Delivery condition and surface quality of stainless steel depend on several processes. Common terms:

• Solution annealing: heating to high temperature to re-dissolve carbides and precipitates, then rapid cooling to restore corrosion resistance and ductility; common for austenitic grades. • Annealing: heating and holding then slow cooling to soften and relieve stress; a different purpose from solution annealing. • Pickling: acid treatment to remove scale and chromium-depleted layers and restore surface corrosion resistance; common after hot rolling or annealing. • Passivation: oxidising media (nitric or citric acid) form a dense passive film and remove free iron; not a substitute for pickling scale. • Tension levelling: stretching and bending to improve flatness (waviness, crossbow), usually combined with skin passing. • Skin pass: light rolling to improve surface and flatness and control the yield-point phenomenon. • Polishing/brushing/grinding: surface processing for No.4, BA or mirror appearance.

Reading delivery condition:

1) Clarify whether it is solution annealed + pickled + skin passed, or cold-worked temper. 2) Welded parts with high corrosion requirements need post-weld pickling and passivation. 3) For tight flatness in cut-to-length, confirm tension levelling/skin passing. 4) Surface code maps to process (2B includes pickling and skin pass; BA is bright annealing).

Writing process names clearly avoids property and appearance disputes from "same grade, different condition".