Like all metals and alloys, stainless steel rods and bars have a base cost depending on their innate quality, their expected performance against certain environmental hazards, and their predicted life cycle when used in appropriate circumstances In many cases, Grades 303 & 304 are interchangeable, however there are slight differences in each of the grades composition which make either of them the obvious choice for certain applications. Stainless steel is not especially ductile or malleable, certainly without extensive annealing, but reasonably good for welding Hygienic, low-maintenance and non-reactive with many substances Hexagonal Bar– More commonly known as a Hex bar, the hexagonal bar is a length of six-sided bar with its diameter measured across two opposing flat faces. This unit of measure is referred to as AC for Across Flats.

You may actually be better off with a lower grade of heat resistance in most non-specialised environments or installations A stainless steel rod, or stainless steel bar, is commonly used in construction because of its durability and resistance to rusting.These Grade 304 Stainless Steel solid cylindrical sections of Bar or Rod are produced by one of the following methods of manufacture: Metal bars are lengths of material in a range of forms suitable for use in a wide range of applications. Construction and fabrication industries are some of the most common uses for metal bars and use a wide range of materials and forms in industrial and everyday use products. Generally in 3.000 to 3.200 Metre lengths although in certain sizes longer lengths are available. Commonly in Grades T303, T304, T316, T321, T410, T420 & Grade T431. 3mm Diameter Stainless Steel Round Bar Again, extremely heat-resistant alloys may develop significantly increased susceptibility to corrosion at those higher temperature Consider water ingress, exposure to changing weather conditions, potential for exposure to chemicals, chlorides and acids What level of mechanical strength do I need?

Stainless Steel Round Bars have many great attributes. They are hard, strong, and have excellent anticorrosive properties. Certain types of equipment, for example medical machinery, can be extremely sensitive to even low-level magnetic properties, and it’s important to source the right type of stainless steel bars and rods for use in these critical environments How much am I looking to spend, both now and in the future? Round Bar– Also known as Metal Rod, the round bar is typically measured by its diameter referring to the widest dimension across the cross-section of the bar. Here’s where buying stainless steel rods and bars - or any stainless product, for that matter - can get really confusing. The ‘grade’ of a stainless alloy product denotes precisely what its intended application or environmental resistance will be, and this is dictated by both the specific chemical/elemental makeup of the alloy in question, as well as any finishing or treatment process it has undergone after casting. Metal rods are specially formed pieces of metal and alloy that are shaped into a rod-like aesthetic hence the name. Metal rods are commonly used to support a range of applications such as within masonry structures.Generally in 3.000 to 3.200 Metre lengths although in certain sizes longer lengths are available. Commonly in Grades T303, T304, T316, T321, T410, T420 & Grade T431. 1/8″ Diameter Stainless Steel Round Bar Available in different forms these products can be split out into different types due to the nature of their makeup. The overall strength of stainless steel products often has an inverse relationship to its corrosion resistance, so getting the balance right is important Stainless steel is generally regarded as a relatively strong metal, although the tradeoff for this core strength is increased weight, meaning it’s not always the best choice for all types of structural or weight-critical applications Non-porous

All of our stainless steel is sourced from accredited mills and is fully certified. The chemical and mechanical certification is available on request. Typically, austenitic steels will be more weldable than most other alloys, but there are exceptions depending on the types of stainless steel finishes and treatments you may require stainless steel is a molybdenum-bearing grade. This addition gives the better overall corrosion resistance properties than type 304 and higher creep strength at elevated temperatures.Stainless steel doesn’t conduct heat particularly well, meaning it can be used in higher temperature applications than some other metals. It’s also a poor conductor of electricity by metallic standards Relatively expensive compared to many other metal types Fairly difficult to work Importantly, this includes most foods - stainless steel will not taint flavours or colours, which is why it’s so commonly used for kitchen environments and cookware Non-magnetic (although this isn’t as straightforward as many people think!) We have an extensive collection of stainless steel rods for sale with diameters ranging from 3mm to 152mm. The standard length for the stainless steel rods we supply is approximately three metres but we can also cut a rod to length for you up to five metres. Our Stainless Steel Round Bar range can be cut size to suit your requirements. They are available in non standard sizes in both Metric and Imperial and in a wide variety of grades, including: 303, 304, 316, 321, 410, 420 and 431. We supply stainless steel bars in grades 304 and 316. Grade 304 is a general purpose grade which is excellent for welding. Grade 316 has outstanding corrosive resistance. It is therefore commonly used outdoors, or in particularly harsh settings like marine environments.

Also available in a range of materials, our range of metal bars and rods can accommodate any application. Our bars and rods can be found in:

Ferrous metal rods - These are made up of ferrous metals and alloys which happen to be iron-based and are popular due to their high levels of hardening and property alloying elements. Intermediate sized Stainless Steel Round Bars with diameters such as 25mm, 30mm, 35mm, 40mm, 50mm, 2.1/4”, 2.1/2” & 3” will usually be Smooth Turned, although some sizes are Bright Ground. For rods that are more than two inches in diameter we offer grade 303. This is the most machinable austenitic grade of stainless steel because it has a slightly higher proportion of sulphur. It is commonly used for aircrafts, nuts, screws and bolts. As you can probably imagine given the range of options already outlined in this guide, this leaves us with a bewildering number of potential grades of stainless steel (over 150, in fact, although only around 15 of these are especially common in everyday construction use). Worse still, there isn’t even one universal method for grading stainless steels - while there is often a large degree of crossover, specific grading scales do technically vary from country to country!