What kind of stainless steel is magnetic

This quality is what gives stainless its rust-free status. It also allows steel to repair itself after being scratched or damaged - unlike plated steels which often become scratched, with those scratches leading to the eventual corrosion of the steel. But back to magnetism. In the case of steel, whether or not it is magnetic comes down to the microstructure of the steel. Remember the chromium content?

This, plus the addition of carbon, hardens the steel and qualifies it as a martensitic steel. Stainless steel knives are typically martensitic. Martensitic steel differs from the most common stainless steels, which are referred to as austenitic.

In austenitic steel, there is a higher percentage off chromium, and nickel is also present. In terms of magnetism, it is the addition of nickel that renders the steel non-magnetic. Some stainless steels are magnetic, and others are not. Martensitic stainless steels which have a ferritic microstructure are magnetic. Ferritic stainless steels typically have better engineering properties than their counterpart, austenitic, but have reduced corrosion resistance due to lower nickel and chromium content.

This makes ferritic stainless steel magnetic. Ferritic steels provide an advantage in many applications in which thinner materials or reduced weight are required. They are also non-hardenable by heat treating. Typical applications for ferritic stainless steels include automotive and truck exhaust systems, catalytic converters, agricultural spreaders, heat exchangers, kitchen equipment, and roofing just to name a few.

Ferritic metals are classified in the series. At Metalwest we commonly stock stainless and stainless steel products. Austenitic stainless steels are the more common types of stainless. These processes include cold working and welding. It is also possible for austenite to spontaneously convert to martensite at low temperatures. To complicate matters further, the magnetic properties of these alloys depend on the alloy composition. Within the allowed ranges of variation of Ni and Cr, significant differences in magnetic properties may be observed for a given alloy.

Both and stainless steel possesses paramagnetic characteristics. As a result of these properties small particles approx. Depending upon their weight and specifically their weight ratio to magnetic attraction, these small particles will be held to the magnets during the production process. These can then be removed during the magnet cleaning operation.