Hey iScrappers!
Ever wonder why stainless steel is so much more money then normal steel? Well that’s a great question that we have been asked by one of our YouTubers and we want to go over it today. Inside of stainless steel there is a metal called Nickel and that is the secret to stainless steel.
Non-magnetic stainless steel was developed in the early 1900’s and was officially credited to Pierre Berthier of France with one of the original stainless steel discoveries. Don’t forget that stainless is an alloy, and that means that it is not a natural occurring element like copper or iron are. Stainless has to be made in a lab for a lack of a better term and it has to be put together by merging multiple elements at a very high temperature.
Stainless is used in many fields but the medical and food industries have really taken a lot of tools and equipment and turned them into stainless steel products mostly because of their durability and also easiness to keep clean and sterile in these environments.
Hope this helps shed a little more light on a great metal, stainless steel!
-Tom
Stainless steel is a very common metal that is used in a variety of industries. The secret to stainless steel and it’s value is the nickel in it. The nickel prevents the magnet from sticking, rusting and corroding. Hence the reason why stainless steel is often used in the medical and food industries. There are several types of stainless steel that can range from various grades like 300, 304, 316, and many more.
These grades are determined by the amount of nickel that is used in the material compared to the ratio of steel. Unless you can complete a successful spark test, the best way to get your stainless steel grade determined is with an analyzer. Many scrap yards have them to help classify the grade of stainless steel, among many other metals. Find a scrap yard in your area and contact them with questions about grading stainless steel.
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- Stainless Steel vs. Aluminum Difference
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- Common Scrap Metals
