SS 300 & 400 Machinability

The machinability of Stainless Steels 300 & 400 Series is substantially unique from that of carbon or alloy steels and different metals. In varying degree, most standard stainless steels are somewhat more tough to machine. That is the reason there are enhanced or free-machining stainless steel kinds. In fact, on high-production equipment, stainless steels are routinely machined. The best way to get maximum machinability, wherever end-use conditions permit, is to determine a free-machining stainless steel. The 400 series stainless steels are the most effortless to machine, but they do produce a stringy chip that can slow productivity. The 300 Series, on the other hand, are characterized as being the most hard to machine, fundamentally due to their gumminess and, optionally, due to their propensity to work harden at a very rapid rate. However, the difficulty is not so great as to be a deterrent to selecting a stainless steel for a machined part.

Mechanical Properties