10 Ferritic Stainless Steel Manufacturers in 2024
This section provides an overview for ferritic stainless steel as well as their applications and principles. Also, please take a look at the list of 10 ferritic stainless steel manufacturers and their company rankings. Here are the top-ranked ferritic stainless steel companies as of November, 2024: 1.Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc., 2.Fushun Special Steel Co., Ltd., 3.Castinox.
Table of Contents
What Is Ferritic Stainless Steel?
Ferritic stainless steel is a general term for a type of stainless steel composed mainly of iron and chromium, an alloy that constitutes a ferrite phase at room temperature.
Ferritic stainless steel has excellent corrosion resistance and is more resistant to rust than ordinary steel. This makes it widely used in various fields.
Some grades contain elements such as molybdenum, niobium, and copper, but little or no nickel, which is frequently used in other stainless steels.
Applications of Ferritic Stainless Steel
Ferritic stainless steel has excellent formability, corrosion resistance, and weldability. The characteristics of ferritic stainless steel vary greatly depending on the ratio of the constituent element chromium and the additive elements, and its uses are also diverse.
1. Building and Construction Industry
Used in building components such as exterior walls, roofs, and pillars, it is suitable for buildings that require durability.
2. Food Processing Industry
Used in contact parts of food processing equipment, containers, etc., it is suitable for the food industry, where corrosion resistance is important.
3. Medical Equipment
Used in surgical instruments and medical equipment.
4. Automotive Industry
Used for automobile exhaust pipes, parts, body parts, etc., it is suitable for the automotive industry, which requires durability and heat resistance.
Properties of Ferritic Stainless Steel
Ferritic stainless steel has a variety of properties. In addition, it is less expensive than austenitic stainless steel due to the almost complete absence of nickel addition.
1. Magnetism
Ferritic stainless steel has a variety of characteristics, depending on the type of steel, but one common characteristic is its ferromagnetic properties. This is because the crystal structure of ferritic stainless steel is a body-centered cubic lattice. Martensitic stainless steels with a similar crystal structure are paramagnetic, while austenitic stainless steels with a face-centered cubic lattice are non-magnetic.
2. Strength
Ferritic stainless steel is known for its almost complete lack of hardening by heat treatment and is not suitable for applications requiring high strength because it does not show any strength increase by quenching and tempering.
3. Brittleness
Ferritic stainless steel is known to be brittle depending on the temperature conditions. High-temperature embrittlement occurs in the 400~540°C range, and storage in the 550~800°C temperature range causes embrittlement.
There is also a ductile-to-brittle transition temperature in the low-temperature range, where the impact resistance decreases rapidly. The low-temperature brittleness can be improved by using high-purity ferritic stainless steel with low carbon and nitrogen content.
4. Other Features
Other characteristics of ferrite stainless steel include corrosion resistance, workability, and strength, which are generally inferior to those of austenitic stainless steel, such as Type 304, but superior to those of martensitic stainless steel, such as Type 403.
Types of Ferritic Stainless Steel
Ferritic stainless steel is the type of stainless steel with the number in the 400 series in the name of SUS. The most common type of ferritic stainless steel is SUS430, and other types of ferritic stainless steel are made by adding various elements to SUS430 or changing the ratio of elements.
The physical properties that can be improved from SUS 430 and the types of SUS are as follows.
1. Oxidation Resistance (SUS405)
Oxidation resistance is improved by reducing chromium content from 18% to 13% and adding aluminum.
2. Workability (SUS410L, SUS429)
Chromium content is reduced.
3. Machinability (SUS430F)
Machinability is improved by adding sulfur.
4. Workability, Weldability (SUS430LX, SUS430J1L)
Machinability and weldability are improved by adding titanium and niobium and reducing carbon content.
5. Corrosion Resistance (SUS443J1, SUS434, SUS436J1L, SUS436L, SUS444)
Corrosion resistance is improved by adding molybdenum, titanium, and niobium. It has the same corrosion resistance as austenitic SUS304 and is used not only in outdoor panels and chemical plants but also in corrosive environments such as in seawater.
