Market Sectors

Our steels cover a huge range of markets so whichever sector you work in we’ll have something that’s right for you.

Take a look at the sectors below for more information and, if you don’t see what you’re looking for, get in touch with one of our knowledgeable sales team and they will help you.

Smooth Polyester is typically used in this sector. Colours we offer include Juniper Green, Slate Blue, Olive Green, Vandyke Brown, Goosewing Grey and Merlin Grey in 0.5mm or 0.7mm. Film application is recommended. Polyester comes with 25 microns of smooth paint and is a two coat system. Aluzinc has also been known to be used in this sector as it offers a better corrosion resistance than typical galvanised steel (up to 6 times) when the environment is more demanding (particularly in chicken sheds).

We are able to offer a range of products suitable for the coldstore and food preparation industry.

We offer several laminates suitable for prolonged, direct contact with food. Our standard foodsafe laminate is on a 0.5mm and 0.7mm galvanised substrate but we can supply to your requirements. We can cut to length or slit to width to meet your requirements, with most deliveries made 24-48 hours nationwide.

We can supply the sheets with or without a protective strippable film.

A range of materials suitable for bonding are also available. Primed steel has traditionally been used for backing of panels, but we can also supply a variety of metallic products such as galvanised or aluzinc steel with an organic sealant that is suitable for bonding with no pretreatment required. We carry stocks of 0.5mm – 0.7mm as standard but other alternatives are available by request.

This sector is the largest user of pre-painted steel in UK and Ireland, where it is used for profiling into sheet for single skin systems and also composite panels. The main product used for the exterior skin of a building is plastisol leathergrain, which offers excellent corrosion resistance and ease of formability. Granite HDX® (a polyurethane product) is also increasingly used, particularly for composite panels, as it also offers corrosion resistance and a large range of aesthetic finishes.

Regulations often dictate the features and performance of enclosures for electrical equipment in hazardous areas, such as petrochemical plants, so a wide range of materials are available. Aluzinc is often used in the harshest of environments due to its corrosion resistant properties that out perform traditional galvanised sheets by up to 6 times. Traditional materials such as leathergrain plastisol which are available in a wide range of colours as well as polyurethanes and smooth and textured polyesters also offer great performance in external environments. PVC laminates can give a more decorative finish if required, but these are often more suitable for internal applications.

Colorcoat products are extensively used for the flashings, trims and gutters of buildings. The full range of pre-painted products designed for external use are used by fabricators, where the products used depend upon architect specification and also the type of colour and finish required.

Products used include:

  • Plastisol leathergrain
  • Granite HDX® polyurethane
  • PVdf
  • Bright white polyester liner
  • Raintite membrane for single skin and composite gutter systems

Our ability to offer delivery within 24 hours nationwide means that building construction time and associated costs can be minimised. We also have no minimum order quantity which will help minimise waste particularly where unusual colours are required. We are able to offer products that are suitable to be used in conjunction with Kingspan’s range of panels.

Plastisol leathergrain is most commonly used for the Heating and Ventilation market. The product offers a combination of ease of formability, UV stability and weather resistance. Suitable gauges from 0.7mm through to 1.5mm are available. We hold these sizes in a range of popular colours including Goosewing Grey, Olive Green, Vandyke Brown and Merlin Grey. We are also able to colour match to customer specific requirements. Strippable film can also be applied to the steel to minimise any handling damage during the manufacture and installation of HEVAC units.

Plastisol leathergrain is widely used for both Industrial and Domestic Doors, due to the the wide range of colours available combined with excellent product performance. Suitable gauges range from 0.4mm right up to 1.5mm. The heavier gauges are used more frequently for doors where fire resistance and security are critical features.

We are also able to offer a wide range of exterior woodgrain polyesters, including popular finishes such as Golden Oak and Beech in both coil and sheet form.

We offer a broad range of aluzinc products suitable for insulation and pipe lagging in aggressive environments such as the petrochem industry. Aluzinc offers corrosion resistance greatly enhanced from galvanised steel in these aggressive environments, at a fraction of the cost of aluminium.

Highly reflective polyesters are most often used for reflectors, gear trays and trims in internal applications for commercial buildings. Available in regular and high gloss finishes, but it is the "pureness" of the white that gives this product its reflective quality. The paints make up means it will not get dulled by the strong UV emitted from the light source, so the material holds its properties longer. Standard polyesters are often used where reflectivity is not the main priority. For external applications, leathergrain plastisol, PVf2 or polyurethane finishes are more suitable.

All of these products have very high formability which is often required for the manufacturing process.

Automotive, marine, general aviation and commercial paint spraybooths and industrial ovens are traditionally clad externally with leathergrain plastisol sheets. The extensive range of colours means they are often able to be built to match customer's corporate colours.

Spraybooths are usually sheeted internally with an abrasion resistant material with a textured varnish that is resistant to solvents, as otherwise regular cleaning can damage these internal sheets. We can offer a structured polyester product on 0.9mm and 1.2mm galvanised steel substrate.

We offer a full range of coated steel products for use in the Self Storage Industry.

For ceilings and corridor walls we offer High Gloss Polyester, which has a 60% gloss level enhancing light levels within self-storage units.

For doors, leathergrain products in 0.7mm thickness are regularly used. We stock a large range of colours including those that are regularly used such as poppy red, aztec yellow, saffron yellow, solent blue and heritage green.

We are also able to supply Aluzinc sheets in flat and profiled format for the walls of the individual storage units.

With such a wide variety of trailers available in the market place, we can offer many different materials to suit the trailers specific purpose.

A refrigerated vehicle or portable coldstore may be skinned internally with a fully foodsafe laminate or polyester which will be suitable for direct contact with food without fear of contamination while also resisting mould.

Aluzinc is often used in flooring as its corrosion resistance greatly outperforms traditional galvanised material by up to 6 times.

A traditional horsebox trailer or box van might not need internal sheeting but will need a long lasting external skin, where a traditional plastisol with its proven track record of having a lifespan in excess of 30 years might be recommended. Alternatively textured polyesters or polyurethanes might be more suitable as these can often offer better resistance to any accidental knocks a trailer might have over its life.

We offer a range of aluzinc products suitable for insulation, tank and pipe lagging in aggressive environments such as the petrochemical and pharmaceutical industries. Aluzinc offers improved corrosion resistance compared to galvanised steel in these aggressive environments of up to 6 times, at a fraction of the cost of aluminium.

As well as aluzinc, plastisol is often used to match up with existing cladding of buildings on site.

Geographical Sectors

Benbow Steels can offer the full range of colour coated steel products across the UK and Ireland. With dedicated sales managers for each area, our team can offer the very best of choice.service.delivery no matter where our customers are based.
expansive market sectors covered by benbow steels including Agricultural Coldstores & Cleanrooms Construction - Roofing & Cladding Enclosures Flashings & Fabrications Heating & Ventilation (HVAC) Industrial & Domestic Doors and more
choice. service. delivery.

If you didn’t find what you need or if you want to find out more, please get in touch.