Which can be worked in more colours, stainless steel or aluminium?

Color of Stainless steel

The colour of stainless steel is mainly silver-white, but it can be coloured in more diverse colours such as brown and blue by tinting. Here are some common stainless steel colours and their characteristics:

Natural silver:

this is the most common colour of stainless steel surface with natural luster, commonly used in home decoration, kitchen utensils, medical equipment and other fields.

Black:

through oxidation treatment or electroplating technology to form a black film layer on the surface of stainless steel, making the stainless steel plate appear black, commonly used in furniture, building decoration and other fields.

Gold:

gold stainless steel plate is usually achieved through electroplating technology, a layer of metal film covering the surface of stainless steel, increasing the decorative properties of stainless steel plate, widely used in hotels, restaurants and other high-end places.

Titanium metal colour:

this colour of stainless steel plate is often used in architectural decoration, through the physical vapor deposition technology in the stainless steel surface to form a layer of titanium-like film, so that the stainless steel plate shows similar to the metal grey, light grey colour.

Colour:

Chemical colouring on the surface of stainless steel can achieve different colours, such as green, blue, purple, red and so on. It is commonly used in the field of artwork and decorations.

In addition, the colour of stainless steel can also be achieved by other surface treatment techniques, such as sandblasting, brushing, embossing, etc. These treatment techniques can make the surface of stainless steel present different textures and effects, thus increasing its decorative properties.

Colours of  aluminium

Pure Aluminium

It is a silvery white metal. It has a dense film of aluminium oxide on its surface. This film allows aluminium to remain relatively stable in air, and the film is so thin that it does not alter the overall silvery-white appearance of aluminium. When light hits the surface of aluminium, the electrons in the aluminium atoms absorb and reflect the light, giving it a silvery-white sheen. This shine is brighter and is more common in some industrial products and everyday items, such as aluminium cans, whose silvery-white appearance gives a simple, clean look.

Colour variations of aluminium alloys

Aluminium alloys are alloys made by adding other elements (e.g. copper, magnesium, zinc, silicon, etc.) to aluminium. The colour of aluminium alloy can vary according to its composition and surface treatment.

Colour after anodic oxidation treatment:

Through anodic oxidation treatment, the surface of aluminium alloys can form a thicker oxide film. In this process, dyes can be injected into the micropores of the oxide film to make the aluminium alloy show a variety of colours, such as black, red, blue and so on. For example, some aluminium alloy doors and windows for construction can be selected in different colours according to the overall style of the building after anodic oxidation and dyeing treatment, which improves the corrosion resistance of the aluminium alloy and increases its decorative properties.

Colour after spraying: 

spraying treatment of aluminium alloy can make its surface covered with a layer of paint, thus presenting the colour of the paint. For example, in the automobile industry, some aluminium alloy wheels will be sprayed with fashionable colours such as gunmetal grey and glossy black to meet the aesthetic demands of different consumers.

summary

From the point of view of the variety of colours that can be achieved, aluminium can often be processed in a wider range of colours.

 

Aluminium has good surface treatment properties and can be anodised to achieve a wide variety of colours, including bright, vibrant colours, soft matt colours and a variety of customised special colours.

 

Stainless steel has a relatively small number of surface treatments, with common colours such as silver, black, gold, etc. Although more colours can be achieved through some special processes, the overall variety of colours that can be achieved is usually not as rich as that of aluminium.

 

However, the actual number of colours that can be processed is also affected by the complexity of the process, cost and market demand. 

Below are some of the colour coated aluminium coils manufactured by anodising process and surface coating：