Mill Finish

Stainless steel and aluminium can be supplied in a variety of different finishes to either enhance their aesthetics or improve their corrosion resistance.
The most common finish though that the metal is produced and supplied in is known as mill finish and the quality and look of mill finish differs from metal to metala nd even between different forms.

Aluminium

Aluminium is an extremely versatile metal with a number of advantages, it is recognised for being both lightweight and flexible. It can be cast, melted, formed, machined and extruded meaning that it can be manufactured into a variety of shapes and then subsequently fabricated to suit a whole variety of uses.

Due to its extreme versatility and strength, the use of Aluminium is becoming more popular, especially with the advantages it has to offer. Through the process of aluminium extrusion it can be supplied in ever more complex designs. This extrusion can be supplied in a variety of finishes including anodised, mill or painted and can then be further machined or fabricated.

Aluminium extrusion mill finish is a semi dull / semi reflective finish. It often has lines running along the length of the extrusion but these can be limited by specifying the visible surface during the drawing and sample process. Because of how the aluminium is cooled post production, there may be some slight staining to the metal where liquid has been left to dry. This does not impact the performance of the metal and is removed during further finishing.

Aluminium sheet mill finish is similar to extrusion in that it is a semi dull / semi reflective finish. The ‘A’ side of the sheet (top side) is often protected during production to reduce scratches (although some fine scratches may be present). The reverse side is prone to light scratching which occurs when the sheets are produced and run off down the rolling tables.

Stainless Steel

Stainless steel sheet mill finish is a dull grey finish. Although not regarded as commercially aesthetic, it is generally a consistent dull finish with very few if any surface imperfections on the ‘A’ side of the sheet. The reverse side of the sheet is not controlled and because of the nature of the production process, is likely to have some fine scratches. All of these mill finishes are compatible with further surface treatment to enhance the appearance of the metal.