Stainless steel is an abbreviation for stainless acid-resistant steel, which boasts excellent corrosion resistance and high hardness, making it widely used. So, what are the materials used in its production? Let's take a look below.

1. DDQ (deep drawing quality) material: Refers to stainless steel material used for deep drawing applications, commonly known as soft stainless steel. This material's main characteristics include high elongation (≧53%), low hardness (≦170%), and internal grain level between 7.0~8.0, with excellent deep drawing properties. Many companies producing vacuum flasks and pots typically have high blanking ratios (BLANKING SIZE/PRODUCT DIAMETER), with ratios reaching 3.0, 1.96, 2.13, and 1.98. SUS304 DDQ material is primarily used for products requiring high blanking ratios, as products with ratios over 2.0 usually need multiple stretching processes. If the raw material's elongation is insufficient, cracks and tearing may occur during the deep drawing process, affecting the pass rate of finished products and increasing the manufacturer's costs.

2. General Material: Primarily used for stainless steel materials other than DDQ applications. This material is characterized by a relatively lower elongation (≧45%) and higher hardness (≦180HB), with an internal grain size grade between 8.0 and 9.0. Compared to DDQ materials, it has slightly poorer deep drawing properties. It is mainly used for products that can be obtained without stretching, such as spoons, forks, and knives for tableware, electrical appliances, and steel pipe applications. However, it has an advantage over DDQ materials in terms of better BQ properties, which is mainly due to its slightly higher hardness.