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Stainless Steel #7 commercial finish alternatives

I work for a company that manufactures stainless steel brackets that require a #7 commercial finish. With the skyrocketing price of nickel and subsequently stainless steel, I have been looking for other finishing alternatives that provide a similar mirror/shiny finish that is less costly. Are there finishes that can be applied to aluminum or carbon steel that are comparable to a #7 commercial finish on stainless steel but is a more cost effective alternative?

Matthew Shope
manufacturer - Columbus, Ohio
2004

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Hi Mr Shope,

You are not the first person to look out for substituting SS and probably won't be the last! A suitable grade of Mild steel can be beautifully plated with Zinc Cobalt alloy plating to give an acceptable finish and life span to your parts.

Khozem Vahaanwala
Saify Ind

Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

2004

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Will a zinc cobalt alloy finish on mild steel be able to produce a similar aesthetic look as a 304 SS with a #7 commercial finish or a 430 SS with a best bright finish?

Matthew Shope
manufacturer - Columbus, Ohio
2004

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I am not familiar with finish No 7, but the plated finish actually looks better than SS.

Khozem Vahaanwala
Saify Ind

Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

2004

You might try a ferritic stainless steel. Some of these have no nickel. Type 409 stainless steel is one of these.

Mark Cook
High purity piping - Springfield, Missouri, USA
2004