Our Stainless Steel

At Sherrill Manufacturing, we believe it is important for consumers to know what’s in their flatware. One of the most frequent questions we receive from customers is, “Where does your stainless steel come from?” The reason is that people are very concerned about contaminants in the metal used in the manufacture of products they buy, particularly products they’re going to put into their mouths. At Sherrill Manufacturing, we’re proud to say that all the stainless steel used in the manufacture of our flatware comes from steel mills in the United States, which means that the stainless steel is melted and processed into coils in the United States.

How is stainless steel made? It is almost always manufactured by melting scrap metal, mainly similar grade stainless steel scrap. The alloying metals that make the grade of stainless steel, such as nickel and chromium, are added to the molten melt and carefully measured with sophisticated equipment to make sure the percentage is correct. Steel used at Sherrill Manufacturing is eight to 10 percent nickel and 16 to 18 percent chromium. At the same time, alloying metals are measured to ensure that the grade meets all specifications measurements of other elements there are no trace elements that aren’t a part of the recipe. Unfortunately, scrap collection, scrap processing, melting practices and testing in some foreign markets is not as rigorous, and that means that lead, mercury and non-metallic toxic elements are sometimes present in the steel.

At Sherrill Manufacturing, we purchase all of our stainless steel from reputable domestic suppliers. A copy of the material test report listing the results of the metallurgical testing, and certifying that the material meets all standards accompanies our steel. You’ll know that the flatware you use from Sherrill Manufacturing never has anything on it – or in it – that you wouldn’t want in your mouth.