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Cast Iron (for Cooking Use Only)

The FDA’s Food Rule notes that cast-iron equipment is only approved for use in the
food industry for cooking surfaces and in utensils for serving food “if the utensils are
used only as part of an uninterrupted process from cooking through service.”

For all other uses, cast iron MAY NOT BE USED as a food-contact surface. Iron without
a protective material is simply too vulnerable to corrosion and oxidation.

Aluminum
Aluminum is another commonly-used food-grade metal. Some key advantages of
aluminum are its temperature tolerance, light weight, corrosion resistance, and low cost.

However, these advantages are offset by some weaknesses. Compared to many other
metals, aluminum has a low tensile strength and impact tolerance, so it can’t take too
much force without breaking.

Because it heats and cools quickly, aluminum is often used in cooking surfaces such as
baking trays.

Copper
Copper has a limited range of uses in the food manufacturing industry because of its
susceptibility to attack by acids. As noted in the FDA’s Food Rule, “copper and copper
alloys such as brass may not be used in contact with a FOOD that has a pH below 6
such as vinegar, fruit JUICE, or wine or for a fitting or tubing installed between a
backflow prevention device and a carbonator.”

Basically, anything more acidic than milk poses a corrosion risk to copper equipment, so
it isn’t useful for large-scale manufacturing. There is a notable exception for the use of
copper in beer brewing equipment “in the prefermentation and fermentation steps of a
beer brewing operation such as a brewpub or microbrewery,” though.
Stainless Steel Alloys
Stainless steel comes in many different formulations, so it’s hard to generalize about the
suitability of this material. So, here’s a quick overview of the stainless steel alloys most
commonly used in the food industry:

Food Grade 304 Stainless Steel

Grade 304 stainless steel is the most commonly-used stainless steel alloy in use in a
wide variety of industries. As a material, 304 stainless is highly useful because it can
resist corrosion caused by a wide variety of chemicals and may be electropolished to a
smooth, shiny, easy-to-clean surface.

However, some corrosives and excessive exposure to salt can still degrade 304
stainless steel.

Food Grade 316 Stainless Steel

Grade 316 stainless steel is an austenitic stainless steel alloy with a high chromium and
nickel content. Like many steel alloys, it has a continuous use temperature several
times higher than most food making processes will ever require (more than 800°C, or
1472°F).

What makes the grade 316 alloy an ideal food grade steel sheet material is the fact that
it has a high resistance to acids, alkalis, and chlorides (such as salt). Other austenitic
stainless steels, such as grade 304 SS, can experience severe pitting corrosion when
exposed to salt, which is often present in food products.

316 makes for great food grade stainless steel containers for nearly any food
application.
Food Grade 430 Stainless Steel
Stainless steel 430 food grade metal is very similar to grade 316 stainless. It has the
same chromium content as 316, but only a fraction of the nickel content, which makes it
a more affordable alternative for some food makers.

Another major difference between 430 and 316 stainless steel is that grade 430 SS is a
ferritic alloy, meaning that it’s magnetic by default. Ferritic alloys like 430 SS also have
extraordinary resistance to stress corrosion cracking (the growth of crack formations
that can cause sudden failure in corrosive environments).

430 SS has a strong resistance to nitric and organic acids and is often used for
applications where prolonged contact with mildly acidic compounds is a concern. The
alloy also boasts a resistance to sulfur and oxidation.

However, because of the low nickel content, this alloy is not as resistant to some dilute
reducing acids as grade 316 stainless steel would be.