Outdoor shelters can be designed in many ways, but design is only part of the picture. One of the most important decisions, for both us as manufacturers and you as a client, is choosing the right materials. What a shelter is made of directly affects how well it performs, how long it performs well, and how much maintenance it needs over its lifespan.
As an outdoor structure, a shelter spends its entire life exposed to rain, wind, sunlight, temperature changes, and everyday use. In public or commercial environments, it may also face accidental impacts, heavy footfall and repeated contact. Choosing materials that can cope with these conditions is therefore essential.
Here we cover some essential materials used in almost all our products. Each has particular properties that make it suitable for different applications. Let’s jump in.
Steel: the foundation of a durable shelter
Steel is probably one of the most versatile and easy-to-work-with materials. Almost all of our shelters use steel frames because they offer a hard-to-match combination of strength and practicality for outdoor structures. A properly designed steel frame provides the structural support needed for bus shelters, smoking shelters, sports shelters, waiting shelters, car shelters and other covered spaces.
Due to its strength, steel frames easily support shelter construction, even when side, back, or front panels are added alongside a roof. Steel is also easy to craft in desired shapes, and it can be customised with powder-coating to match brand guidelines or a client’s aesthetic wishes.
However, raw steel is susceptible to corrosion. This is why we also offer most of our products in several options, including hot-dip galvanised steel.
Hot-dip galvanised steel: protection against corrosion
For outdoor structures, corrosion is one of the most important factors affecting lifespan. This is where hot-dip galvanised steel can have a significant impact.
The galvanisation process requires the steel to be immersed in a bath of molten zinc. The process creates a metallurgically bonded protective coating over the steel, which helps prevent moisture and oxygen from reaching the underlying metal.
It acts as a seal, but more than that, the zinc coating also provides what is known as sacrificial protection. If the surface is scratched or damaged, the surrounding zinc can corrode preferentially, helping to protect the exposed steel.
One advantage of this process is that it protects areas that can otherwise become vulnerable to corrosion from damage, such as corners, recesses, and other hard-to-reach sections of a structure.
For shelters that remain outdoors throughout the year, this added protection can reduce the rate at which corrosion develops and reduce the requirement for ongoing maintenance. This is why we offer galvanised finishes across a range of our shelters.
This may be especially relevant for exposed locations and places where moisture is a constant consideration. In coastal areas, where salt in the air can increase corrosion risks, material selection becomes even more important.
Stainless steel: durability with a different finish
Stainless steel offers another option where the appearance, durability and environmental conditions need to be considered together.
The clean, contemporary appearance of stainless steel makes it well suited to modern public spaces and architectural environments. It is also valued for its superior corrosion resistance and durability, which is why stainless steel is used across products such as street furniture and selected shelter applications.
However, stainless steel is not automatically the right choice for every project. Galvanised steel can provide a durable, cost-effective solution in many environments, especially where a premium stainless finish isn’t required.
The main issue with stainless steel is that, although it is a great material for outdoor settings, it is noticeably more expensive than regular steel, galvanised or not. This is one of the primary reasons we use stainless steel in many of our smaller products, such as bollards and benches. We do offer a stainless steel bus shelter, the Prestige Stainless Steel Bus Shelter, for anyone who needs a more premium product, but our other models are typically made from regular steel.
Polycarbonate: strong, lightweight and practical
The frame is only one part of a shelter. The panels used for roofs and sides also significantly affect performance, lifespan, and usability.
We use polycarbonate widely across our range because it provides a useful combination of transparency, impact resistance, durability and relatively low weight. It lets natural light into a shelter while still protecting it from the weather.
Compared with conventional glass, polycarbonate is significantly more impact-resistant and less prone to shattering. This makes it particularly practical for public-facing structures where panels may be exposed to accidental impacts or vandalism.
Polycarbonate panels are also relatively lightweight, making them easier to transport and install. Their lower weight also means the shelter’s frame has less to bear. The great thing about polycarbonate panels is that, despite their weight, they are still strong enough for applications where panels need to provide protection.
The combination of materials matters
The longest-lasting shelter isn’t necessarily made from a single material. In practice, different components have different jobs, so combining suitable materials can produce a more effective structure. We apply that principle to all our designs.
A steel frame provides the structural strength. Galvanisation can add corrosion protection. Powder-coating can provide an additional protective finish and colour options. Polycarbonate panels provide weather protection and visibility without the weight and fragility associated with traditional glazing.
In some applications, galvanised steel and powder coating can be specified together. Galvanisation provides corrosion protection beneath the finish, while powder coating delivers the desired appearance and an additional protective layer.
This layered approach is especially useful for outdoor products because no single component is expected to perform every function.
Choosing materials for the environment
The right material ultimately depends on where the shelter will be installed and how it will be used. A busy city centre bus stop may need to do some heavy lifting against vandalism, so that a steel roof may be preferred over a polycarbonate one. Meanwhile, a private commercial site may be more concerned with natural light and comfort and may prefer polycarbonate panels in its shelters. And a structure beside the coast may face greater salt exposure than one installed inland. A sports shelter or public transport shelter may experience more frequent contact and possible impacts than a structure used occasionally.
All of these factors will be specific to your site and need to be taken into account during specification. For anyone looking to buy a shelter, material choice should therefore be considered at the beginning of the project rather than treated as a finishing detail. The right combination of materials can reduce maintenance requirements, protect the structure from the elements and help it continue performing its intended function for years to come.