Materials & Steel
Technical specification: how to choose (and how to check it)
Every batch of ours goes through a spot check with a chloride test kit. A few drops go on the surface, then 24 hours of waiting. It is the most honest way to know whether the steel in your hands is really what you were sold.
· 2 min read
“Stainless steel” is one of those labels that reassure and say nothing. Under those two words live different alloys, different grades, different behaviours. For a specifier, for an architect, for anyone fitting out a villa by the sea or a spa, understanding what really lies behind a specification is the difference between a solid choice and a surprise three years on.
In practice, here is how to proceed.
Start from the alloy, not the finish. The finish is what you see: the mirror, the brushed, the matt black. The alloy is what decides how long it lasts. For an outdoor setting, especially near the sea or a chlorinated pool, the right question is not “what colour” but “what steel”. The answer must be AISI 316 (or 316L). If the data sheet only says “stainless steel” or “AISI 304”, that may do indoors; for salty outdoor settings, no.
Do not trust appearances. To the naked eye, polished 304 and 316 look identical. That very likeness makes swapping them easy, intentional or not. You cannot judge the alloy by looking: you have to ask, and get the standard reference.
Ask for data, not words. A serious supplier can tell you the composition, provides the material documentation and does not take offence if you ask for confirmation. Transparency about the raw material is the first sign of quality, more than the finest brochure.
The chloride test. It is the check we run on every batch, by sampling, and it is also the most repeatable. A few drops of a chloride-based solution go on the surface, and you wait. A proper 316, after 24 hours, stays clean. A lesser steel starts to show the first signs of pitting: small spots, dullness, the start of corrosion. It is not a sophisticated lab test: its very simplicity is what makes it useful. It puts the steel in front of its natural enemy and lets the metal tell the truth.
Think about the life cycle, not the purchase price. A component in 316, well made, costs more at the start. But it does not need replacing, does not stain, does not call for extraordinary maintenance. Over a horizon of twenty or thirty years (the real one of a house, a resort, a yacht) it is the most economical choice there is. The cheapest is almost always the most expensive.
Choosing steel well does not require becoming a metallurgist. It requires asking the right questions and demanding verifiable answers. We have made them part of the process, because we believe a product should be able to prove what it claims. Even with a few drops and a day of waiting.