Titanium alloy and stainless steel are both solid and corrosion-resistant metals, and they are widely used in industries ranging from national defense industry, daily necessities, to medical products. How to choose the metal material suitable for you? In this blog, we will analyze the main differences between titanium steel and stainless steel to help you determine which material is most suitable for your machined parts and components.
Main Component Comparison
Stainless steel is mainly composed of iron (Fe) (accounting for more than 70%). The core alloying element is chromium (Cr) (10.5% – 30%). Chromium reacts with oxygen to form a dense chromium oxide protective film, endowing it with corrosion resistance. Nickel (Ni) (0 – 35%) can improve toughness and acid and alkali resistance, while elements such as molybdenum (Mo), titanium (Ti), and niobium (Nb) can enhance pitting resistance, high-temperature stability or machinability.
Titanium alloy takes titanium (Ti) (> 50%) as the core. By adding aluminum (Al) (4% – 6%) and vanadium (V) (3% – 5%), high-strength phases (such as α-Ti and β-Ti structures) are formed to achieve lightweight and high specific strength. Aluminum reduces the density and improves high-temperature strength, while vanadium refines the grains and enhances toughness. In addition, titanium alloys may contain a small amount of molybdenum (Mo), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn) to optimize corrosion resistance or mechanical properties.
Property Comparison
Corrosion Resistance: Titanium metal has excellent corrosion resistance, making it more suitable for use in harsh environments. Stainless steel also has corrosion resistance, but it is not as good as titanium metal.
Hardness: Titanium alloy and stainless steel are both hard metals, but titanium has a higher strength-to-weight ratio, making it an ideal choice for the aerospace industry and other fields that value weight reduction. Although stainless steel also has high strength, when compared with titanium plates of the same size, the weight of stainless steel is nearly 50% higher than that of titanium.
Extreme Temperatures: Titanium alloys can maintain good toughness and strength in both high-temperature and low-temperature environments. Stainless steel materials will experience a decrease in toughness in low-temperature environments. At the same time, its coefficient of thermal expansion is relatively high. When the temperature changes greatly, it may produce relatively large dimensional changes.
Cost Comparison
Raw Material Costs: The mineral resources of titanium are relatively scarce, and the extraction and refining processes are complex, resulting in higher raw material costs for titanium alloys. The main raw material of stainless steel is iron, which is abundant in resources, and the production process is relatively mature, so the raw material costs are lower.
Machining Costs: Due to the difficulty in machining titanium alloys, high requirements are placed on machining equipment and processes, and the energy consumption during the machining process is large. Therefore, its machining costs are also high. Stainless steel is relatively easy to machine, and the machining costs are lower.
Application Fields
Aerospace Field: Titanium alloys are widely used in key components such as aircraft engine blades, airframe structural parts, and landing gears due to their high strength, low density, good corrosion resistance, and high-temperature performance. Stainless steel is also used in the aerospace field, but it is mainly used for some components that do not have particularly high requirements for corrosion resistance and strength but are more cost-sensitive, such as some decorative parts and pipes on aircraft.
Medical Device Field: Titanium alloys have good biocompatibility, do not react chemically with human tissues, and have high strength and light weight. They are often used to manufacture medical devices such as artificial joints and dental implants. Stainless steel is also used to manufacture some medical devices, such as surgical instruments and orthopedic fixation devices. However, it is inferior to titanium alloys in terms of biocompatibility.
Daily Life Field: Stainless steel is widely used in fields such as kitchen utensils, tableware, and building decoration due to its low cost, good corrosion resistance, and beautiful appearance. Titanium alloys are relatively less used in daily life and are mainly used in some high-end consumer products, such as high-end watches and spectacle frames.
Jiangsu Daxun Alloy Co., Ltd. has rich experience in the fields of stainless steel and titanium alloys. If you need to purchase titanium alloy or stainless steel products, please [contact us]. We will give you the best price and purchasing assistance to escort your project.