Chrome-Manganese Stainless Steel

This corrosion resistance is due to the materials chromium content, which, when exposed to oxygen, forms a thin surface-layer of chromium oxide that protects the metal from air and water. This layer has the ability to self-repair if damaged, known as self-passivation.

The year 2006 saw a drastic increase in Nickel prices soaring 161% from January to December. As a result, there has been increased interest in low-nickel grades of stainless steel. One such family of stainless steel is the 200-series and use of these has doubled this decade. They are becoming popular in the Asian regions since their acceptable narrower corrosion resistance to 300-series.