Are you certain it's the sink and not some particles left in the sink? Have you tried a scotch-brite type scrubbie to see if the rust comes off? If someone leaves a food can sitting in my SS sink, the can rusts and leaves rust residue in the sink, but I've learned that the rust comes off with a scrubbie.

I would not use a scrubbie, as they vary in how abrasive they are. Use Barkeepers Friend powder, available at grocery stores or Target. Use wet sponge, do not leave the powder in the sink, but wipe off and rinse immediately. That is what you should be using to clean your stainless steel sink.

I am really surprised to see this happening.
My previous sink did not have this issue,even with food sitting in the sink for sometime.
Is this some kind of issue with new sink?
I will try the barkeepers friend. Thanks for the suggestion.
But beats me why I have to do all this, when stainless steel sink is supposed to be a low maintenance item.

”But beats me why I have to do all this”

Do all what? Wash the sink with Barkeepers Friend? Takes no more time than the soap and sponge you described, but is more effective. I’ve been washing my stainless steel sinks with Barkeepers Friend for 20+ years. I’ve never seen what you pictured appear out of the blue on any stainless steel sink, including a Kraus. I will be curious to see if it is resolved. Please post back.

Hi SG. Sorry to hear about your troubles. If it’s a new sink it’s still under warranty. If it must be replaced, the cost of labor is yours, unfortunately. Kraus is a good, not great, importer of average to above average stainless steel. You clearly got a below average sink.

I have two kraus sinks. No rust. What else has been used in that sink? Any kind of bottle brush with metal handle? Is it only on that one part of the sink? What about the sink grid? Any rust on that?

I have one Kraus sink that installed last year at our weekend place, I have no issues. Out of 3 sinks in the kitchen, I use Kraus sink the most. This is what I have: https://www.homedepot.com/p/KRAUS-Loften-All-in-One-Dual-Mount-Drop-In-Stainless-Steel-33-in-2-Hole-Single-Bowl-Kitchen-Sink-with-Pull-Down-Faucet-KCH-1000/305899479

I found this old post from 7 years ago on "Kitchen Forum" ( by Shannonplus2), it might help you.

"don't freak out. The Kraus 16-gauge stainless steel sink does not rust. When rust appears on stainless steel it is because something external is on the stainless steel's surface that is rusting. You can use Barkeepers Friend to remove it.

Note that ANY stainless steel sink can show rust if steel wool like Brillo or other steel wool pads are used on it. I repeat, ANY brand of stainless steel sink, not just Kraus. When you see rust from steel wool, it's from the iron residue left by the steel wool on top of the stainless steel. I'll quote from Franke's website:

Steel wool or metal scouring pads should never be used to clean your sink as they will leave a residue of small iron particles. They may not be readily visible, but they will lead to rusting and corrosion of the sink."

On second look, those appear to be some sort of impact marks. Someone's dropping/hitting something made of ferrous metal into the sink. Traces of that object are rusting.

Chinese sourced stainless has been documented as often containing impurities or being a different alloy than it’s certified as being.

It is great to prefer American made products, but be sure not to let it color every remark. Any stainless steel manufactured anywhere in the world will have well above the 11% Chromium needed for Chromium Oxide to impede Iron Oxide, regardless of any other contamination. It is extremely unlikely but possible that contaminates entered the process in the sheeting process, or a mistake in the welding process that created Chromium Carbide.

It is way more likely the rust is from surface contamination that is setting on top of the Chromium Oxide that is rusting. Ferrous metals are a common culprit but hard water can also be a problem. Are you using water that has a lot of iron in it? Iron deposits from hard water (usually from old pipes or well water) can form in small dents and pits where the water will evaporate away leaving the iron behind which can itself form a layer of rust.

In the end, scrub it with Bar Keepers Friend or water and baking soda. I suspect a quick occasional cleaning will fix the problem.

Professor Bry911, I have well water at the country place, I don’t have rust in SS sinks.

I certainly didn't say that all well water will have dissolved iron in it. A common sources of dissolved iron in water is well systems because many areas have high iron content in the soils. If you don't have high iron content in the soil near your well then you are unlikely to have high concentrations of dissolved iron in your well.

It is very common in my area and every plumber will know about it. It doesn't require a chemical engineering degree...

Here are rust stains on a porcelain toilet...

Do you really believe that a porcelain toilet can rust but a sink can't?

Lol, got it. Love well water, no water bills. :-)

I am not on well water; I am on municipal/city water. Still get rust from the iron in the water. Not enough to need a water softener, but enough to leave rust in the sink if I don't clean it frequently enough. Barkeeper's Friend is good.

Thankyou all for your suggestions. I will try the barkeeper's friend. And I hope it works 🤞🏽As this is an under mounted sink , so there is no way I can remove and replace it.
As I don't intend to change my countertop anytime soon, since these were installed only a week back :/

Most likely contamination, but stainless can of course corrode as well if exposed to certain conditions (that’s why there are thousands of different alloys). Most stainless is sold to ASMT/ASME standards stipulating the chemical composition, but what some are pointing out is that there is an allowed range for each alloying element and generally Asian manufacturers alloy low to maintain a low cost. A 304/304L SS from brand x is not necessarily alloyed as high as a 304/304L from brand y. The chemical composition, even within the allowed min/max range for the same alloy will have an impact on the corrosion resistance. Still, I think this is contamination and should come out. If not, you can remove it mechanically and the steel will reform the chromium oxide layer.

"As this is an under mounted sink , so there is no way I can remove and replace it."

It can certainly be replaced in an hour and a half. I do it all the time.

Hello S G, I installed my SS Krauss sink 5 days ago. On day 4, I noticed rust spots all over the bottom of my sink! Did you find any solutions to this? Thank you

Barkeepers Friend helped :)

Hi, i also installed a kraus undermount sink and after a week of use i found 2 rust spots. any tips? did you replace it or did you find a solution? please help: thanks :)

Lizeth:

I've installed hundreds of Kraus sinks without a rusting callback. Wipe the spots away and avoid contamination which your spots undoubtedly are.

@Lizeth Garza - this thread answers your question if you read it. Including the comment directly above yours by the OP.

Rust probably showed up because the water supply had been shut off. When service was restored, bits of rust were dislodged from who knows where in the water supply--either your pipes, your well, or from somewhere in the municipal water system.

I've had zero problems with rust in my Kraus sink.

I'm happy to hear that the rust was caused by contamination and not the sink itself rusting. All the sink reviews I read people complain about rust. This made me leery of buying a new sink, My cast iron sink has no issues, I just want a single bowl.

I had the same spots o my sink in less than 2 days. No pots and pans used in that time. No problems with our water. It’s very clean. We had a stainless sink for over 30 years and never had a problem. It is made by Kraus. It’s good to know others are having the same issues.

I am also having this issue with my Kraus sink. I use bar keepers friend, but I also find it annoying that I need to do this. I've had it now for 3 or 4 months and have had to clean it with this twice.