In this paper, a systematic analysis of different methods of δ-ferrite estimation is carried out based on the well-known relationship between δ-ferrite content and hot cracking in stainless steels. Additionally, the influence of certain chemical requirements on δ-ferrite stabilization and their relationship to hot cracking is evaluated by the application of a deterministic algorithm based on stringency levels. The results obtained from the application of the stringency level method and prediction diagrams permit the selection of the best option among materials according to their standardized specifications. In addition, the advantage of this integrated method is that we can evaluate particular elemental influences and assign relative weightings to create a database for materials selection… See all…