AeroPress Steel Plunger Including Seal

Yes, it is dishwasher-safe. If you don’t have a dishwasher, you can also clean it by hand with lukewarm water, gentle soap, and a gentle cloth every week.

The plunger is made of professional-grade 304 stainless steel. The plunger seal is made of LFGB-grade silicone.

304 stainless steel is a professional-grade, food-safe stainless steel alloy known for its strength, durability, and corrosion resistance. It contains approximately 18% chromium and 8% nickel — which is why you may also see it referred to as “18/8” stainless steel. In fact, 18/8 and 304 are often used interchangeably; 18/8 simply describes the minimum chromium and nickel content within the 304 specification range. Because of its excellent resistance to rust and staining, along with its ability to handle repeated heating and cooling, 304 stainless steel is widely used in food and beverage equipment, commercial kitchens, medical tools, and other demanding everyday applications. It’s strong, stable, and built to last — making it an ideal material for brewing exceptional coffee.

We chose 304 stainless steel because it delivers the ideal balance of durability, corrosion resistance, food safety, and manufacturability for a precision coffee press. 304 is exceptionally resistant to rust and staining, making it perfect for repeated exposure to hot water and daily use. It’s also strong and impact-resistant, helping the AeroPress Steel stand up to years of brewing at home or on the go. Just as important, 304 stainless steel is easier to form and weld than many alternative alloys. That matters in a product like AeroPress Steel, where tight tolerances and precise assembly are essential to ensuring a consistent seal and dependable performance. You may see other brands describe their stainless steel as “18/8” or even “aerospace grade.” In practice, 18/8 is simply another way of describing 304 stainless steel. While 304 can be used in certain non-structural aerospace components, it is not typically selected for high-stress aircraft structures because aerospace engineering prioritizes extremely high strength-to-weight ratios and specialized alloys. For a coffee press, however, 304 stainless steel is exactly the right material — durable, corrosion-resistant, food-safe, and built for everyday performance.

It is manufactured in China. AeroPress was founded by inventor Alan Adler, who created the very first prototype in his garage in Palo Alto, California. While a significant portion of our product line continues to be manufactured in the United States, some products are manufactured overseas driven by consideration of materials, assembly, cost and order quantity thresholds. All AeroPress products continue to be conceived and designed in the USA.