A stainless steel material for a fuel cell, used for a fuel cell or a cartridge for the fuel cell, having a magnetic permeability of 1.000 to 2.500, and forming a layer having a value of chromium atomic %/iron atomic % of not less than 3.0 in the most surface thereof, and/or the layer of thickness of not less than 12 nm calculated as SiO2 having an oxygen atomic % of not less than 20%. Even when brought into contact with the content solution exhibiting acidity of the fuel cell, the stainless steel material reliably suppresses the elution of metal ions thereof.