416 Stainless Steel

Alloy 416 is a martensitic, free-machining, chromium steel alloy that is generally considered to be the first free-machining stainless steel. It has the highest machinability of any stainless steel at about 85% of that of a free-machining carbon steel. Martensitic stainless steels were designed to be hardenable by heat treatment and also corrosion resistant. Although Alloy 416 and other martensitic stainless steels are not as resistant as austenitic or ferritic stainless, it still demonstrates good corrosion and oxidation resistance plus high strength in the hardened and tempered condition. Alloy 416HT is easily machined, is always magnetic, and has low frictional properties that reduce galling and seizing.