Stainless steel finishes are an important factor for both the use and appearance of the fabricated product. There are many finishes to choose from, and designers, engineers, and architects have many different considerations when choosing what finish to use. Textures, patterns, painting, embossing, and blasting are all possibilities. These finishes are among the best when deciding on what works for your project.
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This type of finish is achieved by “cold rolling” the metal after the production process has concluded. As suggested by the name, it has a matte finish that is dull, but has more brightness than an untreated finish. It is often used in applications where durability is the most important consideration and the shiny aesthetic is of less importance, such as on industrial equipment. It is often used for vessels, tanks, food processing, pharmaceuticals, refrigeration, or equipment used in water or sewer plants. 2B finish is not shiny at all, but 2D finish does use an additional cold rolling step that produces a finish that has some more sheen and gives the impression of a cloudy mirror.
These finishes are very similar, and both hot-rolled finishes are “brushed” with specialized belts to create a fine pattern of parallel lines. These are quite a bit more reflective than a matte finish. However, although they are more reflective than a simple matte finish, they are not reflective because of the presence of the brushed lines. They are very useful in applications where an overly shiny finish would be undesirable, such as in the construction of skyscrapers and other buildings. Number 3 and 4 finishes are both produced through extended brushing, but #4 finishes use finer abrasives for the brushing process. This is a very popular finish for elevators, escalators, food and beverage equipment, and healthcare industries for a standard, sanitary finish.
Mirrored finish can be created by using a series of abrasive materials to polish the material to a mirrored shine. In other applications, special hot rolling will simulate the mirrored appearance. After the mirroring treatment, the surface will then be buffed for up to 10 minutes to remove any scratches and abrasions and create the highly reflective mirror-like finish. This type of stainless steel finishing is often used for mirrors, ornamental trim, reflectors, or other applications where high reflectivity is crucial. High end, highly visible projects often choose to use a mirror finish to highlight the ornamental fabrications. These are rarely used in outdoor projects.
The most popular finishes are widely used because they have many benefits and work well with a wide range of different applications. The designer, engineer, architect, and fabricator can all work together to consider the aesthetics, functions, climate, and budget when deciding on the right finish for your next stainless steel project.
Your metal fabrication partner is the best resource for guiding you through the finish selection for the best aesthetic, function, and durability of your component based on a variety of factors. Swanton Welding’s metal finishing department has the expertise, state of the art equipment, and deep understanding of the various finishing options to help you select the perfect finishing touch for your next metal fabrication project. Contact us today for a quote.
Stainless steel is a unique metal alloy usually composed of steel (iron/carbon) and chromium.
Stainless steel is widely known by most people as material that does not rust! It is sort of known as the superman of metal materials even though that title is not always deserved. Still, because stainless steel does get so much attention, it can be helpful, particularly in regard to fabrication, to talk about the variety of finishes available.
First, for clarification, stainless steel, purchased in thicknesses greater than .125″, usually only comes in hot roll form, meaning it will have no polish or finish. There are companies that specialize in graining and they can take the material sheets, usually sized around 48″ x 120″, and grind the mill scale off the material to accomplish a more visually attractive finish.
Stainless steel sheets purchased from .125″ down to .020″, can generally be ordered with either a 2B finish or a #4 finish. Any other variety of stainless steel finishes, like mentioned earlier, is usually accomplished with some type of post-specialty process like bead blasting, sanding, annealing, chemically treating or polishing.
People often ask what is the difference between 2B and #4 finish. We will address that question as follows, starting with 2B finish:
The most common stainless steel finish in the sheet metal fabrication industry is likely 2B. The 2B finish is done at the factory by using a cold rolled, heat-treated, pickled and pinch process. Most of us are not sure what all that means, but the result, visually, is a slightly reflective surface similar to a cloudy mirror.
The 2B finish does have a reflective look but not so reflective that you could see yourself like a mirror. The color and polish might remind some of the way a wet dolphin looks—grayish, somewhat shiny, but not shimmering, if that makes sense.
The 2B mill finish is the standard finish for grades that include 201, 301, 304, 304L and 316L stainless steel.
Stainless steel with a 2B finish is generally used for non-cosmetic parts. Items we typically see that employ a 2B finish include bakeware and flatware, fixtures, solar panels, industrial equipment, enclosures and covers.
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Different from the gray, polished finish of 2B, #4 finish looks like something with a noticeable grain. Most people associate this with kitchen appliances. A close examination of your stainless steel fridge will show a very slight, #4 grain. The grain is subtle and can be disrupted by something as small as cleaning your fridge with a rough paper towel and rubbing the wrong direction.
#4 finish is sometimes called the workhorse finish because it looks attractive and because it is easy to maintain in high-traffic areas such as handrails, kitchen equipment, stainless steel sinks, bus shelters, elevator doors and work surfaces.
The #4 finish is manufactured by mechanically polishing the metal with fine abrasives belts to remove minimal amounts of metal from the surface. The resulting appearance has short, parallel lines for a linear effect. Stainless steel with a #4 finish will have a different appearance from manufacturer to manufacturer due to different belts and grit sizes, which usually range from 120 to 320 grit, and depending on the project requirements. The higher the grit, the finer the lines and the more reflective the surface will be.
Surprisingly, #4 finished stainless steel is more dull than stainless steel with a 2B finish. It appears more flat, less reflective, but even.
Because of the grained finish, light scratches can often be reclaimed by using a very light-grit finishing pad. Still, as sheet metal fabricators and craftsmen will tell you, this won’t be a project for the faint of heart. Once you start re-graining a surface, you will be forced to apply the graining to the entire surface to make it match. Graining one small scratch will, unquestionably, alter the appearance of the grain and you will be forced to apply the same work to the rest of the visible surface.
Sheet metal workers and metal fabricators often develop very specific skill sets when it comes to fabricating stainless steel—either in 2B finish or #4 finish. Individual craftmanship, even in today’s hi-tech fabrication industry, still plays a vital role when it comes to fabricating stainless steel parts and assemblies. Graining and welding, for example, are very technical skills that apprentice fabricators spend much time perfecting.
Since #4 finish stainless steel is designed for visual appeal, it generally comes supplied with a sticky, usually white-colored, PVC coating. This plastic, or PVC, can be peeled off the stainless steel.
Fabrication professionals will usually leave the PVC on the stainless steel throughout the fabrication process, which will often include laser cutting, tapping, countersinking and forming.
That way, the material can be handled without worry of scratching, marring or marking the metal. When it comes to welding, fabrication experts will cut away the PVC, exposing just the edges that need welding, but will often, as mentioned before, leave the rest of the material protected until it reaches the customer.
Stainless steel is a very common material used in fabrication. There is so much more to discuss—topics such as contaminating stainless steel with carbon, passivating stainless steel, using different grades of stainless steel and galvanic reactants to stainless steel—these are all important elements that add to the stainless steel fabrication process.
All Metals Fabrication has been fabricating custom, job shop stainless steel over nearly three decades.
Learn more by emailing us at info@allmetalsfab.com.
Rich Marker is an 18 year, skilled professional in metal fabrication and manufacturing. Co-founder, owner and principal of All Metals Fabrication, Rich has helped to sustain the company’s success over a variety of economic conditions. He has extensive background in continuous improvement, training and process improvement, and emotional intelligence—among other specialized proficiencies. He loves to learn, fly fish, watch college football and devour NY style pizza! He has the best family on earth, loves a good plan, great teaching and the opportunity to get better.
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