| WHAT THEY ARE | Austenitic steels represent the most widespread family among stainless steels. To be defined as such, these steels must contain specific percentages of alloying elements: Chromium (16 ÷ 26%) and Nickel (7 ÷ 25%). The carbon content is usually very low (<0.08%), to prevent the formation of carbides that would weaken the steel. Some stabilizing elements may be included, such as Titanium or Molybdenum, which further improve corrosion resistance. They owe their name to the cubic austenitic structure that remains stable even after heat treatment and are distinguished by some unique physical and mechanical properties: non-magnetism, excellent weldability and corrosion resistance (generally higher than other stainless steel families, especially in acidic and chlorinated environments). They cannot be hardened by heat treatment (quenching), but only by cold working (work hardening). |
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| FEATURED | AISI 309 / AISI 309S (W.1.4828) AISI 310 / AISI 310S (W.1.4845) |
| OTHER GRADES | AISI 303 (W.1.4305) AISI 304 (W.1.4301) AISI 316 / AISI 316L (W.1.4401/W.1.4404) AISI 316Ti (W.1.4571) AISI 321 (W.1.4541) AISI 347 (W.1.4550) |
| MAIN APPLICATIONS | Equipment for the chemical industry, valves, pumps, paper and textile industry, machining operations, also highly valued in architecture and construction (exposed handrails, canopies, decorative sheets, knobs). In particular, they are used in the food industry (cutlery, pots, pans), pharmaceutical (reactors, piping) and biomedical (surgical instruments, temporary orthopedic prostheses and hospital equipment). |
| STANDARD | EN 10088 – EN 10095 |
| HEAT TREATMENT | Normally supplied in solution-annealed condition |
| AVAILABLE PROFILES |        |
| WHAT THEY ARE | Steels essentially alloyed with Chromium (12÷27%) and with low Carbon content (0.15%). Among the most economical of the family, thanks to the absence of nickel. The internal structure is predominantly ferritic. They cannot be hardened by heat treatment (quenching), but only by cold working (work hardening). Unlike austenitic steels, ferritic steels are strongly magnetic. |
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| FEATURED | AISI 430 (W.1.4016) / AISI 430F (W.1.4105) |
| OTHER GRADES | AISI 409 (W.1.4512) AISI 430Ti (W.1.4510) AISI 444 (W.1.4521) |
| MAIN APPLICATIONS | Used in automotive (exhaust manifolds, mufflers and silencers) thanks to low thermal expansion which makes them excellent for applications with thermal cycles. Due to their magnetic properties they are used in coin production and for valve bodies. |
| STANDARD | EN 10088 – EN 10095 |
| HEAT TREATMENT | Normally supplied in solution-annealed condition |
| AVAILABLE PROFILES | |
| WHAT THEY ARE | Martensitic steels are the third major family of stainless steels. If austenitic steels are the most corrosion-resistant and ferritic steels the most economical, martensitic steels are the “muscles” of the family: they are the only stainless steels that can be hardened by heat treatment (quenching) through which they achieve very high levels of hardness and mechanical strength. The name derives from martensite, an extremely hard crystalline structure obtained by rapidly cooling the steel from high temperatures. They are steels with Chromium content between 10÷18% and have a higher carbon percentage compared to other stainless steels up to 2%. They are among the stainless steels with the lowest corrosion resistance. |
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| FEATURED | AISI420 (A/B/C) (W.1.4021/1.4028/1.4031) AISI 431 (W.1.4057) |
| OTHER GRADES | AISI 410 (W.1.4011) AISI 416 (W.1.4005) AISI 440C (W.1.4125) |
| MAIN APPLICATIONS | They are mainly used in components subject to high stress: knife blades, surgical and dental instruments (which must be hard and sharp), drive shafts, pumps, valves, pins, bolts and bearings. In aerospace they are used as turbine and engine components requiring high mechanical strength. |
| STANDARD | EN 10088 – EN 10095 |
| HEAT TREATMENT | Normally supplied in quenched and tempered condition. |
| AVAILABLE PROFILES | |
| WHAT THEY ARE | Precipitation hardening stainless steels (also known as PH, from Precipitation Hardening) represent a special family of alloys designed to offer a superior combination of high mechanical strength, hardness and good corrosion resistance. Unlike common stainless steels (such as 304 or 430), whose properties depend mainly on their crystalline structure, these steels obtain their performance through a specific heat treatment called aging. They are characterized by a Chromium content greater than 10.5% and by alloying elements such as nickel, copper, aluminum, titanium or niobium whose precipitation, within the crystalline structure, determines an increase in mechanical characteristics. They possess corrosion resistance comparable to that of austenitic steels and for various applications. |
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| FEATURED | 17-4PH / AISI 630 (W.1.4542) 15-5PH (W.1.4542) |
| OTHER GRADES | 17-7PH / AISI 631 (W.1.4568) 13-8 Mo PH (W.1.4534) |
| MAIN APPLICATIONS | They are used in all applications where austenitic steels might suffer from mechanical strength problems such as: structural components, gears, crankshafts and turbine blades. They find particular use in the Oil Gas sector and in surgical instrumentation. |
| STANDARD | EN 10088 – EN 10095 |
| HEAT TREATMENT | Available in both solution-annealed and aged condition |
| AVAILABLE PROFILES | |
| WHAT THEY ARE | They represent a family of stainless steels characterized by a “hybrid” metallurgical structure; at room temperature they present under the microscope a structure consisting of austenite and ferrite, hence the definition of “two-phase” or “austenitic-ferritic” and the name Duplex. The combination of the two phases gives these materials exceptional properties compared to conventional stainless steels: they have a yield strength approximately double that of the 300 series. Excellent resistance to general corrosion and, above all, to pitting corrosion, crevice corrosion and stress corrosion cracking (SCC) making them ideal for chloride-rich environments. They have good weldability, although they require more rigorous procedures than standard steels to maintain the correct balance between the two phases (50/50). They have a Chromium content always above 15%, rather low Nickel (4÷6%), Molybdenum 1.5-3% and Nitrogen (superduplex) |
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| FEATURED | F51 (UNS 31803) F55 (UNS 32760) |
| OTHER GRADES | AISI 329 (UNS 32900) F53 (UNS 32750) |
| MAIN APPLICATIONS | Thanks to their robustness, they allow reducing the wall thickness of components (since the material is more resistant), making them extremely versatile in the use of lighter but equally safe valves. They are generally used in the aerospace sector for fittings, shafts, stems, pumps and for heat exchangers, engine components, tanks and vessels for liquids with high chlorine concentration, seawater coolers, desalination plants. |
| STANDARD | EN 10088 – EN 10095 |
| HEAT TREATMENT | Normally supplied in solution-annealed condition. |
| AVAILABLE PROFILES | |