Two duplex stainless steels 2205 and 2205 with 2.5 wt-% B addition prepared by a fast solidification technique were investigated. The samples were arc melted and cast in a cylindrical mould with varying diameters in a single cavity that provided different cooling rates. The hardness increased in both cases for smaller diameters, however, there was a different profile from the surface to the centre in case of 2205 with 2.5 wt-% B. The microstructural investigation indicated that boron addition led to the formation of hard borides and grain refinement. Different boride morphologies that varied with the cooling rates were identified. The compression strength at room temperature improved by a factor of 3.5 with boron addition without considerably decreasing the ductility Ver menos