4 Materials of Construction A basket strainer should be available in several materials of construction, the same as valves. A good manufacturer should offer basket strainers made of iron, bronze, steel, and stainless steel. Iron, of course is the least expensive. Bronze and steel cost about twice as much as iron and stainless steel costs about four times as much. 5 Iron S ince it costs, the least, iron should be the first choice of a basket strainer user, and for this reason it is by far the most popular material.
Cast iron has good corrosion resistance in water service.
It is also used with many non-aqueous materials such as paint, fuel oils, and plastics. Iron strainers are generally supplied with brass or stainless steel baskets. The disadvantages of iron are its inability to stand thermal or mechanical shock plus tits susceptibility to corrosion in many applications. 6 Bronze B ronze is the preferred material for marine service. Bronze strainers are widely used for handling sea water and also brackish or saline ground waters.