Stainless Steel Surface Finishes

Stainless Steel Surface Finishes

Standard mill finishes can be applied to flat rolled stainless steel directly by the rollers and by mechanical abrasives. Steel is first rolled to size and thickness and then annealed to change the properties of the final material. Any oxidation that forms on the surface (mill scale) is removed by pickling, and a passivation layer is created on the surface. A final finish can then be applied to achieve the desired aesthetic appearance.

No. 0: Hot rolled, annealed, thicker plates
No. 1: Hot rolled, annealed and passivated
No. 2D: Cold rolled, annealed, pickled and passivated
No. 2B: Same as above with additional pass-through highly polished rollers
No. 2BA: Bright annealed (BA or 2R) same as above then bright annealed under oxygen-free atmospheric condition
No. 3: Coarse abrasive finish applied mechanically
No. 4: Brushed finish
No. 5: Satin finish
No. 6: Matte finish (brushed but smoother than #4)
No. 7: Reflective finish
No. 8: Mirror finish
No. 9: Bead blast finish
No. 10: Heat colored finish-wide range of electropolished and heat colored surfaces