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The Bandsaw Store

Material guide

Bandsaw blades for stainless steel

Stainless steel work hardens the moment a tooth rubs instead of cutting, so the edge has to bite from the first pass. High-performance bi-metal blades handle most stainless sections and honed carbide takes over on heavy and high-nickel work.

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The problem with cutting stainless steel

Stainless steel punishes hesitation. When a tooth rubs rather than cuts, the surface work hardens, leaving a skin that is harder than the parent metal. Every tooth that follows meets that skin instead of fresh material, so it rubs too, hardens the surface further and the cut stalls in a cycle that blunts a blade in a fraction of its normal life.

Heat makes it worse. Stainless holds heat in the cut rather than carrying it away in the chip, so a blade that lingers runs hot at the tooth tip. HSS loses its edge as it overheats and the cut starts to wander and squeal.

The right blade breaks the cycle by taking a proper chip on every pass. A sharp bi-metal edge with a positive bite keeps each tooth cutting beneath the hardened layer before one can form. On heavy sections and high-nickel grades, honed carbide tips stay hard where an HSS edge would give up, which is why they take the top end of stainless work.

Recommended blades for stainless steel

Blades on sale today that suit this material, with the reason from each listing. Every one is welded to your machine's length.

Recommended blades for stainless steel, from the current range. Prices are the lowest price offered for each blade.
BladeConstructionWidth rangeWhy this bladePrice
3851 Sandflex Cobra PRX Bandsaw BladeBahcoHSS tooth edge welded to a flexible alloy steel backingBi-metal blades guide27mm to 67mmProduction bi-metal blade with an improved HSS tooth edge for high performance metal cutting.From £13.12 ex VAT£15.74 inc VAT
3853 Sandflex Top Fabricator PF Bandsaw BladeBahcoHSS tooth edge welded to a flexible alloy steel backingBi-metal blades guide34mm to 67mmStructural steel bi-metal blade for tubes, profiles and mitre cutting in fabrication shops.From £15.77 ex VAT£18.92 inc VAT
Production M42 Bandsaw BladeMorseHSS tooth edge welded to a flexible alloy steel backingBi-metal blades guide13mm to 27mmM42 cobalt HSS bi-metal blade for higher production speeds and heat resistance on alloy and stainless steels.From £8.43 ex VAT£10.12 inc VAT
3881 Carbide Multi Set THS Bandsaw BladeBahcoTungsten carbide tips on an alloy backing, some further coatedCarbide-tipped blades guide41mm to 67mmMulti Set THS honed carbide blade for stainless steel, high-nickel-chrome and aerospace alloys.From £40.16 ex VAT£48.19 inc VAT
Maverick Bandsaw BladeMorseHSS tooth edge welded to a flexible alloy steel backingBi-metal blades guide27mm to 54mmProduction and job-shop bi-metal blade for tool steels, stainless, structural shapes and tough alloys.From £13.17 ex VAT£15.80 inc VAT
3859 EZX Extreme Easy-Cut EZX Bandsaw BladeBahcoTungsten carbide tips on an alloy backing, some further coatedCarbide-tipped blades guide27mm to 67mmEasy-Cut Xtreme EZX trimetal blade for structural and stainless steel, cast iron, high-temperature alloys and tool steel.From £28.55 ex VAT£34.26 inc VAT

Getting the cut right

General rules that hold across machines. Exact widths, pitches and options are on each product page.

  1. Match pitch to the section

    Tooth pitch depends on how much metal each tooth crosses. Solid stainless bar wants a coarser pitch that gives every tooth room to take a full chip, while thin-wall tube and profile need a finer pitch so several teeth share the wall. Too coarse on thin sections strips teeth; too fine on solids clogs the gullets and rubs.

  2. Keep the feed positive

    Stainless work hardens the moment a tooth rubs, so set a feed that produces a continuous curled chip and hold it. Watch the swarf: tight curls mean the teeth are cutting, powder or dust means they are rubbing and hardening the surface for the teeth behind. Never pause the feed mid-cut with the blade still running against the work.

  3. Break in a new blade

    A new blade's tooth tips are razor sharp and can chip if driven at full rate into stainless from the first cut. Run the first cuts at a reduced feed so the tips wear to a stable edge, then bring the feed up to its working rate. A blade broken in properly cuts straighter and lasts noticeably longer.

  4. Control heat with speed and coolant

    Stainless holds heat at the tooth tip rather than shedding it into the chip, so run a slower band speed than you would for mild steel and keep flood coolant on the cut. Firm guide arms set close to the work stop the band twisting as it heats, which keeps the cut square through thick sections.

A bundle of polished stainless steel tubes clamped in the vice of a horizontal bandsaw as the blade enters the bundle, with coolant spray, bright reflections on the tubes and a clean workshop behind

Industry guide

Stainless Steel Processing

Cutting stainless steel for a living? The industry guide maps the whole workload, not just this material.

Read the guide

Other material guides

From the blog

Frequently asked questions

What blade should I use for stainless steel tube and box section?

A bi-metal blade covers stainless tube and box well. Pick a pitch fine enough that more than one tooth sits in the wall at any time, otherwise teeth catch and strip on the interrupted cut. A fabrication pattern such as Bahco's Top Fabricator is designed for exactly this work.

Do I need a carbide blade to cut stainless steel?

Not for most of it. High-performance bi-metal handles the bulk of stainless sections and is the sensible default for a mixed workshop. Honed carbide such as Bahco's Multi Set THS takes over on heavy stainless and high-nickel grades, where an HSS edge wears fast.

Why does my blade blunt so quickly in stainless?

Usually work hardening. If the feed is too light, the pitch too fine or the blade allowed to dwell, the teeth rub instead of cutting and the surface hardens against them. Each pass then meets a harder skin and the edge goes off rapidly. Keep every tooth taking a proper chip from first contact to breakthrough.

Tell the blade wizard your machine and length and it will narrow the range for stainless steel.

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