Oval-head screws Phillips H steel 4.8 zinc plated blue with pressed-on washer M4 x 12

Stainless steel refers to alloyed or unalloyed steels that contain at least 10.5% chromium and less than 1.2% carbon. Colloquially, stainless steel is also referred to as stainless steel (NiRo), although not all stainless steel is the same as "stainless".

The term plain indicates a completely untreated, merely oiled, smooth surface for all DIN and ISO screws such as wood screws, hexagon head screws, threaded rods, nuts and many types of washers.

Phillips (PH) screws, standardized in ISO 8764 (blades) and DIN 7962 (Phillips recess), are widely used. For screws with a Phillips cross slot, the flanks of the cross slots taper as the depth of the slot increases. With the PH system, threaded and self-tapping screws that are difficult to access can be tightened and loosened even from a slight acute angle to the screw axis.

Stainless steels are defined in DIN EN 10088-1 as iron alloys containing at least 10.5 per cent chromium and no more than 1.2 per cent carbon. The multi-part DIN EN ISO 3506 series of standards applies to mechanical fasteners made from stainless steels. Grade A2 is classified as non-acid-resistant. Austenitic stainless steels cannot be heat-treated and achieve their different strength classes through cold working to varying degrees.