is there any way to tell if something is Stainless Steel

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Grinder12000

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is there any way to tell of something is Stainless Steel.

Reason I ask is I purchased what I THOUGHT was a set of aluminum pots at ShopKo for $25.

However - it did not have a 5g pot.

So I decided to upgrade and went to a 5 gallon Stainless Steel pot for $40.

However - I look at the pots and the stainless steel looks EXACTLY like the aluminum.

I have SINCE purchased a 4 gallon stainless steel pot which looks WAY more convincing as a Steel.

SO - anyway to tell???
 
weight is a good indicator but not conclusive if you don't have all the exact dimensions of the pot. Aluminum will tarnish/oxidize and SS will not, so if you boil water in the pot for a long time and it is still shiny... it is SS, otherwise aluminum
 
You could always scratch the bottom side of both. Aluminum should be extremely easy to scratch while stainless steel will be a lot more difficult. Visually though, it sounds like you already know that its not stainless steel.
 
It depends on the grade of stainless steel but some stainless steel is magnetic where aluminum is not. It could be a quick way to tell. If a magnet sticks its defiantly stainless steel, if it doesn't it's either aluminum or stainless steel.
 
yeah magnets will tell if a bridge plate is steel, though it could be plated too.
 
will a magnet stick to SS?

Stainless steels are a very broad group of metals. The name was adopted as a generic term for steel alloys with a minimum of 10.5% chromium. The chromium gives the steel its 'stainless' properties - essentially corrosion resistance. On the surface of the metal, a very thin chromium-rich oxide layer is formed which is inert - i.e. it prevents the steel from rusting. The advantage of stainless steels over plated steels is that, if scratched or damaged, the steel will 'self-repair' as a new oxide layer is formed. In plated steels, scratches in the plate will often lead to corrosion of the steel underneath.

In general, the higher the proportion of chromium, the stronger the corrosion resistance of the steel. In addition to chromium, other metals are added to give the steel particular properties such as strength and malleability. Specifically nickel is used to strengthen the oxide layer.

As for whether they are magnetic, the answer is that it depends. There are several families of stainless steels with different physical properties. A basic stainless steel has a 'ferritic' structure and is magnetic. These are formed from the addition of chromium and can be hardened through the addition of carbon (making them 'martensitic') and are often used in cutlery. However, the most common stainless steels are 'austenitic' - these have a higher chromium content and nickel is also added. It is the nickel which modifies the physical structure of the steel and makes it non-magnetic.

So the answer is yes, the magnetic properties of stainless steel are very dependent on the elements added into the alloy, and specifically the addition of nickel can change the structure from magnetic to non-magnetic.

This was found on www.physlink.com
 
If you have 2 pots, and you seriously can't tell them apart, you have got 2 pots made of the same metal.

I had 4 pots that I BELIEVE were aluminum ($22 for four). and one 5g pot ($45) that if put with the other four is an exact match. However - magnets do not stick to the four but does to the 5g.

Now I have a 4g Stainless Steel pot that LOOKS way way more expensive where the magnet sticks.
 
Maybe it's just me, but I kinda think this is a bit of a non-issue. I mean, there really aren't any appreciable differences between SS and aluminum as brew kettles.
 
Maybe it's just me, but I kinda think this is a bit of a non-issue. I mean, there really aren't any appreciable differences between SS and aluminum as brew kettles.

You're just a big fat doodie head!!! and I'll NEVER believe that there are no differences.


Oh...Wait...Flyangler is right...who cares! You've got it, use it.
 
You're just a big fat doodie head!!!

:D

Well, maybe there are a couple of differences. 100% stainless steel has crappy heat conductivity compared to aluminum (that's why you often see SS cookware manufactured with a different alloy for the surface that contacts the heat source, like a 'sandwich' of aluminum or copper).
 
I posted this same question in a similar thread but its in the DIY section which doesn't get much traffic. Are Anheuser Busch kegs aluminum or stainless? Kinda need to know asap, thats why I posted the same question in two threads :)
 
Your kegs are almost certainly stainless.

