The difference between stainless steel and other steels mainly depends on the carbon content of the steel. Iron-carbon alloys with less than 2% carbon are called steel, and iron-carbon alloys with more than 2% carbon are called iron. Steel is widely used due to its toughness, elasticity and stiffness. Everything you come into contact with in life is steel, but people call it something different. For stainless steel, regardless of whether it can attract magnets, as long as it meets quality standards, it is stainless steel.

        The main corrosion-resistant element of stainless steel is chromium. Steel with more than 10.5% chromium will not rust. Depending on the alloying elements added during the smelting process, there are also differences between attractable and non-attractable magnets. Stainless steel is generally divided according to its organizational structure and can be divided into several categories such as austenite, ferrite, and martensite. If different proportions of chromium, nickel, etc. are added to the molten steel, the austenitic steel produced will be stainless steel that is not easily attracted by magnets. If chromium and a small amount of nickel (or no nickel are added) are added to the molten steel, the resulting steel is ferritic stainless steel that can attract magnets; the main alloying elements of martensitic stainless steel are chromium, iron and carbon. There are more than 100 types of stainless steel due to different alloy contents. Most stainless steels are magnetic except austenitic stainless steels.

       Nickel has almost no reserves in the world and is relatively expensive. Therefore, the price of stainless steel with high nickel content on the market is also higher, and the magnets are not attracted. There is actually another type of stainless steel magnet that cannot be attracted. That is, stainless steel with high manganese content and low nickel content or no nickel. The market price of this kind of stainless steel is more than 1,000 yuan per ton lower than stainless steel with high nickel content. Some dealers mistakenly believe that "high-quality stainless steel magnets cannot attract" to deceive consumers, and the price is as expensive as high-nickel stainless steel.

       There are more than a hundred types of stainless steel with different properties and functions. Typically, austenitic stainless steel is used for decoration, landscaping and sculpture. Due to the low thermal conductivity of austenitic stainless steel, it is not suitable for use as kettles, woks and rice cookers. It will waste energy and prolong the time it takes to boil the water. Wok and rice pans made of ferritic stainless steel not only have excellent corrosion resistance, but also have a thermal conductivity that is almost half that of austenitic stainless steel.