Stainless steel

What it names

A family of steels rather than a single grade. The European standard EN 10088-1, in its 2014 edition, defines stainless steels as containing at least 10.5 percent chromium and at most 1.2 percent carbon.

Who defines it

Traced to a published standard

Published standards. ISO 15510 lists the chemical compositions of stainless steels; ASTM A941 is ASTM’s terminology standard for steel and stainless steel; EN 10088-1 lists stainless steels, and the chromium figure above is from its clause on definitions.

What it does not promise

The word names the family. It does not name a grade, and a family name says nothing a listing has measured. This site makes no claim about what the word means for rust, edge or lifespan on any of these tools.

The listings printing the word sit in three different categories: weeders, sprinklers and pruners. On the sprinkler it names filters; on the others it names claws or blades.