Kitchenware & Food Equipment

Kitchenware and food equipment is the largest single use of stainless sheet, and also the one where buyers most often overpay — or under-specify and get staining. The rule is simple: 304 for almost everything, 316L where salt, brine or chlorinated cleaning is routine.

What we supply

Why 304 works here

Food contact surfaces are cleaned constantly but with water and detergents, not chlorides. That is exactly 304's comfort zone: it resists the organic acids in food, handles repeated washing, and does not need the molybdenum that makes 316L expensive. Restaurants, bakeries and domestic appliances have run on 304 for decades.

Move to 316L when the process involves salt — curing, brining, seafood, dairy with chlorinated CIP, or anything that sits wet in a saline environment.

What to specify

• Finish by where it is seen. 2B for hidden panels and backs; No.4 or HL for visible faces; BA where you want a bright appliance look without mirror cost.
• Ra, not grade, for hygiene. A hygienic spec usually calls for Ra ≤ 0.8 µm. A well-rolled 2B can meet it; a scratched 8K mirror may not.
• Thickness after polishing. Deep polishing on 0.5 mm sheet removes material. If you need 0.6 mm finished, order 0.7 mm.
• Draw quality. For sink bowls and deep-drawn parts, ask for 304L or a suitable temper — standard 304 cracks on severe draws.

Mistakes we see

Buying 8K mirror for hygiene reasons. Mirror shows every fingerprint and scratch, and the polishing compound itself can be a contamination source. For most hygienic work, 2B or a controlled No.4 is the right answer and costs less.

Using 201 to save money in a wet kitchen. 201 is manganese-based and can rust in humid, poorly ventilated dishwashing areas. It is fine for trim and dry applications; risky for wet ones.

Forgetting the back of the panel. The hidden side still corrodes. If the underside will be damp, do not accept a cheaper unpassivated finish.

Related products

• Stainless steel sheet & plate — 0.3–200 mm, 2B / BA / No.4 / HL / 8K
• Stainless steel coil & strip — for continuous forming and slit widths
• Stainless steel pipe & tube — for frames, legs and ducting

Send your part list with thickness, finish and quantity — we will quote against stock and confirm the MTC 3.1 documentation in the same reply.