It's the addition of nickel that makes stainless steel such a versatile alloy

It's the addition of nickel that makes stainless steel such a versatile alloy

 

In addition to their inherent corrosion resistance, nickel-containing stainless steels are easy to form and weld; they remain ductile at very low temperatures but can be used in high-temperature applications. Additionally, unlike traditional steel and nickel-free stainless steel, they are non-magnetic. This means they can be made into an extremely wide range of products, covering the chemical industry, health sector and household use. In fact, nickel is so important that nickel-containing grades account for 75% of stainless steel production. The most famous of these are Type 304 (8% nickel content) and Type 316 (11% nickel content).

Nickel provides these properties by changing the crystal structure of the steel to an austenite (face-centered cubic crystal) structure at nearly all temperatures. Conventional steel has a ferritic (body-centered cubic crystal) structure at ambient temperature. It is the addition of sufficient nickel (usually 8-10%) that gives these unique properties.