Everything You Need To Know About Stainless Steel

When it comes to stainless steel bolts there’s a lot to know and luckily, we know a lot! To save you the study time, we have prepared the cliff notes version on 18.8 and 316 stainless steel.

What Does 18.8 and 316 stainless steel mean?

Great question, and we get that a lot. 18.8 gets its name from its composition of approximately 18% chromium and 8% nickel. Alternatively, 316 is named by its composition of approximately 16% chromium & 10% nickel. 

What are some of the differences in the two?

316 has high tensile strength and has a corrosion resistance that can withstand harsh environments. Type 316 is used mostly in chemical processing, oil and gas, mining and the food & beverage industry.

Type 18.8 can commonly be found in household appliances like sinks, stoves, refrigerators, as well as pots and pans. They can also be found in hauling tanks, pipelines & valves and railroad cars. 18.8 can be cold work hardened and can’t be hardened by heat treatment.

Does stainless steel rust?

It can stain in water. Every time water touches stainless steel it causes an oxide film that coats the metal. If you don’t wash this away, your stainless steel will begin to rust.

What are your pro-tips?

Stainless steel can remove the smell of garlic off your hands (or onion/fish/etc.) You can even do this with the help of your stainless steel kitchen sink or faucet! 

Hold your hands under running water while rubbing the steel for 10 seconds and the smell will be gone!

Pretty cool stuff eh?! If you have any questions about stainless steel fasteners that we haven’t answered here, please call, email, or stop by the store and we’d be happy to help you out!