All-Clad D5 Vs. Demeyere Industry 5: Which Is Better?

All-Clad Class Action Lawsuit

As of October 2022, All-Clad is settling their lawsuit claiming that their cookware is not dishwasher safe. If you've purchased All-Clad D3, D5, or LTD from 2015-July 2022, you may be eligible to receive compensation from All-Clad. You can find the details at multi-plycookwaresettlement.com.

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Why All-Clad D5 Vs. Demeyere Industry 5?

All-Clad and Demeyere are arguably the top two brands of clad stainless cookware on the market (even if many Americans aren't familiar with the Demeyere brand). All-Clad D5 and Demeyere Industry 5 are closest to each other in configuration, yet they are very different. Here, we take a detailed look at both lines and compare their features and usability.

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All-Clad D5 Vs. Demeyere Industry 5: A Quick Comparison Chart

If you don't want to read the whole article, find out here how these two compare. Note that the best features are bolded. We go into more detail below.

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First: What Is Clad Stainless Cookware?

Cladding is a process that bonds different types of metals together. It was invented by John Ulam, who went on to found All-Clad Cookware.

Making different metals "clad" together is a difficult process, requiring an immense amount of pressure. (This is one reason why clad cookware is more expensive than other types of cookware.) But the ability to combine the assets of different metals into a sum greater than its individual parts is well worth it.

Sandwiching aluminum between layers of durable stainless steel solved a number of issues, and clad stainless cookware rapidly became the most popular cookware on the market for professionals and home cooks alike. It was less reactive and more durable than aluminum, lighter than cast iron, had great heating properties--and it looked great.

Clad stainless cookware is a mid-20th century invention: Ulam founded All-Clad in 1970. Meanwhile, Demeyere, a Belgian kitchenware company founded in 1908, began making stainless steel cookware in 1967. By the mid-1970s, Demeyere produced some patented designs for clad stainless cookware still used today--designs very different from those of All-Clad. For example, they have a patented TriplInduc® base designed to work more efficiently with induction cooktops. And their Proline skillet--arguably the finest clad stainless skillet on the market--has a 3.7mm layer of aluminum, which is about 75% more aluminum than All-Clad D3 or D5.

Tri-Ply Cookware

The original clad cookware configuration is tri-ply, which has an aluminum heating core sandwiched between internal and external layers of stainless steel, as shown in this diagram:

The magnetic stainless on the outer surface makes the cookware induction-compatible. 

The Rise of Multi-Ply Cookware

When All-Clad's patent on tri-ply clad cookware expired in the early 2000s, other manufacturers entered the tri-ply cookware market. To stay ahead of their competition, All-Clad came up with new, multi-ply configurations.

This is clad cookware with more than three plies, and it has become popular in recent years. Multi-ply clad cookware can have up to seven plies, as with the now discontinued All-Clad D7 and Demeyere's Atlantis line.

Most multi-ply cookware has 5 plies. 5-ply cookware can have a number of different configurations. All-Clad D5 and Copper Core are both 5-ply, as are All-Clad competitors Misen and Made In, all of which have different configuration (you can find out more about these brands below.) 

Is Multi-Ply Cookware Better than Tri-Ply Cookware?

The common perception is that multi-ply cookware is inherently better than tri-ply--it has more layers and is usually more expensive, so it has to be better, right?

Actually, no: Multiple plies do not automatically mean cookware is more durable or contains more heat-spreading aluminum. You have to dig deeper to find out if a multi-ply cookware brand is worth the (usually) higher cost than tri-ply. 

The most important fact to remember is that the number of layers isn't as important as the total thickness of the heating core, i.e., the amount of aluminum and/or copper. For example, it's possible that tri-ply cookware could have a total aluminum thickness greater than a multi-ply cookware. In fact, this is the case with All-Clad D3, which contains more aluminum than D5, even though it costs less.

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What to Look For in Cladding

Internal cladding (heating core): You want cookware with a heating core thick enough to provide excellent heating properties. The thicker the internal ply or plies, the better the heating properties. A thicker heating core also makes a pan less prone to warping. 

