The problem with the conventional answer
The industry's default response to fingerprint sensitivity is to apply a coating over the stainless steel which wears away over time. It is a solution that works against the fundamental logic of the material. Stainless steel is valued because it is inherently resistant and built to last without intervention. A coating introduces the very fragility it was designed to eliminate.
Outokumpu’s solution is structural, built into the surface itself rather than applied on top of it.
Resistance built into the material itself
Outokumpu’s easy-to-clean technology is rooted in a two-layer structural design. Each finish is created through the superposition of two distinct patterns, a fine micro-structure and a broader, coarser profile. They engineered together to reflect light in multiple directions simultaneously. This dual-layer geometry operates in the sub-millimetre range, disrupting how grease and contact residues adhere and become visible.
When a fingerprint lands on the surface, even one left by an oily or heavily contaminated hand, it can be removed with a few wipes from a dry cloth alone. No detergents or specialist cleaning products are needed.
A rigorous development process
The development of these finishes drew on over 17 years of in-house surface expertise, and input from a leading designer from the automotive sector: an industry that has long mastered surfaces built to endure constant human contact.
From an initial field of concepts, 15 candidate patterns were embossed onto stainless steel and evaluated across two dimensions: how visibly fingerprint residue presented on each surface, and how readily it could be removed. Outokumpu's R&D team rated each surface on a scale of -3 to +3 across these criteria. A score of -3 indicated high visibility and poor cleanability; a score of +3 indicated no visible marking and effortless removal.
Each surface was assessed under standardised conditions against both black and white backgrounds, using consistent contamination methods to produce repeatable results. The highest-rated surfaces from this internal assessment were then cross-referenced against feedback from industry partners across a range of sectors.
Where R&D performance ratings and customer preferences converged, the selection was made — and fifteen patterns became seven.
Built for the surfaces that get touched the most
The applications of Outokumpu’s easy-to-clean range are broad: elevator interiors, white goods, architectural cladding, public transport, and machine cladding. These are precisely the sectors where standard mill finishes have dominated for decades – patterns such as square, linen, leather, and diamond that have remained largely unchanged since the 1980s.
Outokumpu's seven new finishes are a substantive departure: a more refined aesthetic combined with a measurable improvement in surface performance. These finishes are suited to any application where stainless steel meets daily human contact, and where maintenance cost, mark visibility, and long-term appearance all matter. For facility managers, product designers, distributors and architects, these are increasingly primary considerations.
A new standard for surface performance
The engineering behind Outokumpu’s easy-to-clean surface technology is significant — but so too is what that engineering enables. A surface that resists staining without a coating ages differently. It does not degrade the way a treated finish does. It does not demand chemical maintenance, and does not ask users to choose between beauty and practicality.
Organic in character and precise in composition, these seven finishes reflect light in ways that shift with angle and environment. The result is a surface that responds to the spaces it inhabits, and to every hand that meets it.
More to feel. Less to clean. Permanent by design, resistant by texture. This is the future of stainless steel in the tactile environment.
Visit the product page and discover the new Deco Easy-to-Clean products.
