The new crowbar, or pry bar as it is called in the US, has applications in sterile and particle sensitive industrial settings such as cleanrooms, where contamination from ferrous tools is a critical concern.

"The coated or plated carbon steel bars currently available on the market are very poorly suited to environments that are particularly mindful of particles," company spokesperson Brian Pekarsky told In-PharmaTechnologist.com.

"Due to wear and tear from continuous cleaning and sterilisation, the coating on these bars can eventually corrode and chip away, releasing airborne particles into the sterile environment."

Manufactured entirely from electropolished 17-4PH stainless steel hex stock, the bars have no plating or coating of any kind.

The bars are available in three lengths - 13.5" (337mm), 16" (400mm), and 18" (450mm), with shaft diameters of 3/8", 1/2", and 5/8", respectively.

The company said it has launched the stainless steel crowbar as a direct response to customer demand from a wide range of industries from pharmaceutical and food processing plants to architectural stainless steel construction.

"This new crowbar is just the latest addition to the company's long line of critical industry-specific stainless steel tools," said Pekarsky.

"Many of our other items are also world exclusives."