Abstract: In austenitic free-cutting stainless steel containing lead, decrease of hot workability caused by the addition of lead can be dissolved by adding a specific amount of boron. Thus, there is obtained an austenitic free-cutting stainless steel with improved machinability, corrosion resistance and hot workability of which are maintained at the level of conventional austenitic stainless steel.

Abstract: A free cutting steel for construction of machines, characterized in that the deoxidation product remaining in the steel has a composition of 40-60% of SiO.sub.2, 10-30% of MnO and 5-25% of Al.sub.2 O.sub.3, the balance being other oxides such as CaO and the sum of contents of SiO.sub.2, MnO and Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 being so adjusted as to be at least 85% of the whole oxides in the deoxidation products, the steel being further incorporated with 0.02 - 0.10% of Pb, and that the non-metallic composite inclusions comprising sulfides and finely divided Pb particles are uniformly dispersed.