FABORY, MASTERS IN STAINLESS STEEL FASTENERS
FASTENERS
Fabory offers an extensive range of high quality fasteners according to international standards, such as DIN, ISO, ASME, NF and IFI.
The Fabory assortment has over 85,000 fasteners, of which 23,000 are made of stainless steel.
STAINLESS STEEL FASTENERS
Stainless steel fasteners are present in every category of Fabory’s product range, including bolts, nuts, screws, washers, maritime hardware, threaded rods, pins, rivets, rivet nuts and security screws in all imaginable diameters, lengths and thread types (metric, imperial, wood, tapping, trapezoidal, pipe etc.)
Stainless steel products are employed by end-users from a variety of fields, including the following:
- Boat- and shipbuilding
- Machine manufacturing
- Food processing industry
- Wood construction
- Autmotive
- Steel construction
- Offshore
- Energy
- Water treatment
- Maintenance
- DIY
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
The term “stainless” steel refers to a wide range of materials, all of which comprise at least 12% chromium (Cr) and normally other alloying elements, with nickel (Ni) and molybdenum (Mo) being the most common. In this steel, chromic oxide is formed at the surface to protects it from corrosion. At elevated temperatures, chrome tends to form carbides instead of oxides. For fasteners, ISO 3506 has subdivided an extensive range of stainless steels into three material groups based on their metallurgical structure:
- Austenitic (A)
- Martensitic (C)
- Ferritic (F)
The austenitic material group, which is also referred to as chromium-nickel steel, is the most commonly used for fasteners. This group is further divided into five steel grades, each with a different resistance to corrosion and a specific field of application.
The most used grades are A2 and A4, which are explained in more specific detail below:
A2
The A2 stainless steel grade is the most frequently used for mass production of fasteners, and it is also called 18/8 (18% Cr, 8% Ni). This grade has outstanding corrosion resistance under normal atmospheric conditions, and it also performs well in wet environments and when exposed to oxidizing acids, organic acids, and many alkaline solutions.
However, A2 is not suitable for use with non-oxidizing acids and agents with chloride content, such as swimming pools and seawater.
A4
Steels of grade A4 are also known as acid-proof steels, which are alloyed with Mo and demonstrate a considerably stronger corrosion resistance than A2 in aggressive conditions such as those found in sea climates (chlorides), industrial atmospheres (sulfur dioxide), environments in which oxidizing acids are present and when pitting may occur. However, in aggressive conditions such as offshore settings, high chloride environments or similar applications, steels with a higher content of Cr, Ni and, in particular, Mo are required.