Once an order has shipped, we’re no longer able to make any changes. If you'd like to request a change or cancellation, please contact us right away at info@stratacookware.com with your order number and requested change.

Preorders for new products and backorders for out-of-stock items will include an estimated ship date on the product page. We do our best to meet these estimates, but production delays can occasionally occur. We’ll notify you of any significant changes.

You can cancel for a full refund at any time before your order ships by emailing info@stratacookware.com with your order number. Please see our Preorder Policy for more information.

Unused and unaltered items in their original packaging may be returned within 30 days of the delivery date. Original and return shipping costs will be deducted from the refund, except in cases of damaged or defective items.

Please see our full Return Policy for details and instructions.

Seasoning is the natural, stick-resistant surface that carbon steel is known for! It forms when oil and fats are heated during cooking, causing them to polymerize into a hardened layer. Both the layer and the process of creating it are called seasoning.

The best part of seasoned cookware is that it gets better and better the more you use it. Every time you cook, you’re naturally building your seasoning, making it more durable and stick-resistant over time. Check out our Resources tab to learn more.

Our favorite seasoning oils are ones with a high smoke point and a high polyunsaturated fat content. We've found that grapeseed oil works best. Vegetable and canola oil also work well. 

We don't recommend using avocado or flaxseed oils. Seasoning pastes and safflower oil can have mixed results.

“Nonstick” often refers to cookware made with PTFE, PFAS, or other applied coatings. Seasoning is not a factory-applied nonstick coating. It is a natural surface that you build through cooking.

Seasoned cookware isn’t quite as nonstick as a Teflon pan, but with a little oil or fat, carbon steel can become impressively stick-resistant:

Traditional carbon steel and cast iron are durable, versatile, and naturally stick-resistant when seasoned, but they can be heavy, slow to heat, or heat unevenly.

Strata Carbon Clad® uses a layered construction that combines a seasonable carbon steel cooking surface with an aluminum core and stainless steel exterior. This gives you the cooking benefits of traditional carbon steel in a pan that is lighter, heats more evenly, and responds faster to temperature changes.

It is compatible with all stovetops, including induction, safe for metal utensils, and oven-safe up to 800°F (600°F for Gen 1).

Yes to both! Strata cookware is oven-safe and compatible with all stovetops, including induction, up to 800°F (600°F for Gen 1).

For induction cooktops, be sure to choose a burner that closely matches the diameter of the pan’s cooking surface for best results.

Yes! Our aluminum core helps distribute heat much more evenly than traditional carbon steel, helping reduce the hot spots that can contribute to warping. Each pan also has a slight upward bow designed to resist more severe downward warping, like the pan becoming a bowl-shape (often referred to as a “spinner”).

That said, aluminum isn’t a magic cure and proper use is still important to prevent warping. Heat it gradually, avoid high heat while empty, prevent sudden temperature changes, and closely match your induction coil to the pan’s cooking surface to limit the chance of any issues.

All of our pans are made with a very slight upward bow on the bottom to help prevent warping, like twisting or developing a bowl shape. 

While aluminum does a good job of distributing heat, it’s not perfect, and the pan materials will naturally expand when heated. The bow allows us to control that expansion in a way that keeps the pan functional and stable.

Nitriding is a heat treatment where nitrogen is diffused into the carbon steel. This hardens the surface, making it more durable, rust-resistant, and a little less sticky in the beginning compared to raw carbon steel. 

Nitriding is not a coating and it doesn’t make cookware completely nonstick. It does, however, make the first few cooks more forgiving while seasoning develops. 

Yes. Like traditional carbon steel, nitrided cookware builds seasoning through cooking and becomes increasingly stick-resistant with use.

Our nitrided series arrive lightly pre-seasoned to give you a head start, but we still recommend a quick stove-top seasoning before your first cook for best results.

Nitriding itself does not make carbon steel harder to season. Surface texture and seasoning technique have a much greater impact.

Because finishing processes and coatings vary between manufacturers, some nitrided cookware can be more difficult to season. Our Nitrided Carbon Clad® cookware is coating-free and specifically textured to hold seasoning well, just like our Classic Carbon Clad®.

We don't have custom lids for our cookware just yet, but most standard lids designed for the size can fit well. 

Yes. Every cookware order includes a detailed Carbon Steel Reference Guide with seasoning, cooking, cleaning, and maintenance instructions. We also have lots of helpful resources available on our website, and we’re happy to answer any questions you may have!

Strata offers a lifetime warranty on all products to the original purchaser, covering any manufacturing defects under normal use and following care instructions provided. 

Please see our Warranty Policy for full details.

Sign up for our newsletter or follow us on instagram for the latest! We'll announce sales, new products, and all the exciting Strata news there.

We occasionally offer discounted pans with minor imperfections. Availability is limited, so we recommend signing up for the newsletter so you'll be the first to know when we have them!

Please reach out to sales@stratacookware.com for wholesale inquiries.

All of our design, prototyping, and testing is done here in our shop in Maryland, as well as final quality control and warehousing. Our production manufacturing is done by our partner company in Suzhou, China. We have a history and relationship with this manufacturer with previous products, giving us more control over build quality and ensuring ethical labor practices.

Yes! As of October 14, 2025, we were officially granted U.S. Utility Patent No. 12,440,064. We also have additional patents currently pending.

This issued patent covers our Nitrided Carbon Clad® Series, and builds on ongoing innovations we’ve been developing since early 2024. 

Our newsletter and instagram are the best places to hear about new products, launches, and other Strata updates.

Please contact us at affiliates@stratacookware.com with relevant links and experience.