Can steel and/or stainless steel turn rusty ?
Three answers you have stated that stainless steel doesn't rust. That isn't solely true, because there is one type that doesn't rust is often used on marine products such as yachts rigging's etc its' the 316 grade 304 302 301 do actually rust big time! Cheers!!
Steel will rust. Stainless Steel does not rust.
Stainless is an alloy mixture the contains iron and nickel and does not rust.
from wikipedia: In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French inoxydable, is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5% to 11% chromium content by mass. Stainless steel does not corrode, rust or stain with water as ordinary steel does, but despite the name it is not fully stain-proof, most notably under low oxygen, high salinity, or poor circulation environments. It is also called corrosion-resistant steel or CRES when the alloy type and grade are not detailed, particularly in the aviation industry. There are different grades and surface finishes of stainless steel to suit the environment the alloy must endure. Stainless steel is used where both the properties of steel and resistance to corrosion are required. Stainless steel differs from carbon steel by the amount of chromium present. Unprotected carbon steel rusts readily when exposed to air and moisture. This iron oxide film (the rust) is active and accelerates corrosion by forming more iron oxide, and due to the dissimilar size of the iron and iron oxide molecules (iron oxide is larger) these tend to flake and fall away. Stainless steels contain sufficient chromium to form a passive film of chromium oxide, which prevents further surface corrosion and blocks corrosion from spreading into the metal's internal structure, and due to the similar size of the steel and oxide molecules they bond very strongly and remain attached to the surface.
