The passivation treatments provided by this specification are intended to improve the corrosion resistance of parts made from austenitic, ferritic and martensitic corrosion-resistant steels of the 200, 300 and 400 series and precipitation hardened corrosion-resistant steels. High carbon, high chromium martensitic 440C grades which are selected for high hardness and resistance may be exempt from passivation treatments at the discretion of the procuring activity.