Your Trusted Corten Steel Supplier in the UK

Welcome to Buy Metal Online, the UK’s premier supplier of quality Corten steel products. We serve trade professionals across the country, including architects, landscapers, and fabricators, alongside domestic DIYers. Whether you need a small sheet for a garden feature or large volumes for a commercial build, we provide high-quality weathering steel tailored to your exact needs.

We stock an extensive range of Corten steel sheets, ready to be cut and delivered straight to your door, along with a wide variety of edgings and garden products. So if you’re wondering where to buy Corten steel with exact custom-cut sizing and zero minimum order restrictions, you’ve come to the right place.

Our Corten steel products:

When choosing a Corten steel supplier, working directly with a specialist stockholder ensures you receive the highest quality material and technical expertise. Corten (also branded as Cor-Ten) is a specialised copper-chromium alloy weathering steel famed for its atmospheric corrosion resistance. Unlike standard mild steel, which continues to rust and degrade over time, Corten steel develops a protective layer that seals the surface. This unique barrier shields the inner metal from dampness and oxygen, eliminating the need for regular painting or costly maintenance.

To guarantee you receive top-quality materials, all our sheet stock is safely housed in our dry indoor warehouse. This prevents premature rusting before it reaches the customer, giving you total control over the weathering process from the moment your delivery arrives.

We understand that different projects have different timelines and aesthetic preferences. To give you maximum flexibility, we offer two distinct finishes to suit your design requirements:

Raw Corten Steel Sheets

Our raw sheets are shipped in an un-weathered, bright silver-grey mill state. This is how the alloy looks fresh from the production line. Once installed outdoors, the metal will naturally oxidise over a period of 1 to 2 years under standard British weather conditions. The surface will slowly shift from bright silver to orange, before settling into a deep, rich brown.

Buy raw Corten steel sheets online

Aged & Weathered Corten Sheets

If you cannot wait months for the signature orange tone, we also offer a range of pre-weathered Corten steel sheets. These are specially treated in-house to provide an immediate, uniform, rich reddish-brown patina from day one.

This option is perfect for indoor projects where natural rainfall will not trigger the rust layer, or for outdoor projects that require an instant visual impact.

Buy pre-weathered Corten steel sheets online

Finding a reliable stockholder can be difficult, but Buy Metal Online makes it as easy as possible to buy Corten steel in the UK. Our customer-focused service is designed to save you time and money at every stage:

• Free Custom Cutting: Forget the hassle of purchasing massive stock sheets and dealing with costly on-site scrap. With our free profiling service, you enter your exact dimensions online, and we cut the sheet to size for free. You only pay for the metal you actually need.
• No Minimum Order Value: We provide an equal level of service to every customer. Whether you’re a large contractor ordering dozens of heavy panels for a commercial development, or a hobbyist building a single garden feature, we treat your order with the same care and attention.
• Price Match Guarantee: We’re committed to remaining the most competitive Corten steel supplier in the UK. If you manage to find a verified cheaper quote for the same high-quality material elsewhere, we promise to match it.

Who We Supply: From Architectural Facades to Landscaping

Our premium weathering steel is highly versatile and used across a wide variety of sectors. We regularly supply materials to:

• Landscaping & Garden Designers: We supply durable sheet metal for Corten panels and planters, structural steps, pathway edging, retaining walls, and even ponds and water features that blend beautifully into natural environments.
• Architects & Main Contractors: We deliver high-quality, long-lasting panels used for exterior building skins, feature walls, and striking urban cladding projects.
• Artists & Fabricators: We provide clean, workable alloy sheets that are easy to cut and weld, perfect for outdoor public sculptures, signage, and decorative street furniture.

Ready to start your next project? We invite trade buyers, procurement managers, and independent creators to contact our sales office today. Our expert team is on hand to assist with bulk discounts, custom project quotes, or technical advice.

Call us on 0191 264 6464 or email us to discuss your needs.

Can you paint rusted Corten steel?

Yes, but it’s not recommended. Painting over the rusted surface traps moisture and ruins the protective patina. If you want a painted finish, it’s better to use standard mild steel, as Corten is specifically made to be left unpainted.

Can you sand Corten steel?

Yes. You can sand raw or weathered sheets to remove surface marks or to reset the rusting process. Sanding will take the metal back to its bright silver mill finish, and it will begin to oxidise again from scratch.

Does Corten steel need to be sealed?

No. The rust patina acts as its own natural protective shield. However, you can apply a specialised polyurethane sealer if you want to lock in a specific colour or prevent rust runoff from staining nearby stone or paving.

Will the rust runoff stain my patio?

During the first 12 to 18 months of natural weathering, rain can cause rust runoff, which may stain porous surfaces like stone, concrete, or light-coloured paving. Designing proper drainage or using pre-weathered sheets helps minimise this issue.

How long does it take for raw sheets to change colour?

In standard British weather, raw sheets start showing signs of orange rust within a few weeks. The deep, stable protective patina normally takes between 1 and 2 years to fully develop.

Can I use Corten sheets indoors?

Yes. However, because there is no rain indoors, raw sheets will stay silver-grey. If you want the characteristic orange-brown appearance for an interior project, choose our pre-weathered sheets.

Is Corten steel heavier than standard mild steel?

No. It has the same density and weight as standard mild steel. A sheet of a specific thickness will weigh the same, but Corten lasts much longer outdoors without structural degradation.

Can you weld weathering steel sheets?

Yes, Corten steel can be welded using standard methods. For best results, use specialised weathering steel welding wire or electrodes so that the weld joints change colour at the same rate as the surrounding sheet.

What sheet thicknesses do you supply?

We stock an array of thicknesses to suit different jobs, ranging from thin 1.5 mm sheets for decorative screens to thicker plates (up to 6.0 mm) for structural retaining walls. Check our product pages for information on current stock availability.

How long will a Corten steel sheet last?

Thanks to its anti-corrosive properties, a high-quality sheet can easily last outdoors for several decades.