What is Stainless Steel?
Stainless steel is a generic term for a group of corrosion-resistant steels that contain a minimum of 10.5% of chromium. It was discovered in 1903 when metallurgists found that adding chromium to ordinary carbon steel made it more stain-resistant: hence the name “stainless steel”.

Virtually all metals react with oxygen in the air to form a film of oxide on the surface. The oxidation formed on ordinary steel causes it to look rusty. However, as stainless steel contains more than 10.5% chromium, there is an adequate reason for the change in characteristics of this oxide. In the case of stainless steel, the thin and invisible chromium-rich oxide film (also called the “passive layer”), acts as a protective layer against corrosion, which immediately repairs itself if the surface is damaged.