External cladding: The thickness of the external (i.e., stainless) plies is less important, but it should be a high quality stainless resistant to corrosion, rusting, pitting, and also be thick enough to deter warping. Both Demeyere and All-Clad use high quality stainless steel in their cookware.

Overall: While you don't want a pan that's so thick and heavy it's hard to use, you do want a good heft and a happy medium: cookware that is not so heavy that it's hard to handle, but not so thin that it is a poor conductor of heat and a candidate for warping.

In general, clad cookware tends to be too thin rather than too thick because manufacturers cut costs by using thin layers. Fortunately, you don't have to worry about this with either All-Clad or Demeyere (although All-Clad D5 contains the least amount of aluminum of any All-Clad product that doesn't also contain copper).

How thick should the internal cladding be? All-Clad D3--the industry standard against which all other clad stainless cookware is measured--has sidewalls measuring 2.6mm thick, with 1.7mm of that being aluminum.

Anything thinner than 1.7mm is considered to be less than optimal, while anything thicker is considered to be premium cookware.

Where do you find this information? Makersof clad stainless cookware rarely provide specifications for internal cladding, which is absurd, as it's the single most important buying factor to consider when buying clad stainless cookware. You often have to rely on independent researchers (like us) who have actually measured the pans. 

Demeyere is more forthcoming with specifications than other clad cookware manufacturers, though not for every line; we had to measure the Industry 5 ourselves (probably because this specification is not emphasized in the American market).

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Cladding: How Do D5 and Industry 5 Compare?

Winner: Industry 5.

Why: Thicker sidewalls and more aluminum than D5.

All-Clad D5

All-Clad D5 cookware is made of alternating layers of stainless steel and aluminum, with an internal layer of stainless, as shown in this All-Clad diagram:

All-Clad does not specify the thickness of the layers, but we know the total wall thickness is 2.6mm, the same as their D3 tri-ply line. If you do the math, you can see that with that extra layer of stainless in the heating core, D5 must contain less aluminum than D3.

All-Clad says that the internal stainless layer slows down heating, making it more even to provide "perfect browning." And, that this is ideal for induction cooking.

Really?? Because the whole reason stainless cookware is clad with aluminum (and/or copper) is because stainless steel has terrible heating properties. And now you're saying that an extra layer of stainless--and at the expense of the aluminum--provides more even heating? 

We may be missing something, but this doesn't seem right to us. The extra stainless will certainly slow down the heating process, but that isn't necessarily a good thing, and isn't necessarily going to result in "more evenly cooked" food. It's kind of like putting a limiter on a Ferrari engine because you think its natural state is too fast.

In the case of cookware, why slow it down? In fact, one of the advantages of induction cooking is that it's very fast. Pans heat up almost instantaneously and respond to changes in heat equally fast. So a pan that "slows" this down seems, to us, to be counterproductive.

We've asked All-Clad many times to explain how this works and why it's better, but they haven't responded. Their D5 literature remains vague, and does not provide a satisfactory explanation of the science behind this design. 

The extra steel will increase heat retention, but at the expense of heat conductivity, so we're not sure why this is a good thing.

We love All-Clad, and there's no arguing that their cookware is top quality. But All-Clad's D3 line gives you more aluminum and equal durability at a lower cost. Until we have a good reason to change our minds, we will continue to recommend D3 over D5.

Demeyere Industry 5 (Also Called Industry and 5 Plus)

Demeyere introduced the Industry 5 clad cookware line in the mid-1990s, most likely to compete in the US market against All-Clad. While All-Clad D5 has alternating layers of stainless steel and aluminum (as shown above), Demeyere Industry 5 has three internal layers of aluminum sandwiched between stainless steel:

Industry 5 cookware has a total wall thickness of 3.0mm, with three internal layers of aluminum that add up to a total aluminum thickness of 2.1mm. This is about 25% more aluminum than All-Clad D3 (and remember, D5 has less aluminum than D3). 

If Demeyere Industry 5's thicker walls made the cookware unwieldy, we may prefer the D5 despite its lower amount of aluminum. But this is not the case: Industry 5 is only slightly thicker than D5, and its 2.1mm of aluminum provide superb heating in a pan that's still light enough to handle easily.

