Stainless steel 18 10 composition. Stainless steel cookware - rating of the best sets by quality, manufacturers and cost

Steel, which has anti-corrosion properties, is actively used in many fields of activity; It has gained such high popularity because it has qualities that are unattainable for many other metal alloys. The first grades of stainless steel appeared in 1913, when Harry Brearley invented an alloy with exceptional resistance to the formation and development of corrosion. It was from this moment, which became a major milestone in the development of metallurgical and many other industries around the world, that the history of stainless steel begins, actively and successfully used by man for more than 100 years.

What do we know about stainless steel?

Corrosion-resistant steel or stainless steel is an alloy consisting of iron and carbon, additionally enriched special elements, giving it high stability to negative factors external environment. The main one of these elements is chromium. It contains at least 10.5%. Chromium, in addition to anti-corrosion properties, gives such alloys a number of positive characteristics:

• good processability by cold forming;
• exceptional strength;
• ability to obtain reliable connections by welding;
• possibility of long-term operation without loss of its characteristics;
• attractive appearance.

Various grades (types) of stainless steel, and more than 250 of them have been created to date, contain in their chemical composition both chromium and a number of other alloying additives, the most common of which are nickel, titanium, molybdenum, niobium and cobalt. Naturally, steels with different proportions of alloying elements in their composition have different characteristics and areas of application.

As with any other type of alloy, mandatory element Stainless steel contains carbon. It is this element that gives the resulting metal alloy hardness and strength.

Today, it is impossible to imagine almost any industry without the use of stainless steel. Grades of this alloy, all of which are distinguished by their ability to be used successfully even in the most aggressive environments, are used for the production of cutlery and medical instruments, containers for food liquids and products, pipes for transporting aggressive media, household appliances, as well as much more.

Types and classification of stainless steel

Grades (types) of stainless steel are divided into several categories, each of them is characterized by a certain chemical composition and the internal structure of the material. Each of these categories of steels differs in certain technical and performance characteristics, which determine the areas of their use. In modern industry, corrosion-resistant steels of the following categories are used.

Such alloys, which contain sufficient a large number of chromium (about 20%), mainly used in heavy industry and for the production of elements heating systems. They are distinguished not only by exceptional corrosion resistance, but also good ability to magnetization. In terms of demand, these steels are comparable to alloys with an austenitic structure, but at the same time they are much cheaper.

Such alloys, which contain up to 33% chromium and nickel, are the most used types of stainless steels worldwide (70%). They are distinguished by both exceptional corrosion resistance and high strength properties.

They are characterized by a needle-like carbon structure, which makes them the strongest of all types of stainless alloys. In addition, stainless steels of this category are very resistant to wear and can be used in high temperatures. Their composition, which is also important, contains a minimum amount of harmful impurities.

Such steels, which may have an austenitic-ferritic or austenitic-martensitic structure, are a product of the application innovative technologies and optimally combine all the advantages of other types of alloys.

Knowing the structure of a certain grade of stainless steel, which forms its main characteristics, is important in order to optimally select it to solve the required problems.

Decoding stainless steel grades

In order to choose the right grade of corrosion-resistant steel to achieve certain goals, it is most convenient to use special reference books. They contain information about all possible options designations of such alloys in various countries peace. Among the huge variety of brands, we can highlight those that are most widespread among specialists in many countries around the world. These include the following grades of stainless steels with an austenitic structure.

• 10Х13Н17М3Т, 10Х13Н17М2Т: these grades are distinguished by, in addition to exceptional corrosion and thermal resistance, a good ability to form welded joints. Thanks to these qualities, products made from alloys of these brands can be successfully operated at elevated temperatures and come into contact even with very aggressive environments. Components such alloys, which determine their unique characteristics, are: chromium (16-18%), molybdenum (2-3%), nickel (12-14%), carbon (0.1%), silicon (0.8% ), copper (0.3%), titanium (0.7%), manganese (2%), sulfur (0.02%), phosphorus (0.035%). In other countries, these brands are designated differently, in particular: in China - OCr18Ni12Mo2Ti, in Japan - SUS316Ti, in the USA - 316Ti, in France - Z6CNDT17-12.
• 08Х18Н10, 08Х18Н9: data is used for the production of pipes of various sections, elements of furnace equipment, in enterprises chemical industry. The composition of such steels includes: chromium (17-19%), titanium (0.5%), nickel (8-10%), carbon (0.8%).

