420 stainless steel bright wire

AISI 420 stainless steel bright wire, also known as 1.4028, is a premium martensitic stainless steel wire product. As a high-performance 420 stainless steel bright wire, it offers exceptional versatility through its 12 variations, each providing different combinations of tensile strength, hardness, and corrosion resistance. This wire grade becomes fully optimized through quenching and tempering processes, achieving its signature properties that make it ideal for demanding applications.

Applications and Industries

The 420 stainless steel bright wire finds extensive use across various sectors:

• Medical and Surgical Instruments
• Industrial Valve Components
• High-performance Bearings
• Spring Manufacturing (conforming to EN10270-3)
• Household Instruments
• Consumer Products

The material is exclusively used in its hardened condition, never in the annealed state, to maintain maximum corrosion resistance.

Chemical Composition

• Carbon: 0.30-0.40%
• Manganese: 1.00% max
• Silicon: 1.00% max
• Chromium: 12.00-14.00%
• Nickel: 0.50% max
• Molybdenum: 0.50% max
• Phosphorus: 0.040% max
• Sulfur: 0.030% max
• Additional Elements:
  • Copper: 0.50% max
  • Aluminum: 0.15% max
  • Tin: 0.050% max
  • Iron: Balance

Physical Properties

• Density: 7.74 g/cm³ (0.28 lbs/in³)
• Electrical Resistivity at 20°C: 55.0 microhm-cm
• Thermal Conductivity:
  • At 100°C: 24.9 W/m•K
  • At 500°C: 28.7 W/m•K
• Thermal Expansion:
  • 0-100°C: 10.2 µm/m•K
  • 0-649°C: 12.1 µm/m•K
• Modulus of Elasticity: 200 x 10³ MPa
• Melting Point: 1495°C
• Magnetic Properties: Magnetic in both annealed and hardened conditions