When choosing fastening materials, aluminum alloy and stainless steel are most often used. Their similar appearance makes them harder to tell apart, but that doesn't mean they're the same, they're different in many places. Which one is better? This is the question that worries everyone more. In fact, there is a difference between them in terms of price, hardness and performance.

The difference between aluminum alloy and stainless steel

There are many aluminum alloy and stainless steel products in life, such as our ordinary pots, pans, doors and windows, etc.

The biggest difference between the two is that aluminum alloy tends to be lighter in weight and dull in color, while stainless steel is heavier and brighter in color. In addition, they also have differences in price, hardness, performance, surface, use, etc.

1. Different prices

Stainless steel is expensive, while aluminum alloy is cheap.

2. Different hardness

Aluminum alloy has a low density, but high strength, close to steel, and good ductility; stainless steel is a nickel-chromium alloy, and its hardness is higher than that of aluminum alloy.

3. Different resistance to high temperatures

Stainless steel withstands high temperatures with a melting point of 1200-1500 degrees Celsius; aluminum alloys do not withstand high temperatures with a melting point of 500–800 degrees Celsius.

4. Various surface treatments

Stainless steel surface treatment includes surface polishing, surface whitening, surface painting; aluminum alloy processing includes electroplating, sputtering, anodizing, etc.

5. Various industrial applications

Stainless steel has heat resistance, oxidation resistance, good formability and good weldability, and can be used as an ultra-high strength material in nuclear, aviation and aerospace industries; aluminum alloys must have good processing properties Parts and components that can be formed but do not require high strength, such as chemical products, food processing devices and storage containers, printing plates, name plates, reflective fixtures, etc.</ p>

What is the price difference between aluminum alloy and stainless steel

We know that the price of stainless steel is higher than aluminum alloy, but in fact there are many types of stainless steel, so the difference in price depends on the grade. 304 stainless steel is more expensive and 201 stainless steel is more expensive. Cheaper. Taking 304 stainless steel as an example, with better overall performance than aluminum alloy, the price difference is small for the same weight.

Which is better, aluminum alloy or stainless steel

Because the characteristics of aluminum alloy and stainless steel are different, they have their own advantages, so the suitable application scenarios are different, it is not easy to say which is better, just choose the right material in the right place, so that they can fully display their characteristics.