SUS Stainless Steel Standards for Stainless Steel Drinkware

Overview

Ansune primarily uses high-quality SUS304 stainless steel (18/8 stainless steel) for drinkware inner liners and outer shells. Its corrosion resistance, structural durability, and suitability for food-contact applications make it a widely used material for stainless steel drinkware.

To ensure material consistency, each incoming batch of stainless steel coil or tubing is subject to material verification before being released to production.

SUS304 Stainless Steel: Key Material Requirements

For SUS304 stainless steel, the key chemical composition requirements include:

Element Reference Range / Limit

Chromium (Cr) 17.5–19.5%

Nickel (Ni) 8.0–10.5%

Manganese (Mn) ≤ 2.0%

Carbon (C) ≤ 0.08%

Incoming materials are verified through X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis to confirm the required material composition before production.

Food-Contact and Compliance Requirements

Stainless steel used in drinkware needs to meet the applicable food-contact requirements of the target market. The relevant standards and regulations provided for Ansune's drinkware include:

Standard / Regulation Application

FDA CFR 21 Food-contact surfaces in the United States

LFGB Sections 30 & 31 Food-contact requirements for relevant European applications

EC No. 1935/2004 Materials intended to come into contact with food in Europe

GB 4806.9-2016 Food-contact metal materials and products in China

ASTM A240/A240M Stainless steel plate, sheet, and strip specifications

For food-contact applications, the material and finished product need to be evaluated according to the applicable market requirements.

Heavy Metal and Corrosion Requirements

The provided material requirements include reference limits for extractable heavy metals:

Corrosion resistance is also evaluated through a 24–48 hour salt spray test based on ASTM B117, with no visible localized pitting or spreading rust under the specified testing conditions.

Incoming Material Verification

Material control begins before the stainless steel reaches the production line.

A typical control sequence is:

Material Procurement → Incoming Material Verification → Production Release

Chemical composition is checked through XRF analysis, while material hardness can also be evaluated where required. This provides an objective basis for confirming that the incoming stainless steel meets the specified material requirements before further processing.

Material Traceability and Recycled Stainless Steel

For customers with sustainability requirements, Ansune can source RSS (Recycled Stainless Steel) certified under the Global Recycled Standard (GRS) according to customer requirements. The provided material specification indicates that RSS can contain up to 90% pre-consumer and post-consumer recycled 304 stainless steel alloy.

This provides an additional material option for brands developing drinkware with recycled-content requirements.

Why Stainless Steel Standards Matter for Drinkware

For B2B customers, specifying SUS304 is only the starting point. Consistent material quality also depends on how the material is purchased, verified, tested, and traced throughout production.

At Ansune, SUS304 requirements are considered together with chemical composition, food-contact compliance, corrosion resistance, material verification, and traceability.

This provides a controlled material foundation for stainless steel bottles, tumblers, and other drinkware throughout product development and mass production.