Construction & Architecture

Architectural stainless is judged twice: once by the specifier on paper, and once by everyone who walks past it for the next twenty years. Get the grade right for the atmosphere, the finish right for the light, and the grain direction right for the panel layout.

What we supply

Grade by distance from the sea

What to specify

• Grain direction. No.4 and HL are directional. Adjacent panels with crossed grain will look like two different materials in raking light. Specify the direction on the drawing.
• One lot for one elevation. Finish and colour vary slightly between batches. For a single visible facade, order the whole area at once.
• Protective film and removal date. Film left in sun for months bakes onto the surface. Specify removal within six months.
• Flatness. Thin panels on a dark facade telegraph every wave. Specify flatness (≤ 3 mm/m) and consider a slightly thicker gauge.

Mistakes we see

304 on a seafront hotel. The most expensive mistake in the trade. It looks perfect for eighteen months, then tea-stains and pits along the weather side.

Mixing 2B and No.4 on one elevation. 2B reads as flat grey, No.4 as warm satin. Side by side they never match.

Ignoring the fixings. Stainless panels with galvanised or mild-steel brackets fail at the bracket, not the panel. Specify stainless fixings and isolate dissimilar metals.

Related products

• Sheet & plate — facades, panels and cladding
• Pipe & tube — handrails and balustrades
• Bar, angle & channel — brackets and framing

Send the elevation drawing with panel sizes and the site location — we will confirm grade, grain direction and a single-lot supply plan.