Martensitic Stainless Steel: Properties, Composition & Uses 

Martensitic stainless steel represents a unique class of chromium steels engineered for exceptional hardness, strength, and wear resistance. Unlike austenitic or ferritic grades, you can significantly harden these alloys through heat treatment, making them indispensable for demanding applications. We supply a comprehensive range of martensitic stainless steel grades, ensuring you receive materials that meet rigorous performance and quality standards for your specific project needs. This guide provides a detailed technical overview of their properties, composition, and applications. 

What is Martensitic Stainless Steel? 

The martensitic stainless steel meaning refers to a family of stainless steels with a higher carbon content (typically 0.1% to 1.2%) and a chromium content of 12% to 18%. This specific chemical makeup allows them to be hardened and tempered through heat treatment, much like carbon steels. When you rapidly cool (quench) these steels from a high temperature, their internal crystal structure transforms into a hard, body-centered tetragonal form known as martensite. 

This hardenable nature is the key differentiator from other stainless steel families. Austenitic grades, like 304 or 316, are non-hardenable by heat treatment and are non-magnetic. Ferritic grades, such as 430, have low carbon content and are also non-hardenable. Martensitic stainless steel provides a solution where the corrosion resistance of stainless steel must be combined with the high strength and hardness typically associated with hardened carbon steels.