At Krownlab, we understand that all quality hardware begins with quality materials. Stainless steel is the backbone of our Ragnar, Oden, Rob Roy, and Baldur lines-- we thought we'd share some insight as to why.
Stainless steel starts its life as carbon steel, an alloy consisting of iron ore and a small percentage of carbon and manganese. From this base alloy over 3,500 different grades of steel (1,500 of which are stainless) are produced according to the World Steel Association. The built environment truly owes its existence to this metal.
To achieve stainless status, chromium, nickel, and molybdenum elements are added to the carbon steel alloy. As the percentage of each additional element is changed, so are the properties of the stainless as well as the series/grade. These fantastic little elements change not only the visible appearance and rigidity of the steel, but also form an invisible “skin” of chromium oxide that helps prevent corrosive elements (such as rust) from taking hold. It’s as if stainless steel is able to produce and apply its own sunscreen before spending a day at the beach.
Our manufacturing focus is on the properties present in the grades of the 300 series and 400 series. According to The Engineering Toolbox, “[304 grade is] the most commonly specified austenitic (chromium-nickel stainless class) stainless steel, accounting for more than half of the stainless steel produced in the world.” Being the most common does not make this stainless any less impressive. The Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, was clad in 300 series stainless in 1963-- clearly a testament to the longevity of this material. Our engineers carefully select the grade of steel that is ideal for each component of our barn door track systems, insuring optimal performance for years of smooth, steel-on-steel operation.
One of the greatest attributes of this incredibly strong, durable, and beautiful material? It is 100% recyclable. Your Krownlab stainless steel sliding barn door hardware has a storied past life as well as a future.
