Brushed Stainless Steel is a metal that has been abraded ("brushed"), usually with a fine grit sandpaper. The brushing gives the metal a distinctive look, as it retains some but not all of its metallic lustre and is given a pattern of very fine lines. It can be compared to metal with several small scratches all running in the same direction.

The surface of stainless steel is actually an extremely thin but stable and passive chromium rich oxide film, on which stainless steel relies for its excellent corrosion resistance. Signs can be ordered with the finish going in a vertical or horizontal direction.