Surgical stainless steel Surgical stainless steel Surgical stainless steel is a grade of stainless steel used in biomedical applications. The most common "surgical steels" are austenitic 316 stainless and martensitic 440 and 420 stainless steels. There is no formal definition on what constitutes a "surgical stainless steel", so product manufacturers and distributors apply the term to refer to any grade of corrosion resistant steel. 316 stainless steel, also referred to as marine grade stainless steel, is a chromium, nickel, molybdenum alloy of steel that exhibits relatively good strength and corrosion resistance. Along with the titanium alloy Ti6Al4V, 316 stainless is a common choice
Marine grade stainless the stainless surface can be rinsed by rainfall, which will reduce the tendency for surface chlorides to concentrate by evaporation. Thus, the underside of overhangs will be more susceptible to corrosion due to lack of rinsing, also desert locations near the seashore will typically be more corrosive than seashores in locations with high rainfall. Visible evidence of corrosive attack in a marine environment is known as “tea staining”. Marine grade stainless Marine grade stainless steel is a misunderstood description. There is no industry recognized definition for a marine grade stainless steel though it is routinely used by many end-users. In