5. Stainless steels

These alloy steels (at least chromium-alloyed) constitute, once again, a vast collection of grades which cannot be treated exhaustively (for more details, see [M 4 540] ). For simplicity's sake, let's consider the four main categories listed: martensitic, ferritic, austenitic and austenitic-ferritic, all of which are listed in standard EN 10088-1, containing no fewer than 83 grades, a good half of which are referred to as special grades, i.e. dedicated to particular uses and not necessarily widely available! The mechanical properties of flat products are specified in EN 10088-2.

To designate...