Can a plain sheet of stainless steel adhering to the 316 grade be regarded as food safe at every finish level?

My question is not purely about chemistry but it definitely involves it.


I was looking for a while to buy a food-grade stainless steel plate that would fit my home pizza gas oven (to have the dough placed on), and from my research the best possible solution was to find someone who can specially cut 316 stainless steel to the befitting proportions.


I only found one place that agreed to consider such a small order, and it should be done by tomorrow. But now I'm not certain I can automatically count on its food-safety just because the steel is 316 grade. I read at least regarding regular carbon steel sheets they are often hot rolled, which leaves "mill scale" that might chip off, and that they also may be treated with acids that might still be present if the finish level is crude.


I wasn't told the specific finish type for the sheet used, but they said "it's fairly smooth, not mirror-polished". Can that be a food-safety concern even when 316 stainless steel is the material? Is it advised I'll process it in some way to reduce the chance of hazardous chemicals leaching into the food?


**EDIT: Here are photos of the plate I got:**
[![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/AScIN.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/AScIN.jpg)


[![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/mouhc.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/mouhc.jpg)




There are no special "food grades" although advertisements often claim it. There are grades most commonly used for food equipment; food equipment is primarily 316 and 304. The 316 has some advantage for corrosive foods. A home oven would be such mild service that either grade would be fine. That is, if food has been processed it has very , very likely been contacted by 316 and/or 304 so they are "food safe". Stainless sheet is cleaned ; there are about 4 common commercial finishes according to a net search. Some combination of pickling, heat-treatment, and rolling, and possible sanding. I expect washing with soap and water will produce a safe surface after any of these processes. I can't imagine you would encounter scale as may be on thick plate.


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