The numbers are simply used to illustrate the percentage of two main ingredients used to manufacture cutlery, chromium and nickel content present in the stainless steel.

’18/8′ is the most commonly used stainless steel and contains 18% chromium and 8% nickel.’18/10′ is a designation used on some cutlery and holloware as an alternative to ’18/8′.

Chromium is a metallic substance which makes the product tough whereas, Nickel enhances the corrosion resistance, as well as provides a silver-like shine finish to the product. The higher the nickel content, the stainless steel is more rust resistant and has a shinier surface.