How to Cut Stainless Steel?

By Ankit SinghReviewed by Lexie CornerApr 7 2025

Stainless steel is a critical material across industries. It is valued for its corrosion resistance, strength, and visual appeal. However, these same properties make it difficult to cut.

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Its high hardness and tensile strength cause rapid tool wear, while low thermal conductivity concentrates heat at the cutting site, raising the risk of overheating. Stainless steel also tends to work-harden, further complicating machining.

This article explores effective cutting methods for stainless steel, highlighting how different grades respond to various techniques.¹

Understanding Stainless Steel Grades

Stainless steel comes in a variety of grades, each with distinct properties suited to different applications:

• 304: The most common grade, offering excellent corrosion resistance. Widely used in food processing equipment.^2,3
• 316: Known as marine-grade, it provides superior resistance to chlorides and is ideal for marine and chemical environments.^2,3
• 430: A more affordable ferritic grade used where moderate corrosion resistance is sufficient, such as in appliances or automotive trim.^2,3
• 17-4PH: A precipitation-hardened grade with high strength and hardness, often used in aerospace and high-performance components.²

Machinability varies between grades, depending on hardness and alloying elements. It's typically expressed as a percentage relative to AISI 1112 steel (rated at 100 %). The Brinell hardness number (HB) is commonly used to quantify material hardness.⁴

The key properties of these grades are summarized below:

Stainless Steel Grades and Machinability

Alloying Elements and Their Impact

The performance and machinability of stainless steel are heavily influenced by its alloying elements:

• Nickel: Enhances toughness and corrosion resistance but can decrease machinability.
• Chromium: Increases hardness and corrosion resistance. Higher levels can make cutting more difficult.
• Molybdenum: Increases strength and pitting resistance but may accelerate tool wear.
• Carbon: Elevated carbon content increases hardness and strength but reduces machinability due to the formation of hard carbides.

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Cutting Methods for Stainless Steel

Choosing the right cutting method is essential for achieving clean, accurate results when working with stainless steel.

Mechanical Cutting

Mechanical methods such as band sawing and shearing use physical force to fracture the material. Band saws use toothed blades for straight or curved cuts while shearing uses high-pressure blades to slice thinner sheets.

Chip formation is critical. Incorrect tooth geometry can cause work hardening or blade binding. For thicker sections, carbide-tipped blades are preferred for their wear resistance.⁷

Laser Cutting

Laser cutting uses a high-energy laser beam focused on the stainless-steel surface to induce localized melting or vaporization. Assist gases like oxygen or nitrogen are used to expel molten material and enhance the cutting process.

Precision is achieved through controlled laser output and accurate focusing optics.⁸

Plasma Cutting

Plasma cutting uses an ionized gas jet at high temperatures to melt and expel material from the cut. An electric arc is formed between an electrode and the workpiece, ionizing the gas and creating plasma. Modern systems use water injection to reduce noise and improve cut quality.⁸

Water Jet Cutting

Water jet cutting uses a high-pressure stream of water mixed with abrasive particles to erode the material. This cold-cutting process prevents thermal distortion and preserves the material's inherent properties.

The design of the nozzle and the mechanics of the slurry play critical roles in achieving precise cuts.⁹

Comparison of Cutting Methods

Key Considerations When Cutting Stainless Steel

Selecting an appropriate cutting method requires evaluating several factors.

• Material Thickness and Tolerances: Thicker materials may require methods like plasma or water jet cutting, while thinner sections can be effectively cut using laser or mechanical cutting.²
• Heat-Affected Zone (HAZ): The HAZ is the area of material that experiences changes in microstructure or properties due to heat from cutting. Minimizing it is important to preserve the material’s properties. Water jet cutting avoids thermal damage entirely, while laser and plasma cutting can introduce heat effects that require careful control.²
• Surface Finish and Edge Quality: A smoother finish reduces the need for additional machining or polishing. Laser and water jet cutting typically produce cleaner edges than mechanical or plasma methods^8,9
• Work Hardening: Stainless steel can harden when repeatedly machined or cut too slowly, making it tougher to work with. Maintaining optimal cutting speeds and using sharp tools helps prevent this.²
• Speed vs. Cost: Choosing a cutting method often means balancing accuracy, processing time, and cost. Laser cutting offers high precision but is more expensive, while mechanical methods are more affordable but slower and may require more post-processing.⁸

Tool Selection and Maintenance

Choosing and maintaining the right tools is essential for cutting stainless steel. The choice of tool material, design, and upkeep directly influences cutting efficiency, tool longevity, and the quality of the finished product.

Choosing Between HSS, Carbide, and Abrasive Tools

The tool material selection depends on the cutting method, material thickness, and production volume.