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Heating Properties: D5 Vs. Industry 5

Winner: Demeyere Industry 5

Why: Industry 5 has over 25% more aluminum than D5, making this no contest.

Heating properties are a result of the heating core, discussed above. However, heating properties are the whole reason you're willing to invest in premium cookware, so it deserves its own section.

There really is no contest here. Industry 5 provides more even heating and better heat retention than D5.

What about the layer of stainless in D5? What does that do? All-Clad says this improved the evenness of the heating by slowing down the lateral transfer of heat (that is, up through the pan from the burner to your food), but they make this claim without getting into any scientific specifics of how it works. In our opinion--and we may be completely wrong about this, but All-Clad hasn't provided proof that we are--this goes against the whole principle of clad stainless cookware: i.e., stainless on the outside for durability, aluminum on the inside to counteract the terrible heating properties of stainless. 

So in all honesty, we don't know what the internal layer of stainless adds. It will certainly increase heat retention slightly. But we're confident that more aluminum makes a better pan.

Why didn't All-Clad make D5 thicker than D3 so it had more aluminum and the inner layer of stainless for "more evenness"? We don't know. But it seems to us like that's the only way the D5 might be worth the added cost over D3. 

Why does Industry 5 have 3 layers of aluminum? How is this better than one thick layer (as in a tri-ply product)? The reason there are three layers has to do with the cladding process. Stainless steel fuses to some aluminum alloys better than others, but some alloys provide better heating properties. So the outer layers of aluminum are there to clad to the steel, while the inner layer provides most of the even, efficient spreading of heat throughout the pan.

Some people think this is really just a glorified tri-ply design, and that's okay if they do, because it doesn't really matter: overall thickness is what matters, remember? Thus, the main point is that Industry 5 has more aluminum than D5, so it has better heating properties. 

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Durability: D5 Vs. Industry 5

Winner: Demeyere Industry 5.

Why: Thicker sidewalls, Silvinox® treatment. 

What Does Better Durability Mean?

When we talk about durability, we're looking at a few things:

• Thickness of walls/base: the thicker the walls/base, the less chance the pans will warp. 
• Quality of stainless steel: better stainless will be more resistant to corrosion, rusting, and pitting.
• Lids: stainless beat glass for durability, ease of handling (stainless is lighter), and being able to withstand high oven temps (most glass lids top out at 300F).

Demeyere Industry 5, with its thicker sidewalls, is more durable than D5. All-Clad makes durable cookware which will almost never warp. So in that sense, it's almost a tie. 

They are also both made of premium stainless steel that won't easily pit, stain, rust, or corrode.

However, Industry 5 has some extra features that give it the win.

First, it's a lot thicker than All-Clad D5. So even though All-Clad is a durable product that is unlikely to warp, Demeyere is even thicker.

Second--and more importantly--all Demeyere cookware is given the Silvinox® treatment.

What is Silvinox®? Silvinox® is an electrochemical surface treatment system that enriches the material by removing any iron and impurities from the surface. This makes the stainless steel easy to clean, and provides a higher resistance to fingerprints, harsh detergents or strong acidic foods. The products retain their silvery-white color, even after years of use (from the Demeyere website). 

Silvinox® doesn't make stainless cook like a nonstick surface, but it does make it a little easier to clean, and it helps it keep its luster for decades.

BUY DEMEYERE INDUSTRY 5 COOKWARE ON AMAZON

BUY DEMEYERE INDUSTRY 5 COOKWARE (DOUBLE WALLED LIDS) AT SUR LA TABLE

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Overall Design: D5 Vs. Industry 5

(Appearance, lids, handles, ease of cleaning, basic usability)

Winner: Demeyere Industry 5 

Why: The welded handles, making for a rivetless cooking surface; the Silvinox® coating, making for easier cleaning; the helper handle on the large skillet, which the All-Clad D5 large skillet does not have.

If you've ever used All-Clad products, the added heft of the Demeyere Industry 5 might take a bit of getting used to. And if you have any muscular or strength issues, you might ultimately prefer the lighter weight All-Clad D5.

But if you don't mind a small bit of extra heft, the Industry 5 pans are wonderful.

First and foremost, because of their rivetless cooking surface. Just one smooth cooking surface, which you can see it in the photo below.