• 10Х23Н18: stainless steels of this grade belong to the heat-resistant category. When using them, be aware that they may become brittle when tempered. The composition of steels of this grade includes: chromium (22-25%), nickel (17-20%), manganese (2%), silicon (1%).
• 08Х18Н10Т: stainless steel products of this brand are welded well even without preheating and do not lose their corrosion resistance even at high temperatures. The insufficiently high strength that steels of this grade are characterized by is easily improved by heat treatment, which is recommended by GOST 5632-72.
• 06ХН28МДТ: unique steel grade, welded structures from which they can be successfully operated even in very aggressive environments. The composition of this grade of corrosion-resistant steel includes: chromium (22-25%), nickel (26-29%), copper (2.5-3.5%).
• 12Х18Н10Т: products made from this grade of steel, characterized by high thermal stability and exceptional impact toughness, are mainly used in oil refining enterprises, in the chemical, pulp and paper industries, as well as in construction.

The other day, our editorial office received a rather interesting question, which involved a comparison of different grades of steel used for manufacturing. Well, let's figure it out.

First, you need to remember that steel is an alloy of iron and carbon, the mass fraction of the latter does not exceed 2%. At the same time, in order for the steel to become stainless, suitable for making utensils, other chemical elements.

Thus, stainless steel is resistant to rust. But, in addition to corrosion, other aggressive environmental factors are known that lead the product to an indecent appearance. Physico-chemical laboratories at various tableware production facilities are constantly working on own formula stainless steel, which would be the most durable, durable and, most importantly, safe for daily use. For example, stainless steel grade 18/0 contains 18% chromium, which gives the product a spectacular shine. As you probably already guessed, steel grade 18/10 contains 18% chromium and 10% of some other substance. This substance is nickel.

The brands given are just examples; in fact, there are a great many of them, and most of the compositions are a trade secret. Below are chemical elements that can significantly change the properties of steel.

• Cobalt - significantly increases such a parameter as heat resistance.
• Manganese – increases the density of the product, and as a result, wear resistance.
• Niobium – increases acid resistance.
• Nickel – increases the strength and ductility of the product.
• Titanium also increases strength and significantly increases corrosion resistance.
• And many others.

The other part of the question was about the burning topic of our time - cancer and the possibility of their occurrence, using metal utensils made of food steel. The specific question was about nickel. Indeed, there is a lot of information about the connection of nickel with these terrible diseases, but, sanitary standards regulating the nickel content in utensils dictate the conditions under which the utensils become absolutely harmless and suitable for everyday use for their intended purpose. Please note that all the dishes in our store are certified, which is confirmed by the relevant documents.

A few words about “medical steel”

Entire battles have taken place on the Internet regarding this term. Some say that this is a commercial move, others call it medical - grade 18/10 steel, which we mentioned above, others write about alloys of other grades, but this is all completely wrong. Medical steel is steel used to make medical instruments, pins, knitting needles and more. In other words, this is a collective term that does not characterize the quality of steel, but speaks only of its purpose. And, just like the cookware industry, medical supply manufacturers are constantly working to improve their stainless steel formula. Of course, they have to deal with a slightly different range of problems. One of them is metallosis - an allergic reaction in a patient that occurs upon contact with steel, for example, an endoprosthesis, a periosteal plate and other attributes of traumatology practice.

This utensil is the most hygienic. Stainless steel, an alloy of iron with chromium and nickel, has high anti-corrosion properties, is resistant to acids and alkalis, does not change the taste and color of food and is completely harmless. Individual items and entire sets made of alloy are especially popular on the market now.<хром-никель 18-10>. These numbers simply indicate the percentage of chromium (18%) and nickel (10%) in the alloy, and there is nothing unique about such an alloy - in fact, any stainless steel contains exactly that much chromium and nickel. It’s just that science has long ago (at the beginning of the century) established the excellent properties of alloys of this composition. Therefore, it is completely in vain for the company<Цептер>assures the gullible consumer that her cookware is brand<18-10>made from special<медицинской>steel for surgical instruments and cuvettes for storing organs. Yes, chromium-nickel stainless steel is so inert that it does not have any effect on the tissues of humans and animals, but, for example, watch cases, fountain pens, etc. door handles and even banal paper clips. No<медицинской>steel does not exist, just as it does not<утюгового>cast iron. But the pots, pans and cutlery themselves are made of alloy<18-10>truly wonderful. You can cook and store any food in them for a long time, the dishes are easy to wash detergents(just don’t scratch and therefore use abrasive powders and pastes).

