JOSETECFabricators

materials · 2026 · Feb · 4 min read

Mild steel vs stainless  which to specify for coastal projects

Which grade to specify when the site is inside 5 km of the coast — 316 vs galvanised mild, and when a paint schedule outperforms both.

Stainless steel handrail detail

Mild steel vs stainless — which to specify for coastal projects

Coastal projects punish the wrong steel choice fast. We've replaced enough Mombasa balustrades to have opinions.

The short answer: 316 stainless for anything within 500 m of surf. Beyond that, galvanised mild steel with a two-coat marine paint holds up 15+ years if the paint schedule is respected.

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