Stainless bar feeds lathes, mills and fab benches: shafts, pins, fittings, marine hardware, pump parts and brackets. We source round, hex, square and flat bar in the grades machine shops actually run, arrange saw cutting to your lengths, and deliver across Texas. Send the grade, shape, size and cut length and most quotes come back the same business day.
What stainless bar is used for and how to choose
The first question is machining versus corrosion. 303 has sulfur added so it breaks chips cleanly and runs fast on a screw machine, but it gives up some corrosion resistance and it does not weld well. 304 machines slower and gummier but welds cleanly and holds up better. 316 is the marine and chemical grade, and it is the toughest of the three to machine.
If the part needs strength or hardness, look past the 300 series. 17-4 PH is heat treatable to high strength and still resists corrosion well, which is why it shows up in valve stems, pump shafts and aerospace fittings. 416 is a free-machining martensitic grade that can be hardened; it is magnetic and rusts more readily than 304.
Shape matters too. Cold finished round and hex hold tight diameter tolerances and are ready to chuck. Flat bar and angle are for fabrication, where you want a clean edge that welds straight onto sheet or plate.
Stainless bar grades
| Grade/finish | Why pick it | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| 303 | Free machining. Fastest stainless on a lathe, good for fittings and high-volume turned parts. | Poor weldability and lower corrosion resistance than 304. |
| 304 / 304L | Good all-round corrosion resistance and welds well. The fab-shop default. | Gummy chips and work hardening. Keep the tool cutting, do not let it rub. |
| 316 / 316L | Chloride and salt water resistance for marine and chemical parts. | Harder to machine than 304 and costs more. |
| 416 | Free machining and hardenable. Common for shafts and fasteners. | Magnetic and less corrosion resistant. Not for wet or marine service. |
| 17-4 PH | Heat treats to high strength with good corrosion resistance. | Specify the condition you need (Condition A or an aged condition). |
Common stainless bar sizes
| Shape | Commonly available sizes | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Round bar | 1/8 in to about 6 in diameter; larger on request | Cold finished in smaller sizes; turned, ground and polished in larger |
| Hex bar | 1/4 in to about 2 in across flats | Mostly 303 and 304, for fittings and nuts |
| Square bar | 1/4 in to about 2 in | 304 and 316 most common |
| Flat bar | 1/8 in to 1 in thick, 1/2 in to 6 in wide | Hot rolled or cold finished; sheared edges on some sizes |
| Angle | 3/4 in to 3 in legs, 1/8 in to 1/4 in thick | 304 and 316 for brackets and frames |
Sizes only. Metal prices move daily, so every order is quoted. Bar commonly comes in 10 to 12 ft random lengths; we arrange cutting to your length.
Cut-to-size options for stainless bar
Bar is saw cut. A production band saw holds length to roughly a sixteenth of an inch on standard cuts, and tighter when you ask for it. If the blank is going into a lathe, leave facing stock on both ends and tell us the finished length so we cut the right allowance.
Large-diameter round and thick flat bar can also be cut into short slugs or discs. Tell us the quantity and we will quote cut pieces instead of full bars. Cutting is arranged through our supply network and quoted together with the material. If you run bar feeders, say so; remnant lengths that are too short to feed are wasted money, and we can size cuts to your feeder.
What to include in your stainless bar quote request
- Grade and condition (for example 303, 316L, or 17-4 Condition A)
- Shape: round, hex, square, flat or angle
- Diameter or dimensions, and tolerance if it is tighter than standard
- Cut length and quantity, or full bars
- Finish needed: cold finished, ground, or polished
- Mill certs, if required
- Delivery city or ZIP