The range of stainless steel utensils is very large; some companies even offer glasses and glasses for wine and drinks. This seems absurd to me, champagne should be drunk from crystal glasses, and not from opaque steel containers. When purchasing, pay attention to the presence of a stamp<18-10>, on the quality of surface treatment (a good frying pan can be used as a mirror and combed) and of course the price. Practically no different from other sets of the same<Цептера>they cost 10-20 times more. If you're lucky, you can buy very inexpensive domestic products of quite decent quality (produced, for example, by a plant in the city of Asha, Chelyabinsk region).

Stainless steel cookware is so good that they began to equip it with various additional bells and whistles. For example, they began to make a thick bottom, which allows the heat flow to be distributed. Pots and pans with multilayer bottoms appeared, and the layers were often made of various metals. For example, between layers of stainless steel there is a thick layer of aluminum, which conducts heat worse and accumulates it. The logic here is this: the pan turns into something like a thermos, in which food is no longer boiled or fried, but is stewed (languished). Methods of cooking buckwheat porridge in a saucepan wrapped in a blanket, or in a real thermos with a wide neck, have long been known, but, alas, it is still not possible to do this in a saucepan with a triple bottom. Sometimes it is suggested to put such a pan of food on the fire, heat it up, remove it from the heat and set it aside. Allegedly, the pan itself<доготовит>food (due to the heat accumulated by the thick bottom) and you will save on heating. However, we pay a fixed price for gas, regardless of its consumption, and only a very small number of families cook with electricity in Russia. But the most important thing is that we cannot extract any additional heat from the pan, otherwise there would be a violation of the law of conservation of energy, which operates even at our latitudes. I myself measured the cooling rate of various pans with hot food and I can say with confidence that cooling does not depend on the material of the pan, but only on the tightness of its closure with a lid (most of the heat is carried away by steam from under the lid).

Regarding dishes with a bottom made of various materials Another concern arises. Odds thermal expansion different metals are different, and there is no complete certainty that after some time the bottom will not<поведет>and the pan will not lose its shape. It is better to use dishes with a thick bottom made of the same stainless steel, without inserts from other metals. It's cheaper too.

Further, stainless steel cookware now comes with very tight-fitting lids. Manufacturers believe that in this case it is possible to cook vegetables without adding water, simply due to the moisture in the vegetables themselves. Yes, you can, although often potatoes and other products turn out to be undercooked and have an unusual taste (in my opinion, they are simply tasteless). And in general, why did the water bother them? It is said that vitamins and other useful substances go into the water. But they also go into the water harmful substances, the same notorious nitrates! Vitamin C should be obtained from fresh, uncooked fruits and vegetables. Other vitamins do not dissolve in water. As for the lid material, transparent lids made of heat-resistant glass seem to me to be the most convenient and aesthetically pleasing. The benefits are obvious in the literal sense of the word.

The option of frying without oil is also offered (manufacturers stupidly write<без жира>) - also due to the moisture present in the piece of meat and good heat distribution. This method is also possible, but again you don’t get roast beef with a delicious crust (which Woland offered to the barman<Варьете>on a sword, pouring lemon juice). Excessive consumption of oil, especially butter, is indeed harmful - it contains cholesterol. I offer a simpler alternative - fry on a vegetable stove, but I repeat: you can use stainless steel cookware this way. Although Teflon-coated dishes are much more suitable for this purpose (more on that later).

More about the lid. Some companies (for the first time we have the same<Цептер>) place a thermometer on it, which is sometimes proudly called a thermal controller and even a thermal computer. All this is nonsense, a simple bimetallic thermometer is installed on the lid, there is no feedback here - and it is feedback that is a sign of the controller. In other words, the cooking temperature cannot be set in advance, you can only measure it and turn off the gas at the right time. Feedback, thus, is carried out by the cook himself. And if the cook leaves the kitchen to watch TV, the food will simply burn and the controller will not help. The most dangerous thing is that the notorious thermometer, made in a plastic case, can burn or burst! Companies recommend not to overheat food (I completely agree) and turn off the heat when you reach the green zone on the thermometer, which supposedly corresponds to 90°C. But the difference between 90 and 100 ° C in terms of preservation of vitamins and<других полезных веществ>(which ones are not said) is quite small - vitamin C has long been lost, and you shouldn’t get it from hot food. And the 100°C we are used to has a visible advantage - the water has boiled and you can turn it off. So I consider installing a thermometer an unnecessary and even harmful fad. By the way, the thermometer turns regular saucepan already into a certain device that requires special maintenance, handling and even training. Wow, I bought a saucepan!

