What is cladding?

Cladding is the term used to describe either the process or material used in adding a ‘skin’ to a building.

There is no specific material used for cladding and the term covers timber, composite materials, ceramic, aluminium and many more. Each material has its own advantages and disadvantages and thyssenkrupp Materials focus on being a leading supplier of aluminium to the cladding industry.

The purpose of cladding

There are many reasons that a building may be clad including weatherproofing, to transform the aesthetic appearance, manage wind loads, to provide thermal insulation or a combination of all of these and each material serves a specific purpose.
Our aluminium is a lightweight material that can be anodised or painted to provide a suitable aesthetic and low maintenance façade.

The process of cladding a building is a very complicated one and takes into account many factors. Because it is an external skin, the chosen material must meet certain regulations but consideration must also be taken into account for factors such as wind load, installation, weather resistance, fire proofing and thermal insulation and conductivity.

Cladding Materials

Aluminium

Aluminium is an ideal material for cladding because it is light weight, easy to process, can be finished in a variety of colours, low cost, environmentally friendly and is non combustible. Not only do we supply standard sheet sizes for processing but thyssenkrupp Materials are the only UK approved decoiler of J57sUP – the only product on the market with a guaranteed anodised finish from batch to batch. This means that we are well placed to offer a premium product at bespoke sizes saving you time and money in processing and installation.

As much as choosing the right fabricator is important for your cladding project, so is choosing the right supply partner. thyssenkrupp Materials have a dedicated team with experience in supplying aluminium rainscreen cladding panels and managing architectural projects including material specification, finishes and scheduled deliveries. Get in touch with us to see how we can save you time and money.