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Close-up of a galvanised iron sheet, its zinc coating catching the lightGalvanized Iron (GI)Zinc sheet surface with its natural mottled textureZincTree-stump table in polished copper and bronzeCopperSteel-framed glazed entrance doors to a villaMild Steel
CharacterPractical, weatherproof, and honest.Muted, matt, and comfortable being grey.Soft, ductile, and never quite finished changing.Strong, direct, unapologetically structural.
How it looksGrey with a crystalline, spangled zinc surface that dulls to an even matt grey outdoors.Soft matt grey, developing a subtle mottled surface over time.Bright pink-orange when new, moving through browns to deep near-black, or driven deliberately to green and blue verdigris.Matt grey raw; most often blackened, painted or powder-coated.
Where we use it
  • Facade, screen and cladding panels
  • Ceiling panels and perforated ceilings
  • Gates, boundary screens and service enclosures
  • Framing and supports behind other metals
  • Wall and facade cladding panels
  • Decorative panelling and inlays
  • Roof and soffit details
  • Feature surfaces requiring a neutral metal
  • Facade cladding and shingle systems
  • Hand-beaten sculpture and wall art
  • Ceiling baffles and coves
  • Feature doors and entrance panels
  • Boundary wall and exterior treatments
  • Structural frames, canopies and portals
  • Blackened steel screens and partitions
  • Steel-and-glass doors and windows
  • Balustrades and staircase structure
  • Gates and boundary treatments
OutdoorsMade for outdoor use: the zinc coat protects the steel beneath.A traditional exterior cladding metal.One of the classic exterior metals.Used externally throughout, always with a coating system appropriate to the exposure.
Finishes1: brushed & satin2: brushed & satin, patina11: mirror, brushed & satin, hammered, hand-beaten, embossed, special texture, special effects, antique…3: brushed & satin, special texture, distressed
In shortMild steel with a coat of zinc.The quietest metal we work with.The most workable metal on the floor and the most unpredictable in service — which is exactly why it is used where character matters more than uniformity.The metal behind the metal.
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