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Surface Finishing

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The surface finish of stainless steel affects much more than just its aesthetic — performance, reliability, and other factors can be greatly impacted. No matter the application or end-use of the stainless steel, its surface finish should be carefully chosen to best meet the requirements at hand.  That's because, in addition to providing the desired visual appeal, the choice of finish affects corrosion resistance, characteristics such as electrical properties, impacts weldability, manufacturing operations, and contributes to various economic considerations.

Common Surface Finishes

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RAP® 2E A relatively rough shotblasted finish with cold bandtolerances and less roughness than a 1D finish.

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2E A brushed 2E slightly directional finish. it is much smootherthan shotblasted finishes and can replace the standard cold rolledfinish 2B in many applications where good cleanability is an advantage.

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2B Smooth surface with low gloss.

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2R / BA A bright and mirror-like finish for applications where eitherhigh gloss or an exceptionally hygienic surface is required, The 2R finishis used in applications requiring high image clarty or an ultra-smoothsurface that is easy to clean.

Standard surface finishes

Table1.Surface roughness for different stainless steel finishes

 

Surface
finish
 EN1008-2		 Type of
 process route		 Surface
roughness as
in EN 10088-2		 Notes
1D Hot rolled,heat treated,
(shot blasted）andpick-
led.Rough and dull		   Ra typically in the 3.50-7.50μm
range
2D Cold rolled,heat treat-
ed,picked.Smooth.		    
2B Cold rolled,heat treat-
ed,pickled.skin passed.Smoother than 2D		   Ra typically in the 0.30-0.50μm
range
2G Ground
Grade of grit or surface
roughness can be specified.Unidirectional tex-ture,not very reflective		    
2R Bright annealed
Cold rolled,bright annealed,Smooth,bright,reflective		    
2J Brushed or dull polished
Grade of brush or
polishing belt or surface
roughness can be specified.Unidirectional texture,not very reflective		    
2K Satin polish Transverse
RA＜0.5μm		  
2P Bright polished
The finish is achieved by mechanical polishing.Theprocess of surface roughness can be specified.it is a non-directional finish，reflective，with a high degree of image clarity		    
Surface finish
 ASTM A 480/490 M		 Description Notes
3 A linearly textured finish that can be
produced by either mechanical polishing
or rolling.A Skilled operator can generally
blend this finish.		 Average Ra
 may generally
 be up to 1μm
4 A linearly textured finish that can be
produced by either mechanical polishing
or rolling.A Skilled operator can generally
blend this finish.		 Average Ra
 may generally
 be up to 0.6μm
5 Architectural finishes.These are  a separate category and can be negotiated between buyer and seller,as there are many techniques and finish variations available throughout the world, Transverse Ra value should not exceed 0.5μm
6 This finish has a soft,satin appearance,
typically produced by Tampico brushing of
a No.4 finish		  
8 This is a highly reflective,smooth finish,
typically produced by polishing with successsively finer grit abrasives,then buffing.Typically,very faint buffing or polishing lines may still be visible on the final product.Blending after assembly may be done by buffing		  

Surface roughness measurements differ with different instruments，laboratories and operators.There may also be overlap on measurements of surface roughness for both NO.3 and No.4 finishes.

Table2.comparison of grit and surface roughness-approximate values

 

Grit size Rq
μm		 Ra
μm
80 2.02 1.8
120 1.47 1.32
150 1.2 1.06
180 0.86 0.76
240 0.43 0.38
320 0.36 0.3
500 0.20  0.18
600 0.15 0.13

Stainless steel surface &glossiness control

Stainless steel surface &glossiness control
Name Roughness
(um)		 Range ofglossiness
    (Gu)		 Apperance &characters
BR 0.15~0.3 above250  
BR 0.15~0.3 200~350 spotty,shiny surface
DOM.3 0.3-0.45 200  
DOM.4 0.35~0.5 above150 spotty,Slightly dull surface
SDH 0.6~1.0 under200 spotty surface with increased
roughness
RA 0.1~0.2 X>200Y>420 Fine and bright surface
S RA 0.8~1.2   The finestsandblasted surface
S RA 1.2~1.8   Fine sand blasting
S RA 1.8~24 <130 Coarse-grained sand blasting

Guide to Stainless Steel Sheet Finishes |  Polished, Brushed, Mirror

Standard Finishes The chromium-nickel and straight chromium grades of stainless steel strip can be surface treated to provide a wide variety of finishes

#1D – Cold Rolled, annealed and pickled

#2D– Cold rolled, annealed, pickled, or annealed and skin passed with dull rolls.

#1B – Cold rolled on polished rolls, annealed and pickled

#2B – Cold rolled on polished rolls, annealed, pickled, and skin passed on polished rolls

#1BA - Cold rolled on polished rolls, annealed in a protective atmosphere retaining the as-rolled surface appearance

#2BA – Same as

#1BA except the annealed strip receives a final skin pass.

#1CBA – Dull cold rolled and annealed in a protective atmosphere

#1 Bright Hardened - Martensitic grades cold rolled on polished rolls and heat treated in a protective atmosphere, retaining the as-rolled surface appearance. #2TR – Cold rolled to a temper specified by the customer Special finished are available upon request.

 

*** Not all finishes are available in all alloys  ---  Contact ZXS Sales for more information.

What is the Surface Roughness of Stainless Steel?

Any discussion of surface finish would be incomplete without mentioning surface roughness. Surface roughness is a measure of the texture of a manufactured surface. RA or Average roughness is most commonly used in North America. It is the average of the peaks and valleys of a surface over a set sampling length. Values are typically given in microinches or micrometers.

Rz, or mean roughness depth, is most commonly used in Europe and is the average of the highest peak to the lowest valley over 5 sampling lengths.

Surface roughness can have a crucial impact on the durability and performance of the material and must also be closely considered and controlled for.

Still unsure which finish is right for your application? Contact us and speak with someone from our metallurgy or product development team. We also offer custom finishes beyond those mentioned here to accommodate advanced and emerging applications, such as superconductors.