ABOUT<пожизненной>guarantees
There is nothing unique about the durability of iron utensils; many have preserved and used utensils from the last century. Iron, even non-stainless steel, can be preserved for a very long time (museums display swords and chain mail from 500 years ago). But the most interesting thing is that the promised guarantee does not say something! In fact, companies promise lifelong preservation only of the body of the pot or pan, but plastic handles and thermometers are not covered by the warranty! And the handles are the first to deteriorate, they will definitely burn someday. Besides, I somehow can’t believe that newlyweds who bought a set of dishes for a housewarming will, 40 years later, be able to find the manufacturer and exchange something...

So, if you want to have stainless steel kitchenware, then my advice is to buy:

a) well polished, with a thick, but not bimetallic steel bottom<18-10>, preferably without gilding and cheaper;

b) with a transparent glass cover made of heat-resistant glass without any thermometers;

c) if there is an additional charge for<пожизненную>guarantee for the opportunity to save thermal energy or cook<без жира и воды>- do not buy;

d) as a rule, sets contain a lot of unnecessary utensils, think about what you really need in the kitchen and buy individual items.

What is the difference between the different grades of stainless steel (304, 430, 220, etc.)? What do the different marking numbers mean (18/8, 18/10, 18/0, etc.)? We are often asked about this, so we decided to write a short article dedicated to food-grade stainless steel.

The “grade” of stainless steel determines its quality, durability, and heat resistance. Marking 18/8, 18/10, etc. denotes the composition of stainless steel, namely the ratio of chromium and nickel in it.

Food grade stainless steel marking

18/8 and 18/10 are the two most common grades of stainless steel used for:

These varieties are also known as 304 ( AISI 304) and are included in the 300 grade series. The first number, 18, indicates the proportion of chromium and the second - nickel. For example, 18/8 stainless steel contains 18% chromium and 8% nickel.

304 stainless steel also contains no more than 0.8% carbon and no less than 50% iron. Chromium binds oxygen on the surface of the product, forming a film that protects the iron from oxidation (rust). Nickel also improves the corrosion resistance of stainless steel. Therefore, the higher the nickel content, the more resistant stainless steel is to corrosion. Steel grade AISI 304 is austenitic steel (steel alloyed with chromium, nickel and manganese, which, when cooled to room temperature or below, retains the structure of a solid molten solution - austenite) with a low carbon content. This grade of steel is the most widely used of all steel grades, and its characteristics make it versatile in use. This steel and its analogue - grade steel 08Х18Н10 used for the manufacture of equipment for chemical and food plants and factories Catering, equipment for the production, storage and transportation of milk, beer, wine and other drinks, as well as chemicals, kitchen and tableware.

18/0 steel contains a small amount of nickel (0.75%) and therefore has reduced corrosion resistance - it is more susceptible to it compared to grades 18/8 or 18/10. However, it is steel High Quality. 18/0 food grade steel is also known as 430 steel and is part of the 400 series of stainless steels which, unlike the 300 series, is magnetic.

200 series food grade stainless steels are often used to make cookware, kitchen utensils, cutlery and containers. These steels, as a rule, are significantly cheaper than 304 steel - in the 200 series, expensive nickel is partially replaced by manganese. Although 200 steel products are just as safe, they are not as corrosion resistant as 304 steel.

You can order any neutral stainless steel furniture from us.

Using food grade stainless steel for cutlery

It is sometimes believed that 18/10 steel is heavier and therefore less suitable for. In fact, there is no difference between the weight of cutlery made from 18/8 steel and 18/10 steel. Nickel in cutlery made from 18/10 steel provides additional strength - for example, forks made from this steel do not bend well. Cutlery made from 18/10 steel also has a shinier surface.

Using food grade stainless steel for cookware

Stainless steel is a great alternative for cookware made of aluminum with Teflon coating. However, on a stove burner, frying pan, or hob Stainless steel by itself does not provide optimal thermal conductivity, so pots and other cookware are typically made of a three-layer material. For example, in a stainless steel frying pan, a layer of aluminum is sandwiched between two layers of 18/10 steel, allowing the heat to be distributed evenly throughout the pan. In these pans, aluminum does not come into contact with food.

How safe is stainless steel?

Stainless steel is one of the most common materials used in kitchens today. It is used for cutlery, dishes, work surfaces of a wide variety of heating equipment. This is a durable material that is easy to sanitize and disinfect, resistant to corrosion and the action of various aggressive acids contained in meat, milk, fruits and vegetables. Equally important, stainless steel does not chemical substances, which can migrate into foods and drinks.

We believe that stainless steel, glass, cast iron, wood, ceramics with lead-free enamel are the most safe materials for use in the kitchen. Our company offers a wide range of stainless steel products.