Structural composition of stainless steel

The corrosion resistance of stainless steel decreases with the increase of carbon content, therefore, most stainless steels have low carbon content, with a maximum of no more than 1.2%. Some steels have ω C (carbon content) is even lower than 0.03% (such as 00Cr12). The main alloying element in stainless steel is Cr (chromium), and only when the Cr content reaches a certain value, the steel has corrosion resistance. Therefore, stainless steel generally has a Cr (chromium) content of at least 10.5%. Stainless steel also contains elements such as Ni, Ti, Mn, N, Nb, Mo, Si, Cu, etc.