Colored Anodized Aluminum Tubing For Frames And Trim

This anodized aluminum tubing is supplied in colour, so the tube itself carries the finish instead of a later paint step. Anodizing is grown into the surface rather than laid on top of it, which is why a coloured tube keeps its shade where it is handled and where parts rub against each other.

Where it is used

Frames and trim are the main jobs: display stands, shopfitting, exhibition structures, furniture and shelving, window and door trim, light fixtures, signage frames and bicycle or scooter trim. Buyers usually move to anodized aluminum tubing when a painted tube has failed them, either because the paint chipped at the cut ends or because the colour drifted between batches.

How to choose

Colour: pick the shade from a sample rather than from a screen. Anodizing colour shifts with alloy and with the thickness of the anodic layer, so a colour matched on one alloy may read differently on another.

Alloy and temper: tell us the alloy and temper you need, and say whether the tube is bent after forming.

Outer diameter and wall: give both. Wall thickness controls stiffness and also sets how much surface there is to anodize.

Length and ends: state the finished length and whether the ends are square cut, deburred or threaded, since a cut end exposes bare alloy.

Batch colour control: if the tubing is used on one visible product, order the full quantity in one batch. Anodized aluminum tubing is dyed per batch, and a repeat order placed later may sit slightly off the first run.

Surface: bright, satin and blasted surfaces are all possible before anodizing, and the surface you pick changes how the colour reads on the anodized aluminum tubing.

What to confirm before ordering

The shade, alloy, temper, outer diameter and wall thickness for the anodized aluminum tubing.

Whether any bending, punching or threading happens before or after anodizing, because anodized aluminum tubing that is welded has to be finished after welding.

A colour sample or a physical reference, rather than a colour code alone.

Tolerance on diameter and straightness, and the packing needed to keep the coloured face unmarked.

Questions buyers send us

Can you supply a small sample length first? Yes, and it is the sensible way to approve a shade before a full run of anodized aluminum tubing.

Does the colour fade outdoors? Anodized colours hold up outdoors far better than paint, but a dark shade will still read warmer after long sun exposure.

Can two diameters be supplied in the same shade? Yes, provided both are ordered in the same batch.