Description
2 Sessions:
• 12 March, 2026, 07:00 UTC.
• 12 March, 2026, 14:00 UTC.
Estimated Time: 1 hr
Language: English
Summary of the lecture
When selected and used correctly, stainless steels deliver a long service life, combining visual appeal, hygiene, low maintenance and structural integrity across a wide range of applications and environments. However, inappropriate grade selection, poor fabrication or jointing, unsuitable surface finish, and insufficient cleaning can lead to staining or discolouration over time. This is commonly known as tea staining.
Tea staining primarily affects appearance and can undermine confidence in stainless steel as a family of corrosion-resistant materials. It has been reported in domestic environments, coastal applications, industrial settings and urban locations.
In this steelTalk, Tim Collins, Secretary General of worldstainless, will explain how and why tea staining occurs and outline practical steps that material specifiers, fabricators and end users can take to prevent it and maintain the desired appearance of stainless steel in service.
At the end of this steelTalk, participants will be able to:
- Understand what tea staining is and why it occurs.
- Identify the environments where tea staining is most commonly observed, including coastal, industrial, urban and domestic settings.
- Recognise how grade selection, fabrication and jointing, surface finish and cleaning practices influence staining risk.
- Apply practical prevention measures during specification, fabrication and installation.
- Maintain long-term appearance through appropriate cleaning and upkeep strategies.
Speaker Introduction
Tim Collins
Secretary General
worldstainless
After leaving school he studied metallurgy at university and joined British Steel Stainless immediately after graduating. A succession of industry mergers saw Tim undertaking senior stainless technical, operations and supply chain roles in the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK before joining the ISSF (now worldstainless) in August 2019. During his career Tim also studied Goldratt’s teaching on lean flow and operations, gained a postgraduate diploma in operations and inventory management and a master’s degree in business administration.
Away from work Tim supports his boyhood football club, Sheffield Wednesday, and enjoys rock music, cycling, fine wines and craft ales.
