Whats the Difference Between Aluminum and Stainless Steel?
Aluminum and stainless steel are two metals we see on an almost daily basis, both at home and in a manufacturing environment. While they’re used for similar purposes, aluminum products do bear some key differences from their stainless steel counterparts. Let’s review a few key differences between aluminum and stainless steel.
The first major difference we need to cover is strength. While aluminum has a great many uses, the truth is that it’s simply not as strong as stainless steel. Because stainless steel is an alloy with a minimum of 10.5% chromium in it, its strength is second to none. That said, aluminum is a little bit more flexible than stainless steel, which can get brittle if you’re not careful. Something important to note about aluminum, though, is that it’s much lighter than any form of steel. In fact, aluminum products are about one-third of the weight of the same stainless steel products.
Since aluminum is so much lighter than stainless steel, its weight to strength ratio is actually a little bit higher. The low weight of aluminum allows manufacturers to use it in the creation of strong, lightweight materials and products.
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