainless steel elevator to your desk. At the end of the long day, you make a healthy dinner in stainless steel cookware. Stainless steel used in a number of other ways you may not even realize!
Stainless steel material is used more often than other metals because it has a variety of unique characteristics. It is corrosion resistant, stain resistant, low maintenance and relatively inexpensive. These qualities make it an ideal base for many commercial applications.
There are more than 150 different grades of stainless steel, but only 15 are commonly used. Those grades are turned into coils, stainless sheet, plates, bars, wire or tubing. After this, the stainless steel material can be fashioned into cookware, jewelry, hardware, firearms, major appliances and surgical instruments. The stainless steel material can also be used for construction materials, storage tanks and tankers. Let's explore some of the most common uses for stainless steel and why it is the superior metal choice for these applications.
Food Preparation
Stainless steel is used for kitchenware and food preparation because it will not corrode and is easy to clean. After a quick steam cleaning, the item is sterilized and ready to be used again. Another big advantage for food preparation is the natural shine stainless steel has. It does not require any additional coating, painting or finish to get a gorgeous sheen. While there are a number of advantages to coating other metals, the coating can always be chipped off and expose the metal underneath. When cooking, you do not want any kind of coating to chip off into food that you are giving your family!
Jewelry
Stainless steel is a popular choice for jewelry because of its beautiful shine and luster. The most common grade of stainless steel used for jewelry is 316L. This grade can easily be shined by jewelers without oxidizing or turning black. Stainless steel is a durable material that will stand the test of time, but has an elegant finish that makes it perfect for a piece of jewelry.
Firearms
Stainless steel is a great alternative to blued or parkerized steel. As with jewelry, the high luster of stainless steel makes it a perfect choice for firearms. Nickel plating is another popular choice for firearms, but it can flake, peel, rust and scratch from normal use. Stainless steel maintains its shine without worries about rust or scratching.
Surgical Instruments
The benefits of using stainless steel for surgical instruments are much the same as using it for cutlery and kitchenware. It is easy to sterilize stainless steel, which is important in a hospital or doctor's office. Stainless steel is relatively inexpensive; this means single use items, such as needles, can be made from stainless steel without concerns that the items will be overly expensive.
Everyone encounters stainless steel in their day-to-day routine. The metal offers a variety of unique characteristics which make it ideal for a number of applications. From the kitchen to the office building and the hospital to the subway station, you will find this durable metal just about everywhere you look!
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