Stainless Steel Handling Guidelines: Recommendations

The correct selection of stainless steel grades is of great importance. Therefore, before starting work, it is important to make sure that the correct steel grade has been selected.

General recommendations

⓵ It is not recommended to remove the protective film until the finished product is installed. It is recommended to remove the film at a temperature of 0 to 30 °C.

⓶ Welds and color variations should be cleaned using a pickling solution or paste. Grinding or polishing with fine-grained sandpaper of 400 grit or finer is also widely used. Proper use of shielding gas when welding on the face of pipelines reduces the need for further processing of welds.

⓷ Spatters of cement or concrete should be removed and the surface should be washed quickly. Rust that has formed in small scratches can be removed with warm diluted nitric acid (10...15% HNO₃) followed by immediate rinsing and drying. Avoid contact of nitric acid with other metals and observe safety precautions.

⓸ Strong chlorine and acidic cleaning agents are harmful to stainless steel. Avoid contact with such substances when cleaning adjacent surfaces with stainless steel elements (e.g. windows).

⓹ Weakly alkaline cleaning agents (pH9...11) are suitable for cleaning stainless steels. Important steps are rinsing and drying. Do not use highly abrasive brushes and sponges or those containing iron. They can scratch or otherwise damage the metal surface.