Is Stainless Steel Magnetic?

The charisma of stainless steel is dashing across the engineering. The variegated innate benefits are utilized and new applications are explored. The very own property of magnetism defines its applications in many areas.

So, is stainless steel is magnetic or not?

A few early thoughts suggest it has to be a magnet, it contains iron. But it is alluring to know, stainless is a little tricky with magnets. Some stainless steels are magnetic, and few are not Principally, Stainless steel is an iron ore amalgamation, with chromium and other elements. It has populous promotions with a very illustrious property of corrosion resistance. Stainless steel is classified based on the arrangement of the lattice of atoms. The austenitic, martensitic, ferritic, and duplex stainless are sub-groups of stainless steel.

What are the fundamentals of Stainless steel magnetism?

The crucial explanation to attain magnetism is iron content and lattice structure. Stainless steel is an iron-based alloy, it has iron. So, it is magnetic. But if the arrangement of atoms is in ferritic and martensitic structure, subsequently stainless steel is magnetic.

The stainless steel has a ferritic structure and it is magnetic. The added chromium leads the ferritic structure, and carbon contributed to the martensitic structure. But in cases of austenitic, the addition of nickel makes it non-magnetic. The nickel disrupts the atomic arrangement and makes it non-magnetic.

The austenitic and ferritic stainless steel shows different atom arrangement. The difference between the arrangements of the atoms contributes to magnetism. The ferritic stainless steels are magnetic, while austenitic is not. 

Which types of stainless steel are magnetic in nature?

The ferritic, martensitic, and duplex stainless steels are magnetic. 

Ferritic stainless steel

The ferritic stainless steels are magnetic. The iron content is more in chemical composition and having a ferritic lattice structure. The contribution of both leads stainless steel magnetic. The common grades of ferritic stainless which are magnetic in nature are 409, 430, and 439.

Martensitic stainless steel

The martensitic stainless is magnetic. The crystal lattice and the presence of iron contribute to ferromagnetism. The common grade magnetic grades are 410, 420, and 440.

Duplex stainless steel

The austenitic content is more in duplex stainless steel and is slightly magnetic. Grade 2205 is a common duplex stainless steel grade.

Austenitic stainless steel

Austenitic stainless steels are not magnetic in nature at room temperature. Austenitic stainless shows ferromagnetism after the heat-treatment or cold working. 

Grades 304 and 316 have an austenite lattice structure and are not magnetic at room temperature. But heating can alter its phase from non-magnetic to magnetic. Even cold working and welding can induce slight magnetism in austenitic. 

Moreover, the austenitic stainless steels are manufactured for non-magnetic applications like MRI (Magnetic resonance imaging)

Implications

The applications of stainless steel are numerous and consideration of magnetism in various fields is quite important. The testing of different materials required magnetic testing in identification.

To draw an inference, all stainless steel is not magnetic. The ferritic and martensitic stainless steel are magnetic, austenitic is not. The magnetic nature of stainless steel is not constant; the material may not behave the same under different conditions. The applications and testing systems may use the material according.

The Ambica steels is the major producer of magnetic and non-magnetic stainless steel. Our equipped plants are well arranged for producing different grades and products. We are available with stocks with prime products. Consultations and inquiries are welcome.