Posted on 16 Dec 2010
Nippon Steel & Sumikin Stainless (NSSC) has started selling a new grade of stainless cold rolled sheets it calls FW2 that it says can substitute 304 stainless and that contains only 60% of that grade’s nickel and chrome. The grade offers greater corrosion resistance to a similar grade, FW1, that NSSC introduced in July. This is a 14%-chrome grade containing 0.1% tin and orders are running at the equivalent of 10,000 tonnes/year, NSSC says. FW2 is a 16%-chrome grade containing 0.3% of tin that Tokyo-based NSSC began selling this month. FW2 has higher corrosion resistance than FW1 and has almost same or better corrosion resistance compared to 304 grades. “The FW series cuts the use of expensive alloys (so) we will be able to set our sales prices cheaper and more stably compared to austenitic stainless prices,” a senior NSSC director said. As FW2 can cut nickel and chrome use by 40% compared to 304 varieties, initially NSSC plans to set FW2 prices at about 20% below those of its 304 grade. NSSC’s spot price for 304 CRC below 2mm is ￥360,000/tonne ($4,286/t) for December shipments, as SBB reported. During 2011 NSSC plans to sell 30,000 t of FW1 and FW2 – about 10,000 t domestically and 20,000 t for export – but aims to expand sales to 100,000 t/y in a few years.
