4 Dirty Little Secrets about Buying Stainless Steel from India

What you need to know before buying from the far East!

Stainless steel is an iron-containing alloy that’s used in a wide range of applications. Generally, there are more than 57 stainless steel types recognized as standard alloys, even though there are still lots of proprietary alloys from different stainless steel producers. In this regard, as a distributor, purchasing high-quality stainless steel long products can be a daunting task. This scenario is usually fuelled by the pressure to reduce prices without compromising on quality. Due to this fact, many distributors are forced to look at the Far East for their supplies due to their relatively fair pricing.

Secrets About Stainless Steel

However, just like any other product, you must be very careful when importing stainless steel from abroad or even domestically as it is a process that’s also fraught with danger. To help you avoid such pitfalls, here are some useful tips worth taking a look at when purchasing your stainless steel products. They include but are not limited to the following;

First and foremost, the stainless steel that you purchase must be refined in two (2) to three (3) stages. In India, most of the mills tend to use Induction Furnaces to melt the scrap metal. Unfortunately, some of them are known to skip the second stage of refining which is popularly known as AOD (Argon Oxygen Decarburization). This is an economical way of producing stainless steel with relatively minimal loss of precious elements. This is usually achieved through argon or nitrogen dilution which then minimizes instances of unwanted oxidation of precious metals such as chromium.

It is also possible that your current supplier doesn’t take his or her time to check and confirm whether the scrap metal being melted is free from radioactivity or not. In India, radioactive contamination in Steel is defined as anything showing radiation level that’s above the natural background radiation level. In addition, it is also defined as anything that’s above the exempt total activity and activity concentration level of IAEA. The main radioisotope of contamination is Co-60 that’s used industrially, Category 3 and below. Importers are usually encouraged to procure sensitive radiation monitoring instruments to assist them to monitor the incoming raw material. It is important to ensure that your supplier adheres to and respects the above.

It is also worth mentioning that some leading players have been known to buy semi or half-finished -products from China then perform what’s known in steel industry parlance as cold finishing or hot-rolling on the said products in India. They would then go ahead and label the materials as “Originating from China” This false assertion is normally quite difficult to check and it is recommended that you insist on having the origin of the material in question certified with a stamp and sign. This does prevent instances where the mill owner disowns the product if a problem crops up.

Indian Mills can easily over-commit on orders. This can be very dangerous, especially so if you are making orders requiring very specific requirements and within a certain timeline. In this regard, you should always make a point of checking and confirming that there are testing facilities within the manufacturer’s premises. If the test is being done outside the premises, then you should insist on having a Skype chat with the Quality Inspector. This is very important since, in this industry, you must ensure that both of you, the buyer and seller; understand the quality checking procedures before you even place an order. Unless this is done, the manufacturer or supplier may end up giving you a low and attractive price but fail to deliver on quality. Going through the quality checking procedures will allow you to gauge whether you are getting high-quality material or not.

In conclusion, it is important to safeguard your investment by carefully choosing your suppliers so as to get the best deal. Make sure you engage your supplier as much as possible during the buying process so as to ensure that you only get high quality stainless steel and nothing less.

Related Posts