What do flatware numbers mean

She is published in "Farm and Ranch Living" and has edited projects as diverse as grant proposals, medical dissertations and tenant law handbooks. She is a graduate of the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Arts in English and women's studies.

By Nadia Nygaard Updated September 26, Eating Utensils image by William Berry from Fotolia. Copyright Leaf Group Ltd. Chromium, by itself, is not a reliable rust-resistant material. Combined with nickel, it takes on more hard-wearing properties. The combination of nickel also creates a brighter, polished look.

With or without nickel, stainless steel is a highly durable flatware material. You are commenting using your WordPress. You are commenting using your Google account. You are commenting using your Twitter account. You are commenting using your Facebook account.

Notify me of new comments via email. Many of these blades are serrated, but in the higher quality of patterns they are not, due to their already superior cutting edge. The performance of this type of knife is moderate to excellent. High-carbon blades are used in better kitchen knives, due to their superior performance.

The only downside is that high-carbon blades are less stain-resistant than the other flatware pieces. Flatware manufacturers are always working to create a good balance of dishwasher resistance and superior cutting performance.

These numbers are often very confusing, so let's look at the details behind these numbers. All of these numbers refer to the percentages of Chromium and Nickel found in the stainless steel alloy.

They do not refer to the weight of the flatware. Chromium gives a flatware pattern its rust-resistant qualities. It is the best available in consumer stainless steel flatware patterns. The presence of Nickel gives a flatware pattern a superior shine, which is intended to mimic new silver flatware.

Nickel is very expensive, and is a major contributor to the price of flatware. Which one is better? The steel manufacturers who create sheets of stainless steel for the flatware makers don't use those numbers. Most of them fall around 8. Grade is almost never used by flatware manufacturers, since it is way too expensive to be profitable. It's just a marketing thing, so don't be fooled! While all forks, knives, and spoons basically share the same characteristics, there are subtle differences in silverware designs that have a big impact on how it feels in the hand, how well the weight is distributed, and how it rests on the table.

There aren't complex designs, but all of the characteristics listed above contribute to the price differences. In the past few years, the "boxed set" of silverware has become very popular in retail stores we offer many of them as well. We offer these same complete sets at a discount, and many people are very happy with them.

There are a few drawbacks to the boxed set:.