STAINLESS STEELStainless steel is a common term that represents a wide range of alloy steels. It was developed to satisfy the industry's demand for steels with high mechnical properties and physical constants under high heat, acid and corrosive conditions. Today, it accounts for more than 50% of all steel produced.
The outstanding characteristic of stainless steels is their ability to readily form a chromium film, which acts as a constant buffer against corrosion. This film is quite stable and if broken or destroyed, will reform instantly and continue its protective action. The higher the chromium content, the greater the corrosion resistance.
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Nickel additions in stainless steel profoundly affect the resulting steel. They act as a supplementary to chromium thus producing a product even more corrosive resistant. If the alloy contains sufficient nickel, the steel becomes non-magnetic and non-hardening under high temperatures providing optimum strength-to-weight ratio for forming, bending and welding applications.
A ggod stainelss exhaust system will use 16 gauge, T304 stainless. Many suplliers will use inferior qualities so buyer beware!