• High-Speed Steel (HSS): Cost-effective for low-volume work but wears quickly on harder stainless grades.¹⁰
• Carbide Tools: Provide excellent wear resistance and are ideal for high-speed or CNC machining.¹⁰
• Abrasive Tools: Used in methods like grinding or water jet cutting, these are suited for complex shapes and hard materials.⁹

Blade and Tooth Design for Different Cutting Tasks

The geometry of blades and teeth significantly influences cutting performance:​

• Tooth Pitch: Finer pitches are suitable for thin materials, providing smoother cuts. Coarser pitches are better for thicker sections, facilitating efficient chip removal.⁷
• Tooth Geometry: Specialized tooth designs enhance cutting efficiency by minimizing vibrations, particularly in blades for profile cutting stainless steel for improved precision.⁷
• Blade Material and Coating: Blades with tungsten carbide and titanium nitride (TiN) coatings boost performance by reducing friction and enhancing wear resistance.¹⁰

Importance of Coolants and Lubricants

Coolants and lubricants are critical when machining stainless steel.

Coolants help dissipate heat and prevent tool overheating. Lubricants reduce friction and wear, especially in high-speed applications. Using advanced cutting compounds improves performance and tool life.⁷

Post-Cut Handling: Deburring, Cleaning, and Surface Passivation

After cutting, appropriate finishing processes ensure the quality and longevity of stainless-steel components.

• Deburring: It removes small protrusions or sharp edges using manual files or automated brushes, enhancing both safety and fit.¹¹
• Cleaning: Thoroughly cleaning the workpiece removes residual cutting fluids and metal particles, preventing contamination and potential corrosion.​¹¹
• Surface Passivation: Nitric acid treatments restore natural corrosion resistance by removing iron contaminants and promoting the formation of a passive oxide layer.¹¹

Conclusion

Cutting stainless steel requires a nuanced approach tailored to material grade, thickness, and desired outcomes.

Advances in laser and water jet technologies offer precision, while traditional mechanical methods remain cost-effective for thicker sections. Prioritizing heat management, tool selection, and post-cut maintenance helps prevent challenges such as work hardening and tool wear.

As industries push for more sustainable methods, techniques like minimum quantity lubrication (MQL), cryogenic cooling, and Wire Electrical Discharge Machining (Wire EDM) offer precision cutting with less thermal damage and waste.¹²

For more information on stainless steel processing and cutting technologies, explore the following resources:

• Plasma Cutting: Positive and Negatives
• How the Slitting and Edge Conditioning Process Works for Stainless Steel Slit Coil
• Innovative Approaches to Processing Steel: Advances in Machining, Welding, and Sustainability

References and Further Reading

1. Zambrano Robledo, P. D. et al. (2021). Optimization of the Cutting Regime in the Turning of the AISI 316L Steel for Biomedical Purposes Based on the Initial Progression of Tool Wear. Metals, 11(11), 1698. DOI:10.3390/met11111698. https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4701/11/11/1698
2. Understanding stainless-steel grades. (2024). Essentra Components. https://www.essentracomponents.com/en-us/news/solutions/access-hardware/understanding-stainless-steel-grades
3. Stainless Steel Grade Datasheets. Atlas Steels. https://www.atlassteels.com.au/documents/Atlas%20Grade%20datasheet%20-%20all%20datasheets%20rev%20Aug%202013.pdf
4. Understanding machinability. (2023). Canadian Metalworking - Metal Fabricating News, Products, Articles, and More. https://www.canadianmetalworking.com/canadianmetalworking/article/metalworking/understanding-machinability
5. Machinability Rating. Benedict Miller. https://www.benedict-miller.com/content.cfm/Resources/Machinability-Rating/category_id/103/page_id/140
6. Stainless Steel: Tables of Technical Properties. worldstainless - Home of stainless steels. https://www.worldstainless.org/Files/issf/non-image-files/PDF/Euro_Inox/Tables_TechnicalProperties_EN.pdf
7. Cutting Stainless Steel: Tools and Methods Compared. (2024). bandsawblog.com. https://bandsawblog.com/cutting-stainless-steel-tools-and-methods-compared/
8. Írsel, G., & Güzey, B. N. (2021). Comparison of laser beam, oxygen and plasma arc cutting methods in terms of their advantages and disadvantages in cutting structural steels. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 2130(1), 012022. DOI:10.1088/1742-6596/2130/1/012022. https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/2130/1/012022/meta
9. Waterjet Cutting vs Traditional Metal Cutting. Brooks Industrial Metals. https://brooksindustrialmetals.com/blog/comparing-waterjet-cutting-to-traditional-metal-cutting-methods/
10.  Grigoriev, S. N. et al. (2021). Application of Adaptive Materials and Coatings to Increase Cutting Tool Performance: Efficiency in the Case of Composite Powder High Speed Steel. Coatings, 11(7), 855. DOI:10.3390/coatings11070855. https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6412/11/7/855
11.  Zaki, S. et al. (2022). Electropolishing and Shaping of Micro-Scale Metallic Features. Micromachines, 13(3), 468. DOI:10.3390/mi13030468. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/13/3/468
12.  Maqsood, M.A. (2021). Sustainable Machining of Steels. Encyclopedia. https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/14328

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