Surface finish designations of stainless steel
thyssenkrupp Materials (UK) supply stainless steel in many different finishes. A complete list of industry standard stainless steel surface finishes can be found below:
You can also find information on different polished finishes by visiting our polished stainless steel page.
All data is to EN110088-2
| Symbola | Type of process route | Surface finish | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1U | Hot rolled, not heat treated, not descaled | Covered with rolling scale | Suitable for products which are to be further worked e.g strip for rerolling. |
| 1C | Hot rolled, heat treated, not descaled | Covered with rolling scale | Suitable for parts which will be descaled or machined in subsequent production or for certain heat-resisting applications. |
| 1E | Hot rolled, heat treated, mechanically descaled | Free of scale | The type of mechanical descaling, e.g coarse grinding or shot blasting, depends on the steel grade and the product, and is left to the manufacturer’s discretion, unless otherwise agreed. |
| 1D | Hot rolled, heat treated, pickled | Free of scale | Usually standard for most steel types to ensure good corrosion resistance; also common finish for further processing. It is permissible for grinding marks to be present. Not as smooth as 2D or 2B. |
| Symbola | Type of process route | Surface finish | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1U | Hot rolled, not heat treated, not descaled | Covered with rolling scale | Suitable for products which are to be further worked e.g strip for rerolling. |
| 1C | Hot rolled, heat treated, not descaled | Covered with rolling scale | Suitable for parts which will be descaled or machined in subsequent production or for certain heat-resisting applications. |
| 1E | Hot rolled, heat treated, mechanically descaled | Free of scale | The type of mechanical descaling, e.g coarse grinding or shot blasting, depends on the steel grade and the product, and is left to the manufacturer’s discretion, unless otherwise agreed. |
| 1D | Hot rolled, heat treated, pickled | Free of scale | Usually standard for most steel types to ensure good corrosion resistance; also common finish for further processing. It is permissible for grinding marks to be present. Not as smooth as 2D or 2B. |
| Symbola | Type of process route | Surface finish | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2H | Work hardened | Bright | Cold worked to obtain higher strength level. |
| 2C | Cold rolled, heat treated, not descaled | Smooth with scale from heat treatment | Suitable for parts which will be descaled or machined in subsequent production or for certain heat-resisting applications. |
| 2E | Cold rolled, heat treated, mechanically descaled | Free of scale | Usually applied to steels with a scale which is very resistant to pickling solutions. May be followed by pickling. Surface roughness is depending on the mechanical descaling method and may differ if the surface is e.g. shot blasted or brushed. |
| 2D | Cold rolled, heat treated, pickled | Smooth | Finish for good ductility, but not as smooth as 2B or 2R. |
| 2B | Cold rolled, heat treated, pickled, skin passed | Smoother than 2D | Most common finish for most steel types to ensure good corrosion resistance, smoothness and flatness. Also common finish for further processing. Skin passing may be by tension levelling. |
| 2A | Cold rolled, heat treated, bright-pickled, skin passed | Smoother and more reflective than 2D | Typical finish for ferritic grades when high reflectivity is desired. |
| 2R | Cold rolled, bright annealedb | Smooth, bright, reflective | Smoother and brighter than 2B. Also common finish for further processing. |
| 2Q | Cold rolled, hardened and tempered, scale free | Free of scale | Either hardened and tempered in a protective atmosphere or descaled after heat treatment. |
| Symbola | Type of process route | Surface finish | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2H | Work hardened | Bright | Cold worked to obtain higher strength level. |
| 2C | Cold rolled, heat treated, not descaled | Smooth with scale from heat treatment | Suitable for parts which will be descaled or machined in subsequent production or for certain heat-resisting applications. |
