Electrochemical polishing of stainless steel generally has the following four characteristics:

(1) Electrochemical polishing is more efficient than mechanical polishing, but large workpieces cannot be placed in the polishing tank and require a particularly large current, making electrochemical polishing difficult to perform.

(2) The surface current density of the electrochemically polished workpiece must be uniform and represented by a cathode pictogram if necessary, otherwise the surface brightness will be uneven.

(3) When the current in electrochemical polishing is large, the fixture and the workpiece need to have a large enough contact area and good contact, otherwise local overheating will burn the workpiece.

(4) Some stainless steel polishing processes in Auschwitz cannot be used for polishing Martel stainless steel and are prone to corrosion. Chemical polishing of stainless steel is to immerse the parts in a suitable solution, because the solution dissolves the convex parts of the surface faster than the concave parts, making the surface smooth and achieving the purpose of polishing.

Generally speaking, chemical polishing has poor polishing ability and only a small amount of brightness. However, it is less labor-intensive and time-consuming than mechanical polishing, and can polish the inner surface of small parts. Recently, it has also been reported that the surface of 18-8 Auschwitz stainless steel can be made mirror bright by adding a whitening agent.