The 18 refers to the chromium content which gives flatware its rust resistance.
Stainless steel 18 0 or 18 10.
When shopping for stainless flatware you will often see the numbers 18 8 or 18 10 or 18 0 or even 13 chrome.
Which metal is more durable.
All of these numbers refer to the percentages of chromium and nickel found in the stainless steel alloy.
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18 10 or 18 8 stainless steel.
These designations refer to the percentages of chromium and nickel in the stainless steel alloy.
Flatware typically comes in 18 10 18 8 18 0 and 13 0 compositions.
18 8 and 18 0 stainless steel for flatware and pots pans.
The austenitic and ferritic 18 8 18 10 and 18 0 stainless steels cannot be hardened by heat treatment and so can only be used for knife handles forks and spoons.
Stainless steel flatware is available in four qualities.
Chromium is used in stainless steel to provide durability as well as resistance to rust and corrosion while nickel is used to give flatware its luster.
At first glance on the flatware packaging it may look like 18 10 but a closer inspection may reveal that it is actually only 18 0 flatware.
Nickel tends to be more expensive so 18 10 stainless steel products are typically more pricey than 18 8 or 18 0 stainless steel items and also the highest quality.
18 10 stainless steel flatware and 18 0 stainless steel flatware is made up of chromium and nickel.
The numbers 18 10 18 8 and 18 0 pertaining to stainless steel flatware do not designate the same quality and vary considerably in price and composition.
18 0 contains limited nickel and is therefore slightly less resistant to oxidation while 18 10 provides the highest amount of nickel.
The most common type of composition found in rental situations restaurants and catering functions is 18 10 and 18 0 and is what the basis of this blog post is on.
A discussion started in 2004 but continuing through 2019.
These numbers are often very confusing so let s look at the details behind these numbers.
13 0 18 0 18 8 or 18 10.
The numbers 18 0 18 8 and 18 10 refer to the percentages of chromium and nickel in the stainless steel alloy.
Hardenable martensitic types of stainless steel like the ferritics contain only chromium but with additional carbon.
18 10 stainless steel as well as 18 8 and 18 0 are fractions explaining the percentages of chromium and nickel alloys respectively added to stainless steel to reduce rust and enhance shine and durability.
18 0 contains a negligible amount of nickel 0 75 and therefore has a reduced corrosion resistance is more likely to rust than 18 8 or 18 10 but still high quality 18 0 is also referred to as type 430 is part of the 400 series and unlike 300 series stainless steel is magnetic.
