Steel is something that permeates our lives. We all hear “stainless steel”, we hear acronyms, we touch it every day. The world of healthcare is no exception and we at Francehopital, as trolley and furniture makers, deal with it constantly.
Stainless steel: AISI304, 18/10, Ni-Cr… what a mess!
11/11/2019
Stainless steel: Highly appreciated in healthcare
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Learning about steel
We would like to use this occasion to make a bit of steel-culture. First of all we need a definition: simple steel is an alloy of mainly iron and carbon (never more than 2.06%). The percentage of carbon determines the grading of steel in terms of hardness, ductility etc. Stainless steel contains minimum 11% of chromium. Chromium is what gives steel its stainless and inox features.
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Why so important?
Inox 18/10 is the most known stainless steel: it contains 18% chromium and 10% nickel and we use daily… cutlery is typically made of inox 18/10. AISI304 (AISI = American Iron and Steel Institute) is an 18/8 stainless steel. Highly appreciated in healthcare, particularly in OP, because of its ease of cleaning and excellent hygiene properties. This is exactly the reason why FH uses it on all products for operating rooms. Good examples are the instrument and Mayo tables.