Materials
Which metal is right depends on where it lives, what it holds and how it needs to age. A short guide to the materials we work in.
Steel
Mild and hot-rolled steel is the workhorse and the default for anything structural — driveway gates, stair stringers, posts and pergola frames. Strong, economical, quick to weld, and it takes powder coat well. It rusts, so exterior steel is always coated, and near the water it is galvanised first.
Stainless Steel
304 for interiors, 316 anywhere salt reaches. Stainless is the answer when rust is not an option — kitchens, waterfront railings, pool surrounds, marine exposure. It costs more per kilo and more to fabricate, and the finish choice matters as much as the grade.
Aluminum
A third the weight of steel and it will not rust. That makes it the right call for wide automated gates, rooftop and balcony work, and anything you would rather never maintain. Softer than steel, so long structural spans still want a steel frame.
Brass
Expensive, slow to work, and unmatched where the metal itself is the finish. We use solid brass — never plated — for hardware, handrails, bar fronts, fireplace trim and feature work, usually on a steel structure underneath.
Corten Steel
Weathering steel that grows its own protective patina and needs no coating at all. Planters, privacy screens, facades and signage. It stains whatever sits beneath it for the first year, which is manageable if it is designed for and a problem if it is not.
Glass and Metal
Steel frames with glass infill — partitions, internal doors, shower screens and guards. Steel holds a large pane in a slimmer section than any other frame material, which is the entire reason the look exists. Glass type is set by code, not preference.
Wood and Metal
Steel structure, timber surface. Tables, treads, shelving, benches and cladding. The craft is in the fixings: wood moves through the year and steel does not, so the joint has to hold firmly while letting the timber breathe.
Choosing Between Them
Most projects come down to a trade-off between four things: strength for a given section size, weight, corrosion resistance, and whether the metal is the finish or carries one.
Steel is strongest for its section and the most repairable, and it rusts unless it is properly finished — the default for gates, railings, stairs and anything that gets hit. Aluminum weighs about a third as much and does not rust, at the cost of larger sections and poor impact resistance — the answer on balconies, roofs and long runs. Stainless is chosen when the bare metal is the finish or the exposure is genuinely aggressive. Weathering steel is a design decision as much as a material one, and it stains whatever sits below it.
The rest are combinations rather than alternatives: wood and metal where a steel frame carries a timber finish, glass and metal where the view is the point, and brass for interior work where warmth and patina matter.
The Material Is Rarely the Hard Part
In practice, exposure and detailing decide service life more than material selection does. A galvanized and coated steel section that drains and dries will outlast a stainless one that traps water in a crevice. Dissimilar metals bolted together without isolation corrode at the connection regardless of how good either metal is on its own. And a finish that never gets washed performs differently from the same finish that does.
That is why we ask where a piece is going and how exposed it is before we discuss what it should be made from. Send a drawing or a photograph and we will tell you what we would specify and why.
Free in-house consultation
We come to you, measure the site, and talk through options and budget before you commit to anything. No charge, no obligation.
Call (778) 805-5333 or email sales@trussmetal.com