Stainless Steel Shims Manufacturing

Stainless Steel Shims, Spacers, and Washers

Stainless steel shims resist the conditions that destroy carbon steel parts: moisture, washdown chemicals, humidity, and weather. In a dry indoor machine, carbon steel works fine and costs less. Move that same part outdoors, into a food plant, or anywhere it gets sprayed down, and corrosion starts working on it immediately. A rusted shim swells, binds, and eventually has to come out, which usually means taking the assembly apart again.

At Northern Industrial Manufacturing, stainless steel shims, spacers, and washers are cut to your print, with no minimum order and a five day lead time. This article covers when stainless is worth the cost, what it changes in service, and how to order the parts you need.

When Stainless Steel Shims Are Worth It

Stainless steel shims cost more per pound, so the decision comes down to environment rather than preference. Food and beverage lines, packaging equipment, and any machine cleaned with water or chemicals attack carbon steel quickly. Stainless steel shims hold up through repeated washdown, which is why sanitary equipment rarely uses anything else in exposed positions.

Equipment that lives outside faces rain, humidity, road salt, and temperature swings. Carbon steel parts in those positions corrode and often seize in place. Stainless steel shims come apart cleanly at the next service, which matters as much as how long they last.

Some parts are installed and forgotten for years. A shim buried in an assembly that rarely comes apart should be made from something that will still be intact when someone finally opens it. Stainless steel shims are cheap insurance in those positions.

What Stainless Steel Shims Cost

The price gap on stainless steel shims is real but smaller than buyers assume on small parts. Stainless steel shims cost more per pound than carbon steel, and that difference grows with thickness and size. On a small flat part in a low quantity, the added cost is often modest compared with the labor of replacing a corroded part later.

A corroded shim rarely fails alone, which is the case for stainless steel shims. Rust expands as it forms, so a corroded part can bind against what it sits between and resist removal entirely. Removing it can mean disassembly, downtime, and sometimes damage to what it was seated against. Weighed against that, stainless steel shims usually pay for themselves the first time a repair is avoided.

At Northern Industrial Manufacturing, there is no minimum order and no cap on stainless steel shims, so three parts for one machine is as welcome as three thousand. Setup spreads across the order the same way it does with carbon steel, so larger quantities still cost less per piece.

What Changes With Stainless Steel Shims

Stainless steel shims behave differently than carbon steel in a few ways worth knowing. The main difference is that stainless steel shims do not rust in conditions that would ruin a carbon steel part. That means the thickness stays what it was, the part comes out when needed, and the surface does not flake into the assembly around it.

Stainless steel shims vary in strength and hardness depending on the grade. Some are comparable to carbon steel, others behave quite differently under load. Tell us what the part has to do and we will confirm what can be supplied for the job.

Stainless steel shims keep a clean appearance where carbon steel discolors. On equipment that is visible to customers or subject to inspection, that matters beyond function alone.

Stainless Steel Shims by Industry

The industries that ask for stainless steel shims have a few things in common.

Stainless Steel Shims in Food Equipment

Sanitary equipment gets cleaned constantly, often with caustic or acidic solutions that would destroy a carbon steel part in weeks. Cleaning cycles run daily in many plants, and the chemicals get stronger where regulations demand it. Stainless steel shims survive that cycle, and they do not shed rust into places where contamination matters.

Stainless Steel Shims in Agriculture

Farm and outdoor equipment sees rain, mud, fertilizer, and long periods sitting idle between seasons. Fertilizers and treatment chemicals are particularly hard on unprotected steel, and equipment often sits outdoors year round. Those conditions corrode unprotected steel, and a seized part turns a simple service job into a difficult one. Stainless steel shims come apart when the next repair arrives.

Stainless Steel Shims in Automation

Most automation runs in dry indoor conditions where carbon steel is perfectly adequate and costs less. Conveyors, robotic cells, and assembly equipment in a climate-controlled plant rarely see conditions that would corrode a protected part. The exception is equipment near washdown areas, humidity, or outdoor access points. Knowing which machines sit in those spots is what decides where stainless steel shims belong.

Common Questions About Stainless Steel Shims

Two questions come up on nearly every stainless steel shims order.

