I have recently been aware that some manufacturers sell their guitars and basses with claimed ss frets that will not wear or rust, but still - in the Vickers Hardness Scale - are almost as soft as the regular nickel alloy ones. I e show dents within a year. Only Jescar and some other are honest about their SS hardness. So which category does your ss frets fall in?

Standardization in the guitar industry is notoriously loose, and currently, there is no legal or industry-wide "minimum hardness" required to use the "Stainless Steel" label. As long as the alloy meets the metallurgical definition of stainless steel (usually at least 10.5% chromium), a manufacturer can legally use the term.

Ambiguous Trade Descriptions
Lack of Testing Infrastructure
How a Standard Could Work
If the industry were to self-regulate (similar to how lumber or gold is graded), they could adopt a labeling system:

• Grade A (Hardened): 300+ HV (The "Railroad Track" standard).
• Grade B (Medium): 200–250 HV.
• Grade C (Soft/Warm): <200 HV.

Without this, we are stuck in the current "Buyer Beware" situation where a brand like Squier can ride the marketing coattails of Jescar without actually providing the same durability.