Outokumpu celebrates 90 years of duplex stainless steel production

Outokumpu celebrates 90 years of the world's debut of duplex stainless steel. The world leader in stainless steel is seizing the opportunity to highlight the growing role of duplex grades in sustainability. This is made possible by their excellent corrosion resistance and high strength. With this combination of properties, engineers can create lightweight components and designs that provide long service life and require minimal maintenance, providing excellent value for money and minimizing the use of raw materials. As the inventor of duplex stainless steel, Outokumpu is committed to building on this legacy.

The first duplex steel grades were introduced by Outokumpu's Avesta steelworks in September 1930 as a breakthrough combining the two most common types of stainless steel: austenitic and ferritic. This allowed metallurgists to create a new material with better properties of both. Since then, a whole family of duplex grades have been developed for specific industrial applications. For example, we launched a new moldable duplex grade to improve the strength and efficiency of complex mechanical components such as heat exchanger plates.

Duplex grades have been used extensively for the past nine decades in the chemical, oil and gas, pulp and paper, food and beverage industries. In addition, today's demands for sustainable solutions make duplex stainless steel a durable alternative to traditional painted or coated carbon steel for bridges and infrastructure.