Stainless steel finishes, and what each one does to a scratch
A finish is not a colour. It is a surface texture with a measurable roughness, and the roughness decides how the top looks after a year of use. Choose it for how it ages, not for how it photographs.
STANDARDNo.4 brushed
Ra No.40.4–1.0 µm
Ra mirror< 0.1 µm
GRAINdirectional
Grain direction is easiest to read where a bowl meets a deck. Here the face runs one way across the whole area, including the flat cover over the bowl.
01The four finishes we quote
Fig. 1 — Four finishes by roughness, and what each one does to a scratch. No.4 is the standard because the grain is directional.
Roughness is given as Ra, the arithmetic mean deviation of the profile, in micrometres. Lower
is smoother. The number matters because it predicts both how the surface reflects and how much
it holds.
Finish comparison
Finish
Ra (µm)
Look
Ages how
2B
0.1–0.5
Matt, slightly reflective, mill finish
Shows fingerprints and water marks clearly
No.4 brushed
0.4–1.0
Directional brushed lines, satin
Hides fine scratches along the grain; our standard
Hairline
0.2–0.6
Long, fine, continuous lines
Very good at hiding wear; shows a cross-grain scratch badly
Mirror (No.8)
< 0.1
Reflective, near-polished
Every mark shows; needs a deliberate maintenance regime
No.4 is the default for a reason that has nothing to do with looks: the grain is directional, so
a scratch that runs with it disappears, and a scratch that crosses it can be re-grained locally.
A mirror finish has no grain to hide in, and a 2B finish has no grain at all — both make a
small accident permanent.
02Grain direction is part of the specification
Two brushed panels laid side by side with grain running in different directions read as two
different colours under a window. This is not a defect and it is not a subtlety — it is the
most common finish complaint on a multi-part order.
State the grain direction on the drawing — usually along the length of the top.
On a set, keep it consistent across all parts, even the upstand.
Mark it on the packing, so the installer does not rotate a part that fits
either way.
On welded joints, the finish has to be re-grained across the weld in the same direction, which
is why a welded bowl costs what it costs: the labour is in making the joint disappear, not in
making it.
03What each finish demands of the owner
Stainless does not patina. It either looks the way it was finished, or it looks worse. The
difference between a five-year-old top that still looks new and one that looks tired is almost
always the finish choice against the cleaning habit.
Maintenance by finish
Finish
Daily
Avoid
Repair
2B
Wipe and dry
Wet cloth left on the surface
Re-brushing to No.4
No.4
Wipe and dry
Scouring pads across the grain
Local re-grain along the grain
Hairline
Wipe and dry
Anything abrasive at all
Re-hairline the whole panel — local repair shows
Mirror
Wipe, dry, polish
Chloride cleaners, hard water
Re-polish, usually by a specialist
The single most useful habit on any stainless top: dry it. Water left to evaporate leaves
minerals, and minerals in a chloride environment are the beginning of the pitting described in
why stainless steel rusts.
04Choosing for a real kitchen
Domestic kitchen, used daily: No.4. It forgives the way people actually treat
a worktop.
Commercial kitchen: No.4, and specify the grain along the length of the bench
so a re-grain is possible without dismounting the top.
Bar or front-of-house: hairline if you want the fine-line look and can keep
abrasives away from it; mirror only if there is someone whose job includes cleaning it.
Laboratory: 2B or No.4, whichever the validation document names — in a
regulated lab the finish is a written requirement, not a taste.
Finish is a separate decision from grade and thickness, and we quote it as a line so you can see
what it costs: 304 in 6 mm with No.4 is the standard build, 316L costs more per tonne, and
mirror adds polishing time that shows up as a longer lead time rather than a different plate. The
edge is machined identically for all four finishes, but a mirror finish also removes the thickness
read at the edge — a 6 mm mirror edge looks thinner than a 6 mm brushed one, which
is sometimes the point and sometimes a surprise. We grain across every weld we make, so the finish
is continuous over a joint, and the parts ship with the grain direction marked on the packing.