And the Silvinox® treated pans are easier to cook in, easier to clean, and stay looking great. (Just don't put them in the dishwasher.)

Overall appearance: All-Clad D5 comes in two finishes: polished (on the left) and brushed (on the right): 

The brushed finish is less common in clad stainless cookware, and the most popular D5 option. It's a matte finish that will help hide scratches. The polished finish looks like regular clad stainless cookware (i.e., it's shiny). 

Note: Most of the D5 links in this article go to brushed finish D5. 

Demeyere Industry 5 only comes in a polished finish.

What about handles and lids? All-Clad D5 wins in the handle department--or would, if they weren't riveted on. Industry 5 handles are a bit too square for our liking:

 and on the skillets, a bit too short, as you can see here: 

But not so awful that you couldn't get used to them, since their other features are so. much. better.

All-Clad D5 has newly designed handles, meant to improve on the oft-criticized D3 handles. They're easier to hold, with a finger stop on the bottom surface to help you stabilize your grip:

Other than the finger stop, the D5 handles are much the same as the D3 (which we like for the safety factor).

Lids: Lids are about the same on both brands: stainless steel with good handles.

How about helper handles? Interestingly, the All-Clad D5 12-inch skillet does not have a helper handle: 

This is interesting because the All-Clad D3 12-inch skillet does have a helper handle, as do 12-inch skillets in most of All-Clad's other lines. 

A helper handle is an asset on a large skillet, as they can be heavy when filled with food. The Demeyere Industry 5 12.5-inch skillet has a helper handle, as shown here:

Pan shape: You can see the skillet shapes in the photos above. The Industry 5 skillet has straighter walls and a bit more flat cooking surface. However, both skillets are nicely designed, and largely personal preference as to which shape is "better."

As for the stock pots, the All-Clad D5 wins for its wider, flatter shape over the taller, skinner Industry 5, as shown here:

Note that these are both 8 quart pots--and again, there is no right or wrong design, and which pot you prefer is up to you. 

What about cleaning? Industry 5 wins because of the Silvinox® treatment, which gives it a slight edge in the cleaning department. Don't expect it to perform like a nonstick pan, but do expect it to be  easier to clean than other clad stainless cookware you've used in the past, and do expect it to retain its shiny finish for decades to come.

Overall, the usability of both D5 and Industry 5 are exceptional, but Industry 5 wins because of the rivetless handles and Silvinox® treatment.

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Induction Compatibility: D5 Vs. Industry 5

Winner: Demeyere Industry 5

Why: Thicker sidewalls provide excellent performance without an extra layer of stainless steel to slow things down.

Both D5 and Industry 5 are induction compatible, and both will provide good performance on an induction cooktop. But we have to pick Industry 5, not because it has better induction features, but because it's just a better performer overall.

Demeyere has been making induction-compatible cookware since the 1970s, and have some patented designs that make their cookware particularly suited to induction cooking, namely TriplInduc® and InductoSeal® cladding. But Industry 5 doesn't have these, so it's comparable to other clad stainless cookware on induction.

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Warranty: D5 Vs. Industry 5

Winner: All-Clad D5

Why: All-Clad has a lifetime warranty, Demeyere has a 30 year warranty.

All-Clad's lifetime warranty is impressive, and they have a reputation for honoring it.

Demeyere cookware has a 30 year warranty, which is also very impressive--but it's not a lifetime warranty, so All-Clad wins. 

Despite the shorter warranty, the build quality of Demeyere is as good as All-Clad, and in some ways better. So the "shorter" warranty is not a reason not to buy Demeyere. You will easily get 30 years of use out of it, and in all likelihood, even more.

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Cost and Buying Options

While the Industry 5 10-piece set is more expensive, it comes with bigger (thus more expensive) pieces, such as an 11-inch skillet and a 4-quart sauce pan. Most individual pieces are comparably priced to each other, although there are some surprising differences in both directions. 

Here's a side-by-side price comparison of the 10 piece set and most popular pieces. Note that these are approximate prices and may change without notice. Also note that Sur la Table prices may be different than what's listed here (usually higher). 

