James A. Macphail age 15, of Ottawa, Canada for his question:

What is in stainless steel?

All steels are made from iron and iron is made by smelting iron ore with limestone. The result is pig iron which can be made into many different varieties of steel. All these metals are alloys of iron containing carbon and manganese. Tungsten added to the recipe makes an alloy that will hold a sharp cutting edge. Molybdenum also makes a hard steel. Stainless steel is hard and it also resists rust and tarnish, wear and tear, heat and cold.

In stainless steel, about 74 per cent of the metal is ordinary steel, an alloy of iron, carbon and manganese. In addition there is about 6 per cent nickel and about 18 per cent chromium.