Stainless steel minimum 10.5% chromium in stainless steels provides resistance to ~, while 26% chromium provides resistance up to ~. Type 304, the most common grade of stainless steel with 18% chromium is resistant to ~. Other gases such as sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, carbon monoxide, chlorine, etc. also attack stainless steel. Resistance to other gases is dependent on the type of gas, the temperature and the alloying content of the stainless steel. Properties of a few common grades are liste below. For a comprehensive list please go to "Raccolta di Tabelle Techniche', compiled by Centro Inox, Italy Like steel, stainless steels
Stainless steel about 0.4%) are mostly used for cutting tools: Cutlery, Razor blade steel, Blender blades, etc. Replacing some of the Carbon in martensitic stainless steels by Nitrogen is a fairly recent development. The limited solubility of Nitrogen has been increased by the PESR process (Pressure Electroslag Refining) in which melting is carried out under a high nitrogen pressure. Up to 0.4% N contents have been achieved leading to higher hardness/strength and higher corrosion resistance. As the PESR is expensive, lower but significant N contents have been achieved using the standard AOD process. They are magnetic. They are not as corrosion resistant