| 2E | Cold rolled, heat treated, mechanically descaled | Free of scale | Usually applied to steels with a scale which is very resistant to pickling solutions. May be followed by pickling. Surface roughness is depending on the mechanical descaling method and may differ if the surface is e.g. shot blasted or brushed. |
| 2D | Cold rolled, heat treated, pickled | Smooth | Finish for good ductility, but not as smooth as 2B or 2R. |
| 2B | Cold rolled, heat treated, pickled, skin passed | Smoother than 2D | Most common finish for most steel types to ensure good corrosion resistance, smoothness and flatness. Also common finish for further processing. Skin passing may be by tension levelling. |
| 2A | Cold rolled, heat treated, bright-pickled, skin passed | Smoother and more reflective than 2D | Typical finish for ferritic grades when high reflectivity is desired. |
| 2R | Cold rolled, bright annealedb | Smooth, bright, reflective | Smoother and brighter than 2B. Also common finish for further processing. |
| 2Q | Cold rolled, hardened and tempered, scale free | Free of scale | Either hardened and tempered in a protective atmosphere or descaled after heat treatment. |
| Symbola | Type of process route | Surface finish | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1G & 2G | Groundc | See Footnoted | Grade of grit or surface roughness can be specified. Unidirectional texture, not very reflective. |
| 1J & 2J | Brushedc or dull polishedc | Smoother than ground. See Footnoted | Grade of brush or polishing belt or surface roughness can be specified. Unidirectional texture, not very reflective. |
| 1K & 2K | Satin polishc | See Footnoted | Additional specific requirements to a “J” type finish, in order to achieve adequate corrosion resistance for marine and external architectural applications. Transverse Ra < 0.5um with clean cut surface finish. |
| 1P & 2P | Bright polishedc | See Footnoted | Mechanical polishing. Process or surface roughness can be specified. Non-directional finish, reflective with high degree of image clarity. |
| 2F | Cold rolled, heat treated, skin passed on roughened rolls | Uniform nonreflective matt surface. | Heat treatment by bright annealing or by annealing and pickling. |
| 1M | Patterned | Design to be agreed; 2nd surface flat | Chequer plates used for floors. |
| 2M | Patterned | Design to be agreed; 2nd surface flat | A fine texture finish mainly used for architectural applications. |
| 2W | Corrugated | Design to be agreed | Used to increase strength and/or for cosmetic effect. |
| 2L | Colouredc | Colour to be agreed | |
| 1S & 2S | Surface coatedc | Coated with another metal e.g. copper. |
| Symbola | Type of process route | Surface finish | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1G & 2G | Groundc | See Footnoted | Grade of grit or surface roughness can be specified. Unidirectional texture, not very reflective. |
| 1J & 2J | Brushedc or dull polishedc | Smoother than ground. See Footnoted | Grade of brush or polishing belt or surface roughness can be specified. Unidirectional texture, not very reflective. |
| 1K & 2K | Satin polishc | See Footnoted | Additional specific requirements to a “J” type finish, in order to achieve adequate corrosion resistance for marine and external architectural applications. Transverse Ra < 0.5um with clean cut surface finish. |
| 1P & 2P | Bright polishedc | See Footnoted | Mechanical polishing. Process or surface roughness can be specified. Non-directional finish, reflective with high degree of image clarity. |
| 2F | Cold rolled, heat treated, skin passed on roughened rolls | Uniform nonreflective matt surface. | Heat treatment by bright annealing or by annealing and pickling. |
| 1M | Patterned | Design to be agreed; 2nd surface flat | Chequer plates used for floors. |
| 2M | Patterned | Design to be agreed; 2nd surface flat | A fine texture finish mainly used for architectural applications. |
| 2W | Corrugated | Design to be agreed | Used to increase strength and/or for cosmetic effect. |
| 2L | Colouredc | Colour to be agreed | |
| 1S & 2S | Surface coatedc | Coated with another metal e.g. copper. |
Footnotes
a - First digit: 1 = hot rolled, 2 = cold rolled.
b - May be skin passed.
c - One surface only, unless specifically agreed at the time of enquiry and order.
d - Within each finish description the surface characteristics can vary, and more specific requirements may need to be agreed between manufacturer and purchaser (e.g. grade of grit or surface roughness).