N05500 is the Unified Numbering System (UNS) designation for the nickel-based alloy most commonly known as Monel® K500. The UNS system was created by a group of trade bodies in the 1970s to reduce confusion from one alloy being called different things, or different alloys sharing a name. Each metal is shown by a letter followed by five numbers, where the letter indicates the family - N for nickel-based alloys.
Monel K500 is almost entirely nickel (>63%) and copper (28-34%). It is particularly resistant to seawater corrosion: a thin, complex, adherent protective film forms very quickly on exposure to clean seawater and protects the alloy in most circumstances, the exception being very slow flow rates that might support fouling. Beyond seawater, Monel K500 also resists other chloride solutions and a range of acids including sulphuric acid. It resists hydrofluoric and hydrochloric acid provided the solutions contain minimum oxygen, that is, in reducing conditions. It is used across a wide range of marine and chemical-engineering applications that exploit its excellent corrosion resistance.
The high strength of Monel K500 lets it be used in more demanding components such as marine shafts, valve stems, fasteners, mixer and agitator shafts, doctor blades, drill collars and heat-exchanger components.
We carry significant stock of Alloy K500 solid bar, from 5/8" (15.875mm) up to 10" (254mm) in a wide range of incremental sizes.