Magnets WILL stick to some stainless alloys, so it is indeed a conclusive test, just not a foolproof one (and you're not "screwed" if it does show magnetic properties).
 
I posted this same question in a similar thread but its in the DIY section which doesn't get much traffic. Are Anheuser Busch kegs aluminum or stainless? Kinda need to know asap, thats why I posted the same question in two threads :)

I just came back from outside it's dark froze my butt off checking one of the areas I have kegs stacked. They all are stainless I know for sure. Strange thing some kegs would be slightly magnetic while others not at all. This between different brands and between 15.5 and 7.75 gallon size it did not matter. I didn't check which brands attracted the magnet too cold and dark. All my straight sided AB kegs are stainless.
 
To find out for sure, take a white rag and scrub vigorously on the pot for about 30 seconds. If the pot leaves a black or greyish reisdue on the rag, then it is aluminum, if the rag is clean then it is stainless. This test is to be done on a clean area of the pot.
 
To find out for sure, take a white rag and scrub vigorously on the pot for about 30 seconds. If the pot leaves a black or greyish reisdue on the rag, then it is aluminum, if the rag is clean then it is stainless. This test is to be done on a clean area of the pot.

+1 this is very true
 
If you want to get REALLY dorky...

Weight them both, then submerge them both in water and note the volume changes. Then bust out the old density formula :ban:
 
We could cut a chunk off of it and put it on a spectrometer. I would only charge a small fee(insert fine print here):D
 
Get a cruicible and melt down one of the pots. If it melts at 1220.58° F, then it's aluminum. If it melts at 2782° F, then it is 304 Stainless Steel.
 
There's always the spark test. Just get your grinder going and touch the pot to it, if you get small sparks then it is stainless, no sparks is aluminum. Either way you probably end up with a useless pot :)
 
There's also the grinder test. Take a grinder and grind one randomly-selected pot to dust. Snort the dust. If you suddenly develop symptoms of Alzheimer's, colic, rickets, extreme nervousness, anemia, headache, decreased liver and kidney function, forgetfulness, speech disturbances,and memory loss, softening of the bones, and weak, aching muscles, you're presenting aluminium toxicity symptoms and you're screwed. If you don't, you've got stainless steel, and you're going to be okay.

:D :D :mug:
 
I had 4 pots that I BELIEVE were aluminum ($22 for four). and one 5g pot ($45) that if put with the other four is an exact match. However - magnets do not stick to the four but does to the 5g.

Now I have a 4g Stainless Steel pot that LOOKS way way more expensive where the magnet sticks.

.....why does it "look more expensive" where the magnet sticks?
 
Stainless Steels is a VERY large category of steel alloys. They are classified by their formula, called grade. These are rated as 300 series or 400 series. The most common used grade is 304, or 18/8 stainless. There are sub-grades of 304 by the carbon content of 304H and 304L (as in high and low content). All 300 grades are austenitic grades have very low magnetic permeability. They show almost no response to a magnet after being annealed. That is to say that they are not non-magnetic but rather have very low reaction to magnets.

Grade 400 stainless are either Martensitic or Ferritic and are all quite reactive to magnetism. This is mainly due to the lack of nickel in their formation. However do not take the higher number as an indicator of quality. All of the formations have use. 304 is used mainly because of its extreme resistance to oxidation, even with sea water. For this reason it is considers marine grade.

All that being said there are 4 ways to test stainless. Three of them are destructive. One already talked about is magnetism. Also you can grind it and look for the color of the sparks. If the sparks are red, and many its 300 grade. If it is white/red its probably 400 grade. If there are many sparks it is 300 and if there are few its 400. Also you can test it with acid or hardness by heating it then cooling it quickly.

If it scratches or not is not a good way to test if it is aluminum or not. Especially if it has been anodized, or oxidized. Although good stainless is fairly hard and is more resistant to scratches.
 
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