Advantages of stainless steel tanks vs. carbon steel tanks

by Vivek Choudhary Nice life

Stainless steel or carbon steel tanks, which is better? Before deciding between a stainless steel tank and a carbon steel tank, it is best to know each material's advantages and disadvantages.

What is carbon steel?

Carbon steel is steel that contains carbon as the primary alloy. The properties of this type of steel depend on the percentage of carbon content. Based on the amount of carbon, we can classify carbon steels into different categories. As the carbon percentage content rises, so does its resistance to traction and its cold brittleness index; however, it becomes less ductile.

Among the main characteristics of carbon steel, we can highlight its incredible strength and durability. This is why carbon steel is often used in construction applications—the more complex and more challenging the material, the more suitable it for construction purposes. However, carbon steel is not ideal for applications that require a fabric with a certain degree of flexibility. In other words, carbon steel has little ductility.

What is stainless steel?

A Stainless steel water storage tank is very different from any other kind of steel. What makes stainless steel unique is its excellent corrosion resistance, or in other words, the ability to not corrode or rust under normal circumstances (stainless steel can rust in extreme cases).

According to the 10088-1 Standard: Stainless steels. Part 1: List of stainless steels, stainless steels containing at least 10.5% chromium and a maximum of 1.2% carbon, although it is traditionally considered that stainless steel has at least 12% Cr.

SS tank manufacturers complex alloys, including various chemical elements, some of the basic (such as C, Fe, and Cr) and others added to get specific structures and properties (such as Ni, Mo, Ti, Nb, N).

Main differences

The difference between the SS water storage tank and carbon steel is in chromium in its composition. The presence of chromium (between 10.5% to 11%) allows the formation of an inert layer of chromium oxide on the steel surface, which gives rise to the corrosion resistance of stainless steel.

Due to the lack of chromium in the composition of carbon steel, it does not stand the test of time and stainless steel, nor can it withstand extreme temperature changes without damage. The increased corrosion resistance of stainless steel makes it more durable than carbon steel.

Therefore, if duration and resistance to corrosion are critical criteria for the tank's choice, the stainless steel water tank 1000 liter is undoubtedly a better alternative than the carbon steel tank.

Due to the high investment involved in a processing plant, it is advisable to fully understand each of the materials' pros and cons before installation.