Which Grade of Stainless Steel Shims

Rather than starting stainless steel shims from a grade, start from the environment and what the part has to do. Send that description with the print, and we will confirm what can be supplied. That approach usually produces a better result than a grade chosen from an old drawing.

Do Stainless Steel Shims Need Protection

Stainless steel shims generally do not require the rust preventive coatings carbon steel needs for storage and transit. That simplifies packaging and shipping, and it means parts can sit on a shelf for a long time without attention before they are installed.

Ordering Stainless Steel Shims

Ordering stainless steel shims works the same way as ordering any custom flat part. For stainless steel shims, send a drawing, a dimensioned sketch, or a sample with measurements, plus the thickness, the quantity, and your date. Say that the part should be stainless and describe where it will be installed, since the environment guides the recommendation.

Washdown with caustic cleaners, outdoor exposure, and food contact all place different demands on stainless steel shims. A sentence about the application is more useful than a grade specified out of habit, and it often leads to a better answer than the original request.

Thickness on stainless steel shims comes from the sheet they are cut from. Send the thickness your print calls for and we will confirm what can be supplied. Shapes can be flat or formed with bends, so a stainless bracket is as available as a stainless washer.

Stainless Steel Shims and Carbon Steel Together

Most plants buy stainless steel shims and carbon steel both, with the split following the equipment rather than a policy. Dry indoor machinery, enclosed assemblies, and parts protected by housings do fine in carbon steel at a lower cost. Specifying stainless steel shims for every position on a machine spends money where the environment never demanded it.

When an assembly uses both, the print or the part number should say which material applies. Otherwise a repair years later becomes guesswork, and stainless steel shims end up replaced with carbon steel, or the reverse, by whoever ordered last.

Stainless Steel Shims in Practice

A few stainless steel shims situations come up repeatedly. When a part comes out rusted, stainless steel shims are the obvious upgrade. Switching to stainless steel shims at the same dimensions costs little on a small order and often prevents the same failure from repeating on the same schedule.

Some machines use stainless steel shims in exposed positions and carbon steel where parts stay dry. That is a sensible approach, since paying for stainless everywhere is rarely necessary. Marking which parts need which material on the print keeps the distinction clear.

Industrial distributors field requests for stainless steel shims their catalog does not carry, particularly in odd thicknesses or shapes. With no minimum order, those requests can be quoted rather than declined.

Handling and Storage of Stainless Steel Shims

Stainless steel shims simplify a few things after the parts leave the plant. Carbon steel parts held in inventory need protection against humidity, and a part that corrodes on the shelf is scrap before it is ever installed. Stainless steel shims tolerate storage far better, which suits spares kept for years against an occasional repair.

Packaging protects stainless steel shims from damage in transit, and labels show the part number, material, and quantity. What changes is that the parts do not arrive needing a wipe-down before installation, which matters in clean environments.

Once installed, stainless steel shims and carbon steel parts look much alike, especially before either has aged. Noting the material on the part number and in maintenance records prevents a stainless part from being replaced with carbon steel during the next repair.

Getting Stainless Steel Shims Made

Stainless steel shims, spacers, and washers get cut to your print in whatever shape, size, and quantity the job needs. Carbon steel remains the better choice for dry indoor work, and stainless earns its cost wherever moisture, chemicals, or weather are involved. Parts ship on a five day lead time with no minimum order, made in the USA with no import tariffs. Northern Industrial Manufacturing Corp. cuts these parts at an IATF 16949 certified plant in southeast Michigan. Send us your print and tell us where the part will live, and our team will confirm what can be supplied.

US Stainless Steel Shim & Spacer Manufacturer

Northern Industrial Manufacturing is your premier parts manufacturer for stainless steel shims, spacers & washers. With a reputation for the closest tolerances, highest product quality, short lead times, process innovations, and technical prowess – we can meet your stainless steel manufacturing needs, while exceeding your expectations and delivering your parts on time and on budget.

If your manufacturing needs calls for precise, close tolerance stainless steel shims, the team at Northern Industrial Manufacturing is ready to support you. Call 586.468.2790 or request a quote today to discuss your project and discover how our manufacturing services can support your production goals.

Stainless Steel Shim & Spacer Manufacturing: 586.468.2790