This standard covers an overview and selection of stainless steels suitable for the manufacture of surgical, dental and orthopedic instruments. Note 1: When selecting steel grade, steel type, size and raw material delivery conditions for manufacturing surgical instruments, it is necessary to consider some factors, such as instrument design or manufacturing plant production equipment, which are not included in this standard. Therefore, it is not intended, nor possible, to use the content of this standard to remove the responsibility of the device manufacturer from making decisions in the selection of raw materials with suitable properties, nor is it intended to exclude the use of other types of steel in the manufacture of devices. For example, carbon steel is used to make cutting instruments. In making this decision, attention should be paid to published international standards for surgical instruments, as they may contain additional (or new) information that needs to be considered when selecting the appropriate steel grade.