Stainless steel slit coil is a narrow stainless steel strip supplied in coil form after a wider master coil has been longitudinally cut to the required width. It is used where manufacturers need continuous, consistent-width material for springs, gaskets, clips, fasteners, edge trims, stamping parts, tube production, and other high-volume processes.

Compared with buying a full-width stainless steel coil and processing it in-house, finished slit coil can simplify material preparation and reduce the need for internal slitting equipment. The most important purchasing parameters are grade, temper, thickness, width, width tolerance, coil weight, edge condition, surface finish, and packaging.

Stainless Steel Slit Coil: Product Definition

A slit coil is produced by dividing a wider stainless steel master coil into narrower strips along the rolling direction. Each strip is then rewound into an individual coil.

The term “slit coil” describes the finished product form. It should not be confused with the slitting process itself. The same material may be supplied as a master coil, slit coil, strip, or cut-to-length sheet depending on the downstream application.

Typical Stainless Slit Coil Specifications

The 5–600 mm width and 0.05–3 mm thickness ranges represent common custom-processing territory rather than universal limits. Actual availability depends on grade, equipment, coil dimensions, and the required tolerance.

Slit Coil Applications by Width

Width is closely related to the final use of the material. Very narrow strips are commonly used for precision components, while wider slit coils are more suitable for stamping and continuous forming.

5–50 mm Slit Coil: Springs and Precision Components

Narrow stainless strips between approximately 5 and 50 mm are frequently used for springs, clips, contact components, retaining rings, and other small formed parts.

For these applications, temper can be more important than nominal tensile strength alone. A spring manufacturer may require a specific cold-worked condition to achieve the desired spring force, fatigue behavior, and dimensional recovery.

301 stainless steel is commonly considered when high strength and spring properties are required. The final temper should be specified rather than simply ordering “301 stainless coil.”

50–200 mm Slit Coil: Gaskets, Straps and Edge Trims

Medium-width slit strips are useful for gaskets, metal straps, clamps, retaining components, decorative trims, and protective edge profiles.

304 is often selected for general-purpose applications because it provides a useful balance of corrosion resistance, formability, availability, and mechanical properties. Where chloride exposure or more demanding corrosion conditions are expected, 316L may be considered.

For edge trims, surface appearance can also become an important specification. A clean 2B or BA surface may be appropriate when the strip will remain visible after forming.

200–600 mm Slit Coil: Stamping and Tube Production

Wider slit coils are commonly used as continuous feedstock for stamping lines, roll forming, and tube manufacturing.

At these widths, coil stability becomes increasingly important. Excessive telescoping, loose winding, camber, or inconsistent edges can interrupt automatic feeding and affect the dimensional accuracy of formed products.

For tube production, the strip width must also be coordinated with the tube diameter, forming allowance, weld seam arrangement, and trimming requirements.

Common Grades and Temper Selection

Temper designations vary by applicable standard and product specification. For spring applications, buyers should provide the required mechanical properties or temper designation rather than relying on the grade name alone.

Slit Coil vs Mill-Edge Stainless Strip

Not every narrow stainless strip is a slit coil. Buyers should distinguish between slit-edge strip and mill-edge strip.

The difference can matter for applications where edge geometry, burr level, fatigue performance, or downstream forming is critical. If the drawing specifically calls for a mill edge, a standard slit coil should not automatically be treated as equivalent.

Why Width and Edge Specifications Should Be Ordered Together

A narrow strip is not defined by width alone. Two coils with the same nominal width can perform differently if one has higher burr, greater camber, poor winding, or a damaged edge.

Stocking Strategy for Standard Slit Widths

Manufacturers that repeatedly consume the same narrow widths can benefit from maintaining standard slit-coil inventory. Widths such as 25 mm, 50 mm, and 100 mm are useful reference sizes for establishing a basic stock program, although the correct inventory widths depend entirely on actual production demand.

A practical stocking strategy can divide materials into three groups:

This approach is particularly useful when several customers require the same grade and thickness but in different quantities.

How to Specify Stainless Steel Slit Coil

A complete RFQ should contain more information than “304 slit coil” or “316L stainless strip.” A recommended specification includes:

1. Grade: 301, 304, 316L, 430, or another specified grade
2. Standard: ASTM, EN, JIS, or the required specification
3. Thickness: for example, 0.50 mm
4. Finished Width: for example, 50 mm
5. Width Tolerance: standard or precision requirement
6. Temper: especially important for springs and high-strength components
7. Surface: 2B, BA, No.4, or other required finish
8. Edge: slit edge or mill edge
9. Coil Weight: maximum and target weight
10. Quantity: total required weight and number of coils

Teda Ganghua Stainless Slit Coil Supply

Teda Ganghua supports stainless steel sourcing and custom slit-coil supply for manufacturers that need standard or non-standard narrow widths. Orders can be organized around the required grade, thickness, temper, surface, width, tolerance, edge condition, coil weight, and packaging.

For recurring production requirements, commonly used widths can also be considered for stock planning. For special-width requirements, custom slitting can be arranged according to the master-coil dimensions and finished strip specifications.

Buyers looking for stainless steel coils, sheets, strips, and customized processing can review the stainless steel products range and submit the required slit width and material specification for sourcing and processing support.

Conclusion

Stainless slit coil is a finished narrow-strip product designed for continuous manufacturing. Its value comes from matching the right width, thickness, grade, temper, edge condition, and coil configuration to the final application.

For precision springs, very narrow strips may require tight dimensional control and a suitable cold-worked temper. For gaskets and edge trims, stable width and clean edges become more important. For stamping and tube production, coil stability and consistent feeding are critical.

By specifying the complete product configuration rather than only the stainless grade and nominal width, buyers can obtain slit coils that are better matched to their production equipment and downstream requirements.

FAQ

What widths are available for stainless slit coil?

Custom slit coils can commonly cover approximately 5–600 mm in width, depending on the master coil, thickness, equipment, and required tolerance. Standard stock widths may be more readily available than highly customized dimensions.

What is the difference between slit coil and stainless strip?

“Stainless strip” describes a narrow stainless product, while “slit coil” emphasizes that the strip has been produced by longitudinally cutting a wider coil and supplied in coil form. Not every stainless strip is necessarily a slit product.

Which stainless grade is suitable for springs?

301 is commonly selected when high strength and spring properties are required. The correct cold-worked temper should be specified according to the required spring force, forming process, and mechanical properties.

Can 304 stainless steel be supplied as narrow slit coil?

Yes. 304 is widely used for narrow stainless strips and can be slit into customized widths within the capabilities of the processing line.

Can stainless slit coil be supplied in custom widths?

Yes. Custom widths are a major application of coil slitting. The buyer should provide the finished width, tolerance, thickness, grade, temper, required coil weight, and quantity when requesting a quotation.