Which is better aluminum or stainless steel?
Well, according to the Food Manufacturing Company, stainless steel has increased in volume every year for the last decade or more – and not just because it’s easier to clean in industrial environments. “It’s the metal of choice, it’s durable, easy to clean and maintain, easily fabricated, recyclable, approved by most governing agencies, and more aesthetically pleasing. It just looks cleaner.
Aluminum is best for beer cans and airplanes, stainless steel is better for everything else.
Depending on what your using it for. Stainless steel is much stronger in strength seeing Aluminum has it's weak points and can bend under stress, and is also weak under large amounts of heat. I use stainless steel bolts and nuts for my exhaust systems, and starters on my truck, and they still haven't rusted as of yet.
They each have their own advantages and disadvantages. Which one is better depends entirely on what you're USING it for! -Aluminum has a better strength to weight ratio. In other words, while it is not as strong as steel, the fact that it weighs less than half as much makes up for it's lower strength. This is why most airplanes are made of aluminum. -Aluminum is generally more corrosion resistant than all but the most expensive stainless steels. However under certain condition it may corrode rapidly with catastrophic results. -Al is usually less expensive than stainless steel (SS), Though it is 2-4 times more expensive than ordinary (non-stainless) steels. -Al is fairly soft and easier to cut, saw, carve, drill, and machine than steels. (SS is very difficult to work with due to it's excellent abrasion resistance.) -Al is an excellent conductor of heat. This is why it's used for car radiators and air conditioning units, and for pots and pans. -Al is a very good conductor of electricity. Because of it's high conductance, light weight, and corrosion resistance, Al is used for high-voltage overhead power lines. -Stainless steel is stronger than Al, if weight is not a consideration. (In this respect, since Al is weaker, a pipe that could handle the same water pressure would need to be thicker if it was made of Al, So in many cases you can save money on materials by using SS) -SS is easy to weld. (welding Al is very difficult.) -SS can be used at much higher temps. than Al; which becomes very soft above about 400 degrees. -SS is more impact resistant than Al, in other words, it is more ductile. -SS is much more resistant to wear and abrasion, which as I said before makes it difficult to work with.