List of 10 Ferritic Stainless Steel Manufacturers
*Including some distributors, etc.
Sort by Features
- Default
- Company Size: largest first
- Year Founded: oldest first
- Year Founded: earliest first
Sort by Area
- United States of America
- China
- Finland
- Japan
- Spain
- United Kingdom
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Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc.
Ferritic Stainless Steel
Manufacturer Overview
Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc., founded in 1847 and headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, is a manufacturer specializing in the production of iron ore pellets, steel, and steel-related products. Its offerings, such as iron ore pellets, ensure efficient steel production with minimal impurities because of their purity and uniform sizing. The company has received awards, including the Green Innovation Award in 2019 and the Excellence in Safety Award in 2021. It serves a diverse customer base spanning multiple sectors, including automotive, construction, energy, and infrastructure.
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Sandmeyer Steel Company
Ferritic Stainless Steel
Manufacturer Overview
Sandmeyer Steel Company, founded in 1952 and based in Pennsylvania, USA, is a manufacturer and supplier of stainless steel. The company's product portfolio includes different grades of stainless steel, nickel alloy, and titanium products. The company is also the largest single-site inventory of stainless steel, nickel alloy plates, and titanium products. Sandmeyer Steel also offers in-house oversized machinery, quickly annihilatory services, effective solutions with high-end processes, and machine cuts with accurate configuration services.
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TOHOKU STEEL Co.,Ltd.
Electromagnetic stainless steel
Manufacturer Overview
Tohoku Steel Co., Ltd. was established in 1937 and based in Shibata, Japan, as a manufacturer and distributor of special steel products. It manufactures low thermal expansion alloys, warm-forged NNS, torque sensors, and automobile high-pressure pumps. Its products are utilized in the construction, automotive, and electrical industries across Japan. The company is a pioneer in developing corrosion-resistant stainless and has partnered with Tohoku University for magnetostrictive composite material sheets. It acquired ISO 14001, ISO/TS 16949, and received the Century Invention Award in July 2005 and the Tohoku Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry Chief's Award in November 2007.
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Daido Steel Co., Ltd．
Ferritic Stainless Steel
Manufacturer Overview
Daido Steel Co., Ltd., originally founded in 1916 in Japan, is a manufacturer of alloy and tool steels. The company offers a wide range of products that include mechanical construction steels, superalloys used in engine components, welding wires, alloy powders, and permalloy foil. Daido Steel Co., Ltd.'s specialty steel products are used in the automotive parts, industrial machinery parts, electrical machinery parts, and welding markets. The company has diversified to include businesses in real estate, insurance, and the provision of welfare services and has expanded operations outside of Japan in North America, Asia, and Europe.
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LINKUN
Ferritic Stainless Steel
Manufacturer Overview
LINKUN is a manufacturer and supplier of pipes fabricated from stainless steel, special alloys, and non-ferrous metals founded in 2000. Headquartered in Xi'an, China, the company serves clients in the oil and gas, power generation, nuclear, and aerospace sectors from its network of warehouses and sales offices in East and Central Asia. The company's product portfolio includes steel alloy pipes for high-pressure applications, carbon steel pipes for fluid conveyance, and molybdenum pipes for use in high-temperature environments. LINKUN offers SDS & certification as well as comprehensive logistics services to its clients in over two dozen countries around the world.
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Fushun Special Steel Co., Ltd.
Austenitic-ferritic Stainless Steel
Manufacturer Overview
Fushun Special Steel Co. Ltd. is an ISO 9001-certified manufacturer of steel products and alloy materials founded in 1937 and based in Fushun, Liaoning, China. The company produces steel products for structural components, tools, and sensitive components for medical devices. It also produces nickel-based alloys for aerospace components and parts requiring resistance to extreme temperatures. The company offers manufacturing services for steel and alloy materials, including forging using hydraulic or precision machinery, melting with arc or vacuum furnaces, and heat treatment. It primarily serves clients in the aerospace, energy, and petrochemical markets.
