Stainless steel piping systems have been used for many decades all over the world to handle waters in the highly corrosive environments of the chemical, pollution control, pharmaceutical and food & beverage industries. There are millions of miles of pipelines, worldwide, used for the transmission of drinking water. These pipelines must offer corrosion resistance to the water itself, soil chemistries, and treatment chemicals in order to provide both a long service life and hygienic delivery of drinking quality water.


Stainless steels are alloys of iron containing at least 11% chromium. To improve corrosion resistance and the engineering properties, usually nickel (8-12%) and some times molybdenum (2-2.5%) are added. The molybdenum containing alloys resist chlorides to a much greater extent.

• Excellent corrosion resistance – 304 stainless steel are significantly more resistant to oxidation by water and biocides than any other material.



• Corrosion protection – an internal and external coating is not required for 304 stainless steel, nor is cathodic protection. This reduces system cost and makes stainless steels more compatible with environment.



• Hygienic materials - due to their very high passive film stability, 304 stainless steel are basically inert in waters. Leaching of alloying elements (Cr and Ni) is within safe limits. As a result, they provide a better quality of drinking water.



• Coefficient of friction – lower friction compared to cement lined carbon steel pipes or to corroded carbon steel results in less loss of water pressure along the pipeline. This provides an opportunity to diminish the internal diameter of the pipe and save capital cost. This is also a reason for a lower adhesion of deposits as well as lower bacteria colonization. They are also tolerant to high flow rates.



• Good strength and ductility – 304 stainless steel, particularly the duplex materials, have higher mechanical properties when compared with any other material. This allows a reduction in the wall thickness of the pipe (with out any required corrosion allowance) and results in investment cost savings. The better ductility may also be important in terms of security, e.g. in the case of an earthquake.



• Erosion-corrosion – the duplex stainless steels are much more resistant to corrosion.


• Ease of maintenance - with high corrosion resistance, water leaks can be drastically reduced, probably from 25% down to less than 5% which leads to further cost savings.



• Excellent durability - 304 stainless steel are resistant to crevice corrosion, cavitation and wear in pure and polluted waters as well as in atmosphere (even polluted), they are cost effective for long term use and do not cause environmental pollution.



• Recyclable - 304 stainless steel are 100% recyclable and a part of their initial cost may be recoverable when they are recycled.