409 SS

Our inventory now includes Alloy 416 (UNS S41600) in plate and round bar products.

Alloy 416 is a martensitic, free-machining, chromium steel alloy that is generally considered to be the first free-machining stainless steel. It has the highest machinability of any stainless steel at about 85% of that of a free-machining carbon steel. Martensitic stainless steels were designed to be hardenable by heat treatment and also corrosion resistant. Although Alloy 416 and other martensitic stainless steels are not as resistant as austenitic or ferritic stainless, it still demonstrates good corrosion and oxidation resistance plus high strength in the hardened and tempered condition. Alloy 416HT is easily machined, is always magnetic, and has low frictional properties that reduce galling and seizing.

Our inventory now includes Alloy 420 (UNS S42000) in sheet, sheet coil, plate, round bar, processed flat bar and tubular products.

Alloy 420 is a hardenable, martensitic stainless steel that is a modification of Alloy 410. Similar to 410, it contains a minimum of 12% chromium, just sufficient enough to give corrosion resistant properties. Alloy 420 has higher carbon content than Alloy 410 which is designed to optimize strength and hardness characteristics. It has good ductility it the annealed condition but is capable of being hardened up to Rockwell hardness 50 HRC, the highest hardness of the 12% chromium grades. Due to its hardening properties, Alloy 420 is not often welded, although it is possible. Martensitic stainless steels are designed for high hardness and sometimes other properties are to some degree compromised. Corrosion resistance is lower than the common austenitic grades and their useful operating range is limited by their loss of ductility at sub-zero temperatures and loss of strength by over-tempering at elevated temperatures. Its best corrosion resistance is achieved when the metal is hardened and surface ground or polished.