The metal behind the metal. Mild steel does the structural work in most of what we build, and increasingly it is also the visible surface.
Mild steel is our strongest and most economical material, and it carries loads that would need far heavier sections in softer metals. Most of our staircases, canopies and large frameworks are steel underneath whatever finish is visible.
It has also become a finish in its own right. Blackened, waxed and clear-coated steel gives a matt, slightly industrial darkness that sits well against stone and timber, and it has become one of the most requested looks in contemporary interiors.
Steel must be coated. Left bare it will rust, so every steel element leaves our workshop with a specified protective system rather than a decorative one alone.
Finishes
Finishes made on mild steel
Each one approved on a physical sample of the metal before production.
For your specification
Specify mild steel
Copy these words into your drawings or specification. The approved sample is the standard the work is checked against.
Made in mild steel
What we make in mild steel
Products: Shelving and display units · Wall art panels · Free-standing sculptures · Lift surrounds and doors · Glazed metal partitions · Facade screens and cladding · Boundary screens · Balustrades and handrails · Feature staircases · Planters and water features
Photographs
Mild Steel, made and finished
Questions & answers
Questions about mild steel
Will mild steel rust?
Yes, given the chance, which is why every piece is finished — coated, blackened, waxed or painted — and why the edges, corners and fixing holes get the most attention. Indoors, a good finish lasts indefinitely. Outdoors, mild steel is a maintenance decision: checked yearly at the edges, and refinished before the rust rather than after it.
What is blackened steel?
Mild steel with a dark, chemically converted surface — the finish of a fire basket, a stair stringer, a boutique’s shopfitting. It is the colour heat would make it, which is why it belongs near fire, and it is finished with wax or a clear coat to hold it. It marks, wears and develops, and that is its character.
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Have something extraordinary in mind?
Send a drawing, a sketch, or a photograph of something close to it. We will tell you what is buildable, what it costs and how long it takes.