5 Interesting Facts About Stainless Steel

Have you ever given much thought to stainless steel? It’s a material that is invaluable. Just look around you and you’ll see it everywhere – in modern buildings, in cars, in your home, your office, and so much more. We thought it might be fun in this post to let you in on 4 interesting facts about stainless steel that you might not know. So, let’s dive in and take a look.

A relative newcomer

While iron has been around for more than a thousand years, you may be surprised to learn that stainless steel is relatively new having first been discovered in 1913. This may seem hard to believe, given our reliance on stainless steel in the modern world, which just goes to show what an important discovery it was.

A UK man, Harry Brearley from Sheffield, discovered a ‘rustless’ steel in 1913. At that time, the British army was struggling with the internal surfaces of gun barrels eroding during the onset of the First World War. Brearley stumbled upon his discovery as he was adding chromium to molten iron to create a ‘rustless’ steel. It turns out that the 12.8% chromium content was key to providing resistance to corrosion and hence stainless steel was born.

Used to construct famous buildings

Another of the interesting facts about stainless steel is that it’s responsible for some of the world’s most iconic buildings.

What do the Opera House in Sydney, the Chrysler Building in New York, the Gateway Arch in Missouri, and the Kelpies in Scotland all have in common?

You’ve guessed! They’re all constructed from SS. Stainless steel, which is highly malleable, is loved by architects looking to push creative boundaries.

Environmentally friendly and 100% recyclable

Environmentally friendly and recyclable are 2 buzz words we’re used to hearing all the time and SS ticks both these boxes. Not only is it one of the most environmentally friendly metals to produce but when you buy stainless steel, you can expect it to contain as much as 60% recycled SS.

It deodorises

Yes, honestly! One of the lesser-known interesting facts about stainless steel is that it removes all trace of garlic from your hands.

If you spend a lot of your time cooking, you may have struggled to get the smell of garlic off your hands. Somehow soap never quite cuts it. But we bet you never thought of turning to stainless steel!

Garlic contains a high amount of sulphur molecules which rub off onto your skin. When you rinse your hands the water turns the sulphur into sulphuric acid which intensifies the aroma. So rather than rinsing your hands beneath a stainless-steel tap, try rubbing your hands against the tap instead and see what happens. The molecules from the SS should combine with the sulphur molecules and remove all trace of the smell.

Metro Steel – The Experts

Stainless steel is a metal with a fascinating history and a wide range of uses. Hopefully, you enjoyed learning some interesting facts about stainless steel which may come in handy at the next pub quiz.

Meanwhile, if you need more information about stainless steel or would like a quote for fabrication, please get in touch with the experts at Metro Steel.