Stainless steel used in buildings and architecture - for example in elevators, escalators and as wall paneling - is often required to have a particularly attractive appearance. ThyssenKrupp Nirosta GmbH, a subsidiary of ThyssenKrupp Stainless AG, has developed a new product to help meet these requirements: "Nirosta GritLine" is a new stainless steel finish which will be premiered at the company's booth at the "Bau 2007" show in Munich (January 15-20, 2007) and complements its existing range of ground finishes.

"GritLine" is produced by roll embossing to provide a regular structure and a unique style. The gentle embossing process retains the unbroken surface of the bright-annealed stainless steel and provides less expensive stainless materials with virtually the same corrosion resistance as ground, conventional stainless steels.

"The embossing process ensures that the surface offers little opportunity for corrosive attack," says Gert Weiß, head of product service at ThyssenKrupp Nirosta: "In the relevant areas of application, it offers the same fabricating properties as the well-known ground finishes. "Nirosta GritLine" is readily formable and easy to clean." A particular advantage for customers is that GritLine offers similar aesthetic appeal to ground stainless steels but displays lower surface roughness, offering aggressive substances such as chloride and powerful cleaning agents even less opportunity for attack.

The new finish was developed by ThyssenKrupp Nirosta in Krefeld. It is marketed in Europe by ThyssenKrupp Nirosta GmbH under the brand name "Nirosta GritLine". "Thanks to its numerous benefits, we see good market opportunities for the new finish," says Weiß.

ThyssenKrupp Nirosta is one of the world's leading manufacturers of stainless flat products with a wide range of grades, sizes and finishes. ThyssenKrupp Stainless AG (Duisburg) is the holding company for all the ThyssenKrupp Group's activities in flat-rolled stainless steel and nickel alloys. Its six subsidiaries with plants in Germany, Italy, Mexico, China and the USA employ a total of 12,200 people. In fiscal year 2004/2005 the company achieved sales of around 5.6 billion euros.