Stainless Steel in India – Production,Manufacturers,Uses and Products

What is Stainless Steel

Stainless steel is a durable, eco-friendly, and low-maintenance material that can be used for building, tools, cutlery, sculpture, and many other number of things. It is a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5% chromium content by mass. There are about 150 different types of stainless steel to suit the environment the alloy has to bear. It is called stainless because of its natural resistance to rust and corrosion. It does not stain, corrode, or rust as easily as ordinary steel. It is also called corrosion-resistant steel or CRES.

Stainless steel production in India

Stainless steel production in India increased from 0.5 million tonnes in 1994-95 to 1.76 million tonnes in 2004-05. India has emerged as one of the top ten stainless steel producer in the world. With a production of 1.1 million tonnes during 2002, the country was ranked 8th in the world. With the economy booming, there is increasing demand for a wider range of products and services in stainless steel.

Stainless Steel Grades
Fifteen Grades of the stainless steel are particularly used, where both the properties of steel and resistance to corrosion are required

Uses of Stainless Steel

Stainless steel has widespread uses in Architecture, Building & Construction -used on the exterior of both the Petronas Twin Towers and the Jin Mao Building, two of the world’s tallest skyscrapers, Minorca Road Bridge (Spain), Sant Fruitos Pedestrian Bridge(Catalonia,Spain) & Arch pedestrian bridge and the Automotive, Railway and Transportation sectors. All-stainless steel railway coaches, Delhi Metro coaches, wagons for carrying coal & minerals, airports, corporate buildings, retail shops & shopping malls, the ever-wider use by the hospitality industry, even bus stands, railway platform roofs, building hardware.

Stainless Steel Products

It can be shaped into coils, sheets, plates, bars, wire, and tubing to be used in cookware, cutlery, hardware, surgical instruments, major appliances, industrial equipment and as an automotive and aerospace structural alloy and construction material in large buildings. In chemical and food process industry where the use of stainless steel is mandatory. Storage tanks made of stainless steel are used to transport food because of its corrosion resistance and antibacterial properties. This also influences its use in commercial kitchens and food processing plants, as it can be steam-cleaned and sterilized. Jewelery and watches also use stainless steel. The alloy is also used in firearms  as an alternative to blued or parkerized steel & few handgun models, such as the Smith & Wesson Model 60 and the Colt M1911 pistol, can be made entirely from stainless steel.

Advantages of Stainless Steel  and Recycling

Some automotive manufacturers use stainless steel as decorative highlights in their vehicles. Stainless steel has also found its usage as large ornamental panels and furniture. Since the alloy is very durable, it has been. One of the greatest advantages of the alloy is that it steel is fully recyclable. An average stainless steel object is composed of about 60% recycled material of which approximately 40% originates from end-of-life products and about 60% comes from manufacturing processes. There is a secondary market that recycles usable scrap for many stainless steel markets.

Stainless Steel is manufactured by the mainstream Steel Companies in India beside there are some focused stainless steel companies as well.The Mining Industry in India supplies most of the raw materials used in the production of Stainless Steel.

Stainless Steel Manufacturers

JSL – formerly known as Jindal Steel Ltd. is among the top 15 stainless steel producers in the world. It has an integrated facility to produce half-a-million tonne of stainless steel at Hissar in Haryana. is an India-based fully integrated stainless steel manufacturer. The Company produces stainless steel flat products. Its product range includes ferro alloys, stainless steel slabs and blooms, hot-rolled coils, plates, cold-rolled coils and specialty products, such as razor blade steel, precision strips and coin blanks. Its subsidiaries include Jindal Stainless UK Limited, Jindal Stainless FZE, PT Jindal Stainless Indonesia, Jindal Stainless Steelway Limited, Austenitic Creations Private Limited and Jindal Architecture Limited.

SAIL – Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) is the leading steel-making company in India. It is a fully integrated iron and steel maker, producing both basic and special steels for domestic construction, engineering, power, railway, automotive and defence industries and for sale in export markets. The products are Stainless Steel, Hot Rolled Coils, Sheets and Skelp Wire Rods & Cold Rolled Coils.

Mukand Ltd – is numero uno among manufacturers of alloy and stainless steel long products in India. The business of the Company is in the areas of supply and erection of equipment for power generation plants, integrated steel plants, aluminum plants and hydrocarbon plants. the market cap of the company is Rs.3,235 millions.

India Steel Works Ltd. – The Company is engaged in manufacturing and exporting of steel products. Its principal products include stainless steel bars and rods, stainless steel bright bars and rods, and stainless steel billets. During fiscal 2010, it had an installed capacity to produce 54,000 tons of steel billets and 100,000 tons of hot rolled bars/wire rods.

Arcelor Mittal Stainless International India Pvt. Ltd. – Stainless International, a wholly owned subsidiary of the ArcelorMittal Group. ArcelorMittal produces stainless steel products & flat products, including sheet and plate, long products, including bars, rods and structural shapes. The exclusive sales and marketing arm for all of the export sales of the stainless flat product producers of the ArcelorMittal Group: Stainless Europe and Stainless Brazil. Stainless International has a global network of sales offices, branch offices and representative offices. Stainless International also sells and markets stainless tubes in the international arena on behalf of the Group’s stainless tube producers. In addition to this, Stainless International represents Thainox Stainless PLC, a stainless reroller based in Thailand for its export sales. On January 25, 2011, ArcelorMittal approved the spin-off of ArcelorMittal’s stainless and specialty steels business into Aperam.

Shah Alloys Ltd. – an India-based company. The Company is engaged in the manufacturing of stainless steel, alloys and special steel, carbon/mild steel, and armour steel in flat and long products. The Company’s segments include Stainless Steel Unit, and Medical Stores and Pathology Laboratory Unit. Its products include hot rolled coils, sheets and plates; cold rolled coils and sheets; hot rolled round bars; bright round bars; hot rolled flat bars, and angles and beams.

Ratnamani Metals & Tubes Ltd. – Ratnamani has grown to become a multi-product, multi location public limited company. The manufacturing facilities have the technology to produce a wide range of Stainless Steel Welded, Seamless Tubes & Pipes and Carbon Steel Welded Pipes. It manufactures Stainless Steel Tubes and Pipes in following construction: Stainless Steel Seamless Tubes and Pipes, Stainless Steel Welded Tubes and Pipes & Large Diameter Electric Fusion Welded (EFW) Stainless Steel Pipes.

Suraj Stainless – is a Govt. of India recognized Export House and is selling its premium products in India and abroad to more than 53 countries in all over the world. The company is well known for its Stainless Steel, Seamless & Welded Pipes, Tubes & ‘U’ Tubes which are manufactured and tested to international Standards. Because of the product availability in various sizes, grades and specifications, it is used by various industrial houses for their applications.