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Outokumpu
Ferritic Stainless Steel
Manufacturer Overview
Outokumpu, in Helsinki, Finland, in 1932 is a manufacturer of stainless steel. The company's product portfolio includes Cold rolled coil strips and sheets, Hot rolled coil strips and plates, Quarto plates, Precision strips and Specialized components. The company serves industries such as Oil and Gas, Aerospace and Defense, Automotive and Transportation, Construction, and Power Generation. They have production facilities in Finland, Germany, Mexico, Sweden, the UK and US and global distrubution and sales channels.
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Castinox
Ferritic Stainless Steel
Manufacturer Overview
Castinox, which was founded in 1993 and is based in Amurrio, Spain, is a manufacturer of cast parts in stainless steel and special alloys. The company produces rotary valves, diversifying valves, butterfly valves, globe valves, and ball valves. It also manufactures gate valves, retention valves, guillotine valves, male valves, as well as fluid pump parts. Its rotary valves have rotors with different holes that rotate inside the cylinders, which allow the circulation of the material.
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Ulbrich Stainless Steels and Special Metals Inc.
Ferritic Stainless Steel
Manufacturer Overview
Ulbrich Stainless Steels and Special Metals Inc., founded in North Haven, CT, in 1924 is a manufacturer of precision metal products. The company's product portfolio includes Precision Machined Components, sheet metal fabrication, metal stamping, die casting and forging and welding and assembly services. The company serves industries such as Oil and Gas, Aerospace and Defense, Automotive and Transportation, Construction, and Power Generation. The company also provides services including national distribution, product selection, customized services, technical support and customer service.
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Knight Group
Ferritic Stainless Steel
Distributor Overview
Knight Group, which was established in 1940 and is located in Potters Bar, England, is a supplier of strips and wires as well as pertinent services. The company offers precision strip and foil products, precision wire ranges, braid protection and reinforcement, hot cutting wires, and stainless steel tool wraps. It also provides strip processing, slitting and shearing, wire processing, stranding and bunching, and braiding services. Its foils’ thicknesses range from 0.010mm to 0.3 mm and its strips’ thicknesses vary from 0.1 mm to 3 mm.
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Ferritic Stainless Steel Manufacturer Ranking
*Including some distributors, etc.Ranking as of November 2024
Derivation Method| Rank | Company | Click Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc. |
22.7%
|
| 2 | Fushun Special Steel Co., Ltd. |
15.9%
|
| 3 | Castinox |
11.4%
|
| 4 | Sandmeyer Steel Company |
11.4%
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| 5 | Ulbrich Stainless Steels and Special Metals Inc. |
11.4%
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| 6 | Knight Group |
9.1%
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| 7 | Daido Steel Co., Ltd． |
6.8%
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| 8 | LINKUN |
4.5%
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| 9 | TOHOKU STEEL Co.,Ltd. |
4.5%
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| 10 | Outokumpu |
2.3%
|
Derivation Method
The ranking is calculated based on the click share within the ferritic stainless steel page as of November 2024. Click share is defined as the total number of clicks for all companies during the period divided by the number of clicks for each company.Number of Employees
- Daido Steel Co., Ltd．: 12,605
Newly Established Company
- LINKUN: 2000 (24 years ago)
- Fushun Special Steel Co., Ltd.: 1998 (26 years ago)
- Castinox: 1993 (31 years ago)
Company with a History
- Daido Steel Co., Ltd．: 1916 (108 years ago)
- TOHOKU STEEL Co.,Ltd.: 1937 (87 years ago)
- Sandmeyer Steel Company: 1952 (72 years ago)
Ferritic Stainless Steel Manufacturers in United States
*Including some distributors, etc.
Global Distribution of Ferritic Stainless Steel Manufacturers by Country
*Including some distributors, etc.
| Country | Number of Companies | Share (%) |
|---|---|---|
United States of America
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2 | 22.2% |
Japan
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2 | 22.2% |
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China
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2 | 22.2% |
Finland
|
1 | 11.1% |
Spain
|
1 | 11.1% |
United Kingdom
|
1 | 11.1% |
