Stainless Steel Strip

Stainless steel strip has a diverse range of applications due to its high corrosion and temperature resistance as well as excellent aesthetic appearance. We specialise in stainless steel strip that is rolled to our customers’ exact specification, with particular attention to mechanical properties, dimensional tolerances and surface finish.

Avocet Precision Metals supply 4 different types of stainless steels, in strip and foil:

Austenitic stainless steel – these are so called due to containing austenite as their primary crystalline structure. They contain relatively high levels of chromium and nickel, and low levels of carbon. The largest family within austenitic stainless steels is the “300 series” of stainless steels. These achieve their austenitic structure with the addition of nickel. Austenitic stainless steels cannot be heat treated however they are cold worked to adjust hardness, strength and stress resistance.

Ferritic stainless steel – so called as they possess a ferrite microstructure similar to carbon steel. These have a high chromium content with no or very little nickel. They are magnetic and can be heat treated.

Martensitic stainless steels – These can be high or low carbon stainless steels , in general they contain between 12-18% chromium. These steels can be hardened by heat treatment and are magnetic. They are hard wearing steels and can be found widely used in cutlery, medical devices and general engineering.

Precipitation hardening stainless steels – similar to martensitic grades these stainless steels can be hardened through heat treatment although the mechanism is different to that of martensitic and ferritic grades.

Stainless Steel Strip Applications

Stainless steels are widely found in many different applications that you will find in your everyday lives. From knives and utensils that you use in your kitchen, to components in critical applications in jet turbines! Worldwide production of stainless steels is extremely high, in 2018 over 50 million tons were manufactured globally across all product forms and is forecast to keep increasing.

Considerations With Stainless Steels

Although stainless steels are a fantastic choice for many applications, there are other metals that can have advantages over stainless steel. For example stainless steel can be expensive when compared to mild and carbon steels and if these materials will suffice they will take precedent over stainless.

Conversely if components are exposed to highly corrosive or high temperature environments, nickel based super alloys may be more appropriate in place of stainless steels as they are designed to withstand these environments. It is therefore important to consider both the application and its operating environment when making material selection choices.

Avocet are the UK agent for Ulbrich Stainless Steels and Special Metals, we help customers by supplying them with technically demanding strip products in a range of stainless steel grades including precipitation hardening grades.

WE HAVE HELPED CUSTOMERS BY:

Reducing their inventory by producing small quantity orders to customer specification.

Adhering to difficult to specifications first time around.

Producing consistent, reliable and high quality material for every order.

Supplying small quantities from stock quickly and efficiently.

Stainless Steel Strip Specification

We can accommodate large quantities from multiple tonnes right down to a few kg from stock. Also available are custom profiles and sheets/cut lengths.