Stainless Steel Ratings 18 0

18 10 stainless steel flatware and 18 0 stainless steel flatware is made up of chromium and nickel.

Stainless steel ratings 18 0. The 18 8 and 18 10 designations are older terms and refer to the amount of chromium and nickel alloyed with the iron to comprise the stainless steel. 301 stainless steel has 16 18 cr and 6 8 ni 302 stainless steel has 17 19 cr and 8 10 ni. This steel is known as 430 in the aisi system or 1 4016 in the european standard. The 18 number refers to the percentage of chromium in the stainless steel flatware.

13 0 18 0 18 8 or 18 10. In the 1930s and 1940s the american iron and steel institute aisi and sae were both involved in efforts to standardize such a numbering system for steels. These designations refer to the percentages of chromium and nickel in the stainless steel alloy. The numbers 18 10 18 8 and 18 0 pertaining to stainless steel flatware do not designate the same quality and vary considerably in price and composition.

These numbers are often very confusing so let s look at the details behind these numbers. To minimize the risk of nickel leaching buy stainless steel grades like 18 8 or 18 0 which have lower nickel content. Chromium is a strong durable metal that resists stains rust and corrosion. All of these numbers refer to the percentages of chromium and nickel found in the stainless steel alloy.

At first glance on the flatware packaging it may look like 18 10 but a closer inspection may reveal that it is actually only 18 0 flatware. In stainless steel the s points are moved to the left due to chromium the steel with 12 chromium and 0 4 carbon as well as steel with 18 chromium and 0 3 carbon belongs to hyper eutectoid steel. The 10 or 0 number is the percentage of nickel in the flatware. Fe c alloy contains 0 83 carbon.

Chromium is used in stainless steel to provide durability as well as resistance to rust and corrosion while nickel is used to give flatware its luster. Ideally you ll want to get a 400 series stainless steel but 300 series ones are okay too. Stainless steel flatware is available in four qualities. 18 0 contains a negligible amount of nickel 0 75 and therefore has a reduced corrosion resistance is more likely to rust than 18 8 or 18 10 but still high quality 18 0 is also referred to as type 430 is part of the 400 series and unlike 300 series stainless steel is magnetic.

The sae steel grades system is a standard alloy numbering system sae j1086 numbering metals and alloys for steel grades maintained by sae international. The 18 8 name has been pretty much replaced in the states at least by several other designations. 18 0 is a ferritic stainless steel type which is attracted by a magnet like pure iron. When shopping for stainless flatware you will often see the numbers 18 8 or 18 10 or 18 0 or even 13 chrome.