Stainless Steel
Stainless steel reinforcing
bars have shown to perform exceptionally
well in concrete. Unlike, hot-dip
galvanizing or epoxy coatings, the entire
bar is composed of a corrosion resistant
combination of metals with a large
percentage of chromium and nickel.
Stainless steels ability to resist corrosion
in concrete lies in its high chloride
threshold and its naturally slow corrosion
rate.
Few types of stainless steel
are used for reinforcing steel as
availability and price become an issue.
Only widely available types, such as 316,
are commonly used; however, other types are
available upon special request. It is
uncommon that bars are fabricated in lengths
greater than 40 feet.
The initial cost of
specifying stainless steel reinforcing steel
over other types of corrosion protection can
be in excess of five times the cost.
This makes specification difficult unless
the environment is deemed highly corrosive.
