Can Stainless Steel and Aluminum Rust? (Video)

“Hi, my name is Greg Batista here to answer another question from the internet.

MetalMaven asks: I thought stainless steel and aluminum don’t rust — is that true?

Not exactly. Stainless steel resists rust thanks to its chromium content, but in salty air like Florida’s coast, it can suffer from pitting and stress corrosion cracking. Aluminum doesn’t form red rust like iron but instead corrodes through surface pitting. NACE studies show aluminum in marine environments can corrode at 0.1 to 0.3 mm per year. Stainless fares better but still needs maintenance. So while both metals are more resistant than plain steel, they’re not immune to Florida’s salt air — which is why marine-grade alloys and coatings are critical near the ocean.

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Authoritative references: The Aluminum Association; NACE/AMPP corrosion studies; ASTM stainless steel corrosion data.

The author, Greg Batista, PE, CGC, SI is owner of G. Batista Engineering & Construction and is a nationally-recognized engineer and contractor with more than 35 years of experience and offices in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.