Stainless steel is technically defined as a ferrous alloy because of its iron base. Unlike iron in a steel products, stainless contains an alloy of nickel that stabilizes iron and it’s magnetic property. Alone, nickel and iron are both magnetic. Stainless is very popular for use in restaurant counters, restaurant equipment and cooking/eating utensils.
This is because stainless is non-porous and eliminates the harboring of bacteria and viruses. Another key ingredient in stainless that helps with its sanitary properties is chromium. This gives stainless the shiny appearance and the ability to protect the metal from water and oxygen.
The price of stainless will usually be determined by the amount of nickel in the product along with current iron and nickel spot prices. As with aluminum, stainless also has over 150 different alloyed types, but only less than 20 are commonly mentioned in recycling, most often 304 and 316. Rare, and the most expensive are monel and inconel series.
We will recycle these types of stainless and well as others: 301, 304, 305, 316, 321, 317, 409, 430, Inconel and Monel. We also buy other high temperature alloy metals such as titanium and zirconium.