Why isn’t stainless steel attracted to a magnet? Stainless steel contains a high amount of iron. Isn’t that enough to make it attracted to a magnet?
In: Chemistry
Most stainless steels encountered by the average Joe have a grain structure that metallurgists call austenitic, while regular steel is ferritic. One of the differences between these is whether the material is magnetic or not. The grain structure of regular steel changes from ferrite to austenite at very high temperatures, but reverts back as it cools. If we add alloying elements like nickel, we can retain the austenitic structure through the cooling process.
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