The risks of not using Stainless Steel in Marine Environments are fairly obvious; however due to the number of enquiries we receive for replacement brackets in existing construction, stainless steel is not used as often as it should be in these locations!  

• Ordinary Galvanised Steel Brackets will corrode in saltwater environments.  A corroded bracket clearly will not have the same load bearing capacity and may result in structural failure.
• Stainless Steel 304 – while it will last a lot longer than galvanised, will be subject to tea staining (a superficial rust looking stain) and in severe marine environments will corrode (although at a slower rate than galvanised steel)
• Stainless Steel 316 is the clear option for Severe Marine environments; as it will not corrode; or where you wish to avoid tea staining.

Under the Australian Standards there are guidelines around where Stainless Steel Fixings and Brackets should be used.  AS3700 Section 5 outlines the requirements for usage of stainless steel and in marine and freshwater wetting and drying environments.

VUETRADE have released a new Specification Chart which outlines the areas in coastal locations and the grade steel that should be used in these areas.  We also implemented a new set of Icons in conjunction with this to make it even easier for you to identify the correct product for the application.

We note that the NCC (National Construction Code) issues no guidelines for Stainless Steel usage in coastal areas.  However the Australian Standards does, and the implications of not using Stainless Steel are clear.

Take a look at our Stainless Steel Area Usage Guide Chart… you will find it on our VUETRADE Specification Guides Page

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