Like every type of steel wire, stainless steel wire is an established and widely used basic metallurgical product. Made of a modern specialty steel “discovered “ in the 1910’s, it is also manufactured by the “drawing process” dating back to Antiquity and extensively developed in Europe in the 12th to 16th Centuries.

The wire drawing process is simple in concept : it reduces the cross-section of the wire by pulling it through a single or a series of drawing dies typically made of Tungsten carbide or polycrystalline diamond (in the case of fine stainless steel wire sizes).

The raw material / feedwire for drawing stainless steel wire is stainless steel “wire rod” produced on modern hot rolling mills from billets issued of the “Electric furnace + AOD converter + continuous casting” process . The wire rod comes in sizes 5.5 to 30 mm with 5.5 mm (0.218”) being the prevalent size; the wire rod is annealed + pickled or simply pickled if the rod is controlled-cooled.

For wire sizes > 0.8mm, the drawing process is known as “dry drawing”. In this case, the wire rod is subjected to a phosphate pre-coat which will provide a suitable substrate for wire drawing lubricants, typically Na or Ca-containing soaps.

The stainless steel wire is then drawn through a series of dies boxes containing the lubricant in powder form + the tungsten carbide die, often on so-called multi-holes or multiple-die machines ( up to 12 in some of the most modern machines).

Depending on the finish size and the grade, it may be necessary to do intermediate operations of in-line cleaning followed by in-line annealing in N2/H2 reducing atmosphere and eventual re-coating for finish drawing. Depending on the range of tensile strength and the surface condition specified, a final anneal and a “skin-pass” light draw might be performed. Also, single block drawing is sometimes used with grease as lubricant, to obtain bright surface finish.

For fine stainless steel wire production, typically < 0.80mm, the process is quite different and known as “wet drawing”.

The feed wire is a so-called “redraw wire” in sizes smaller than 1.2mm and fully annealed. The drawing process is performed through a series of diamond dies (up to 30 in some machines) fully immersed in an oil-type lubricant. This delicate process is followed, for soft wire, by in-line cleaning, annealing in N2/H2 atmosphere and precision spooling on special take-ups adapted to the various types of spools. Ultrafine stainless steel wires, down to about 0.010 mm, are thus produced by a few highly specialized stainless steel wire producers.

Find stainless steel wire for sale at Sadevinox
At Sadevinox we offer a wide range of stainless steel wire products for you to choose from. Find small or large quantities available in our online store or chat to one of our sales consultants about the options available to you. Need assistance with selecting the correct stainless steel wire for the job? Just let us know. For more information and advice on our range, contact us at Sadevinox via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or telephone today.