Arizona Iron Supply offers a wide variety of ferrous and non-ferrous metals. If you’re looking for metals that are not susceptible to rust in Phoenix, you can opt for aluminum, stainless steel, copper, and brass. In fact, the only metals that will rust are iron or iron alloys, and the main cause of rusting is when these metals come in contact with a combination of water and oxygen. Either way—ferrous or non-ferrous—we’ve got you covered.

Metals That Won’t Rust

1. Brass & Copper. Brass and Copper won’t rust because they’re a non-ferrous metal, but they can still tarnish or form a patina as they corrode. As for brass, it tarnishes slowly, but application of polish will usually keep it in good shape. And when copper oxidizes, it’s known for changing into blues, grays, and greens, as well as into deep shades of brown. Some people choose copper for ornamentation or other uses because of the positive color changes that occur with oxidation.
2. Aluminum. Aluminium is also non-ferrous, which means that there is no way for aluminum to form iron oxide (Stanford News, 2000). While aluminum does oxidize and corrode, the aluminum oxide that forms in the process actually helps prevent further corrosion. And corrosion of aluminum isn’t as noticeable, since it turns from gray to a whitish gray.  
3. Stainless Steel. Stainless does not typically form rust. When it is purchased in higher grades like 304 or 316, the presence of chromium and nickel alloys help to prevent rusting (Scientific American, 2001). Stainless steel is a versatile metal used widely in many types of manufacturing, because it’s a durable, non-ferrous material that can be used in countless applications. If you have questions on which grade of stainless steel is best for your manufacturing needs, feel free to call our office.

Arizona Iron Supply has been around for 40 years, and we’re proud to be a premier supplier to fabricators all over the midwest. If you’re looking for steel tubing, iron castings, hardware, steel tubing and more, we’re here to meet the demands of your industry. Whether it’s needing metals that are not susceptible to rust or ferrous metals, give us a call or check out the products page on our website.

Images used under creative commons license – commercial use (7/16/2018) Siaron James (Flickr)