Stainless steel inserts are used in smokestack masonry, and are used to repair or replace an existing damaged chimney. 

Stainless steel is a good material for all applications, and most liners have a lifetime warranty.

Although there are safety considerations for chimneys, early chimney designs allowed fire risks to be considered unsafe. An unfilled brick fireplace would also allow heat loss for neighboring homes, and a non-inflatable fireplaces would draw in exhaust creosote, which quickly cools the exhaust gas from the chimney and the smoke does not develop a strong draught current.

Although chimneys benefited from eroding rain, small cracks can still be seen in some of these structures. The use of stainless steel as a building material for the construction of modern buildings began with the initial construction, but not until the end of the 19th century.

The stainless steel shell has a greater tolerance for thermal expansion, and the previous problem of clay tiles protected the house. When a fire breaks through the clay layer of a fireplace, it destroys bricks and masonry, causing the fire to reach the fireplace wall.