Why Has Stainless Steel Not Become the Standard for Commercial Faucets?

Introduction

Stainless steel is widely used across many industrial applications. Yet in the commercial faucet industry, brass remains a material that many manufacturers have relied on for years. The reason is not simply that manufacturers are unfamiliar with stainless steel. Moving from brass to stainless steel brings a range of manufacturing challenges that need to be addressed. In other words, the choice of material for commercial faucets is also closely connected to a manufacturer's production capabilities.

 

An Established Brass Manufacturing System Is Difficult to Replace

After years of production, a faucet manufacturer typically develops a complete manufacturing system around its chosen material. Equipment configuration, tooling, machining parameters, and the experience of production personnel all gradually become optimized around that material. For a company that has produced brass faucets for many years, brass is therefore more than just a raw material. It has become integrated into the entire production process. When stainless steel began to enter the commercial faucet industry, manufacturers were not simply facing a straightforward choice between two materials.

 

The more important question was: Can the existing manufacturing system adapt to stainless steel?

 

If the answer is no, the company needs to make changes to both its equipment and production processes.

 

Stainless Steel Requires Greater Process Adaptability

Stainless steel materials such as SUS304 and SUS316 have relatively high strength and hardness, making them more demanding to machine than brass. During production, material hardness affects machining loads as well as tool life. As a result, machining methods developed for brass cannot simply be transferred directly to stainless steel.

 

Manufacturers need to select tooling based on the characteristics of stainless steel and adjust parameters such as cutting speed, feed rate, and depth of cut. At the same time, the heat generated during machining needs to be effectively controlled, making an appropriate cooling system another important consideration.

 

Tool geometry and machine tool accuracy can also affect the final machining results. These may appear to be details at the production level, but together they determine whether a manufacturer can achieve stable and consistent stainless steel production.

The Cost of Changing Production Technology Matters

For manufacturers that already have substantial investments in brass production equipment, the main concern may not be the stainless steel material itself, but the cost of changing their established production system. Equipment may need to be modified or upgraded, while existing production lines may need to be reorganized. New processes also need to be tested and validated, and production personnel need to learn and adapt to new machining methods. During this transition, manufacturers may also face changes in production efficiency, potential interruptions to production, and challenges in maintaining product consistency.

 

These considerations can be particularly important for larger manufacturers. The equipment and production resources accumulated over years of brass manufacturing have already become part of their established production capabilities. Changing the material route means that some of these existing advantages may need to be rebuilt. From a business perspective, it is therefore understandable why many manufacturers continue to rely on an established brass manufacturing system.

 

Why Can Some Manufacturers Take a Different Path?

Companies do not all respond to material changes in the same way. Company size, production models, and equipment structures can all influence the choice of manufacturing technology. Bestware provides one example. As a small, specialized company focused on commercial stainless steel faucets, Bestware has been able to maintain a relatively flexible production model. When equipment or machining processes need to be adjusted, the company can reorganize its manufacturing processes according to new technical requirements. In 2013, Bestware began adopting stainless steel as an important material route for commercial faucets. This decision meant not only adopting a new material, but also addressing the machining and production challenges that came with it. From this perspective, establishing a stainless steel manufacturing route is essentially a transformation of manufacturing capabilities.

 

Changes in Industry Materials Take Time

Brass continues to benefit from a mature supply chain and established machining processes, which are important foundations for its long-standing use in the faucet industry. Stainless steel has different material characteristics, and its wider adoption likewise depends on the continued development of machining technologies, equipment, and supply chain capabilities. Therefore, the relationship between brass and stainless steel in the commercial faucet industry should not simply be viewed as a choice between an “old material” and a “new material.” For manufacturers, the two materials represent different manufacturing requirements and production systems. As machining technologies continue to advance and manufacturers gain deeper experience with stainless steel, its application in the commercial faucet industry can continue to develop. Ultimately, the widespread adoption of a material depends not only on the material itself, but also on whether manufacturers can build the manufacturing capabilities needed to work with it effectively.