What’s the minimum information needed for a quote (RFQ)?
Five details are all it takes to get an accurate quote — and an AMS specification can cover two of them at once.
Read the article →What is an alloy surcharge?
Why stainless and carbon steel prices include a monthly surcharge, what it covers, and why it's different for each grade.
Read the article →What thickness tolerance can I expect?
Every thickness we stock has a standard tolerance — how far the actual thickness can measure above or below the size you ordered. Here's how to read it, plus our tolerance table for every stocked thickness.
Read the article →How do I read your Certificate of Test / Conformance and trace it to the mill certs?
A field-by-field guide to our Certificate of Test / Conformance, and how the Supplier Reference, Supplier Source, Melt Mill Source and Heat Number trace your material to the mill and melt mill certs.
Read the article →Which AMS and ASTM specifications do you stock?
A quick list of every alloy and temper on our Stock List and the AMS and ASTM specifications each one can be certified to, plus where to buy copies of the specifications.
Read the article →What finishes can I expect on material from Brown Metals Company?
1BA, 2TR and 2D — what each finish designation means and which of our products you'll typically find it on.
Read the article →What is surface finish Ra, and what does the number mean?
Ra is the most common way mills report how smooth a metal surface is. Here's what the number measures, how to read it, and why it shows up on drawings and test reports.
Read the article →What coil I.D., O.D. and core size can I order?
We wind coils on 6″, 8″, 12″, 16″ and 20″ I.D. cardboard cores, up to a 36″ O.D. Here's what I.D. and O.D. mean, which core is typical for your thickness, and how to specify coil size.
Read the article →What edge conditions do you offer — #1 Round, #3 Slit & #5 Deburred?
No. 1 Round, No. 3 Slit and No. 5 Deburred (Safety) edges as defined in ASTM A480 — what each edge looks like, how it's produced and how to specify it.
Read the article →What does the “L” mean in 304L or 316L?
The “L” stands for low carbon. Here's what that changes — and what it doesn't.
Read the article →Why is our 304L triple certified to 304L / 304 / 302?
How one annealed stainless strip can meet three alloy designations at once — and what that means for your certifications.
Read the article →Why are our tempered 302 / 304 dual certified?
Quarter Hard, Half Hard and Full Hard 302 / 304 is one material certified to both alloys at once — here's how the chemistry and strength line up.
Read the article →Why is our 316 / 316L dual certified?
316L chemistry, 316 strength — how one molybdenum-bearing stainless meets both alloys at once.
Read the article →Why is our low carbon steel dual certified to 1008 / 1010?
How one low carbon steel strip meets both SAE 1008 and SAE 1010 — the shared carbon window and the narrower manganese range explained.
Read the article →Oscillate wound spools vs. pancake coils — what's the difference?
Two ways to package narrow strip: pancake coils wound on cardboard cores, and oscillate wound spools that hold far more footage per package. Here's how they compare, with our spool sizes.
Read the article →What does DFARS mean, and is your material DFARS compliant?
Yes — our material is DFARS compliant. Here’s what DFARS requires for specialty metals, why our material meets it, and how it shows on your certifications.
Read the article →What are Conflict Minerals (CMRT / EMRT), REACH, RoHS, Prop 65 and SDS?
The compliance statements customers ask us for most often — what each one covers, where it comes from, and where to download ours.
Read the article →What is 321 stainless tool wrap used for?
Thin 321 stainless foil wrapped around tool steel parts to protect their surfaces during heat treating and brazing.
Read the article →Hardness or tensile: which tells you if thin-gauge stainless meets spec?
Hardness alone can't tell you whether thin-gauge stainless meets its specification. The ASTM standards call converted hardness values approximate, and the specifications define tempered 300 series by tensile strength, yield strength and elongation. Here's why tensile, yield and elongation from a tension test are the better data points.
Read the article →What do “CRES,” “CRSS” and “CRS” mean on a drawing?
CRES and CRSS are shorthand for stainless steel, and CRS usually means carbon steel. None of them tells us which alloy, temper or specification your part actually needs.
Read the article →Gauge vs. decimal thickness: can I order by gauge?
The same gauge number means a different thickness in stainless, carbon steel and copper alloys. That's why we quote, stock and ship by decimal thickness.
Read the article →Is stainless steel magnetic?
Some stainless steels are magnetic and some aren't — and cold rolling can change the answer. Here's how it works for the alloys we stock.
Read the article →What is 18-8 stainless steel?
“18-8” describes a family of stainless steels with about 18% chromium and 8% nickel. It's a useful shorthand, but it isn't a single alloy — so it isn't enough to order material.
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Looking for numbers? See the Specification Cross Reference and Alloy Info & Tech Sheets.