For a number of years, low nickel or ‘out of spec’ stainless steels have been appearing on the world market, posing risks to consumers. Often they are out of spec because the percentage of Nickel or Molybdenum is too low, or because the lower grade 200 series grade stainless steel is being sold as 304 and 316. Leading stainless steel expert, and New Zealand’s consultant to the Nickel Institute, Les Boulton, says:

“There are grades of stainless steel being imported into New Zealand that have Manganese substituted for Nickel. These alloys have still got the same appearance, still got the same mechanical properties, and still got the same magnetism as the conventional grades of stainless like 304 or 316, but their corrosion resistance is definitely inferior to the 300 series austenitic stainless steel.” He highlights the risks: “It can result in premature rusting, deterioration, general surface corroding, much more quickly, than the other alloys. These Manganese stainless steels are excellent for making pots and pans, but once put outside in New Zealand’s marine environment, they will suffer tea staining and corrosion very quickly.”

To safeguard against the risk of inferior stainless, Anzor has recently launched an inwards goods material testing programme using highly sophisticated X-Ray spectrometer equipment to statistically check product as it arrives. Jamie Hunt, CEO and head of Purchasing says of the programme:

“We have always protected customers by only dealing with the most reputable suppliers. Now this testing programme allows us to give our customers the added peace of mind that they are purchasing the highest quality stainless steel available in the market.”