In buses and passenger trains, stainless steel reduces vehicle weight and maintenance costs. Trucks, buses, trains, and planes benefit from the use of chromium materials. A third quality of life is the living environment. Stainless steel and other chromium containing alloys are used in architectural applications. Stainless steel is used on building exteriors as a facing material and in building interior areas such as elevators and doorways.
Street furniture can use chromium.
Lampposts are constructed of stainless steel, and wood is treated with chromium-containing chemicals. Chromium protects the environment and contributes to the permanence and beauty of architectural objects. Stainless steel products can be enhanced with a variety of surface finishes including the traditional bright, silver-tone finish. One of the newer uses of stainless steel is in environmental applications where it is used in the piping or ductwork of process plants that clean industrial fluid streams of toxic materials. Fortunately, chromium is in abundant supply.