* Contents of 10-piece sets are:

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Our Overall Winner: Industry 5

Industry 5 is our choice, for these reasons:

• It has a better build quality
• It has about 25% more heat-spreading aluminum than D5
• It has a rivetless cooking surface
• It has Silvinox® treatment that makes it easier to clean and keeps it looking like new for decades.

All of these features make it better than other multi-ply cookware on the market, too, including Made In, Misen, and even All-Clad Copper Core. In fact, we believe that Demeyere Industry 5 is the best 5-ply cookware on the market. 

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What Are the Drawbacks of Industry 5?

No cookware is perfect, and that includes Industry 5. Here are its main drawbacks:

• It's heavier than All-Clad D5. Having more aluminum adds weight and bulk. So if you want super lightweight cookware, All-Clad is the way to go (though we prefer D3 over D5).
• The "shorter" warranty. Demeyere cookware has a 30 year warranty while All-Clad cookware has a lifetime warranty
• Squarish handles aren't our favorite.

Other than this, there is little to be concerned about. Demeyere is a world class brand and well worth the price.

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What About Other Brands of Multi-Ply Cookware?

A few other brands make 5-ply cookware, most notably Made In and Misen. Made In is made in the USA (thus its name)--at least its clad stainless is made here, while other pieces are made in Europe--and offers a 5-ply cookware that is 2.7mm thick--0.1mm thicker than All-Clad D3/D5 for less than All-Clad. Misen is a 5-ply cookware made in China that is 3.0mm thick--i.e., considerably thicker than All-Clad--with an internal layer of stainless (just like D5). It's less expensive than All-Clad D5, and with that much more thickness, is going to have more aluminum and perform better. Like Demeyere, it will be heavier--it's probably a good buy (though we haven't tested it yet), though internal layers of aluminum or copper would provide better heating than stainless steel.

See our review of these two brands, Made In Vs. Misen: Which Is Better?

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FAQs on All-Clad D5 Vs. Demeyere Industry 5

Here are some common questions about All-Clad D5 vs. Demeyere Industry 5.

Which Is Better Overall, D5 or Industry 5?

Overall, Demeyere Industry 5 is the better cookware based on heating, durability, and ease of maintenance. However, D5 is a good choice if you want lighter cookware and will still provide good heating and durability.

Which Is Better for Induction, All-Clad D5 or Demeyere Industry 5?

They both work well on induction, but Industry 5 is our choice because it's heavier cookware, and weight can help with induction compatibility.

Are Both Brands Oven and Dishwasher Safe?

Yes, both brands are oven safe and dishwasher safe, but we recommend hand washing to keep the cookware looking new.

Which Is More Expensive, D5 or Industry 5?

Industry 5 sets are more expensive, but some individual pieces are cheaper, so it depends what pieces you're looking at.

Where Is All-Clad D5 Made?

All-Clad D5 is made in the USA.

Where is Demeyere Industry 5 Made?

Demeyere Industry 5 is made in Belgium.

Which Brand Has a Better Warranty?

All-Clad D5 has a lifetime warranty. Demeyere Industry 5 has a 30 year warranty. So D5 has the better warranty, but they are both very good.

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Final Thoughts on All-Clad D5 Vs. Demeyere Industry 5

While All-Clad is a great brand, their D5 costs more than their D3 without adding significantly more to performance. Enter Demeyere Industry 5, which is a top quality multi-ply cookware with features lacking in All-Clad lines, including a heavier build, more heat-spreading aluminum, a rivetless cooking surface, and the Silvinox® treatment that makes these pans a little easier to clean (and helps them keep their shiny luster for decades).

If you're looking for a set, the All-Clad D5 is less expensive, but contains smaller skillets and sauce pans. If you're looking for individual pieces, the pricing varies, so you have to compare each individual piece.

Demeyere is not as well known in the US as All-Clad, but it is a premium quality brand. If you want multi-ply cookware, buying Demeyere ensures you're getting the most bang for your buck. If you remain loyal to All-Clad, we suggest sticking with their tri-ply (D3).

If you're still shopping, see also: All-Clad Vs. Demeyere: Which Is Better? and our Ultimate All-Clad Cookware Review. We also have several other brand reviews and information about cookware safety and more on our Cookware home page.

Thanks for reading!

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