Chromium-manganese austenitic stainless (201/202), low in nickel. Clean solids for stainless mills and utensil producers; kept separate from 300-series.

ISRI Reference Grade: Pekoe (Clean 200-series stainless solid scrap)

Grade Composition and Specification

The 200 series of stainless steels is a family of chromium-manganese-nitrogen austenitic grades in which manganese (and nitrogen) partially or fully replaces the nickel used in 300-series grades, reducing nickel content to approximately 0–4% compared to 8–12% in 300-series. The most common commercial 200-series grades include 201 (4% Ni, 16–18% Cr, 5.5–7.5% Mn) and 202 (4–6% Ni, 17–19% Cr, 7.5–10% Mn), widely used in India and China as a more cost-effective alternative to 304 in applications where the moderate corrosion resistance of 200-series is sufficient — primarily kitchen utensils, flatware, food processing equipment, decorative architectural trim, appliance interiors, and bathroom fixtures. The ISRI grade Pekoe covers clean 200-series stainless solids: clippings, punchings, tubes, and sheet scrap from 200-series alloys, with a maximum copper content of 0.5%, free of foreign attachments (steel bolts, aluminium fittings, plastic), and free of other stainless alloy families (mixing 200-series with 300-series significantly disrupts the chemistry of both recovered materials).

Processing and Downstream Use

200-series scrap is processed by stainless steel mini-mills and secondary melters using AOD (Argon Oxygen Decarburisation) or VOD (Vacuum Oxygen Decarburisation) refining vessels or induction/electric arc furnaces with appropriate alloy addition capability. Because 200-series contains lower nickel than 300-series, it cannot be directly substituted in 300-series melts without introducing manganese dilution and nickel deficiency. Secondary melters must carefully manage the 200-series and 300-series scrap streams separately to produce alloy-specific recovered material. In India, where 200-series stainless steel consumption is very high (India has one of the world’s highest penetrations of 200-series in consumer products), there is a large and growing domestic supply of 200-series stainless scrap from utensil manufacturing trim, end-of-life cookware, and architectural renovation.

Who Uses SS 200 Series Scrap

Indian stainless steel producers — including Jindal Stainless, Chromeni Steels, and Bhushan Steel (for stainless divisions) — consume 200-series stainless scrap as a key charge material in their AOD/EAF production of 200-series flat products and long products. Utensil and flatware manufacturers with in-house melting capability consume 200-series scrap for direct re-melting into stampings and pressings. Secondary induction furnace operators producing 200-series stainless ingots for supply to the utensil-manufacturing belt (Jagadhri-Yamunanagar in Haryana, Wazirpur in Delhi, Aligarh in UP, Rajkot in Gujarat) are a major domestic consumer class.