01The five methods
Read the second column first: it tells you what the material actually is beneath the surface you can see.
| Method | What it really is | Edge | Where it fails |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solid plate | One thickness of mill plate, 5–10 mm | Machined or folded from the plate | Nothing structural — it is plate all the way through |
| Folded plate | Solid plate with the front turned under | A return of 20–40 mm | A fold line that was not planned in the layout |
| Bonded panel | Two thin skins over a honeycomb or foam core | A closing profile, often visible | Water at the edge reaches the core |
| Clad on substrate | 0.8–1.5 mm stainless over ply or MDF | Edge band or return strip | The bond fails after a leak or a hot pan |
| Loose sheet | Thin sheet laid over an existing top | A rolled edge or a trim | Dents, drumming, and a gap that holds crumbs |
Only the first two are what we make. The other three are legitimate products with real advantages — weight, cost, and a wider colour range — and they belong in a different conversation than solid plate.
02How to tell which one you have been quoted
Three questions settle it before any money is spent.
- “How thick is the material at the edge?” Solid plate answers in millimetres of one number. A bonded or clad top answers in terms of a skin, because the edge is a closure rather than a material.
- “What is under the top at the sink?” If the answer involves a substrate, water reaching it is a permanent failure rather than a stain.
- “What does a square metre weigh?” Solid 6 mm plate is 47.6 kg. A bonded panel with the same appearance is a fraction of that, which is either the advantage or the warning, depending on why you asked.
Nobody fakes weight. A quote that says the top can be carried and installed by one person is describing a panel, not 6 mm plate — and that is useful information whichever way you wanted the answer to go.
03Solid or folded: the only choice we make
Between solid and folded there is no quality difference — a fold is the same plate bent. What changes is stiffness at the front, the look of the edge, and the carcass height.
| Aspect | Solid, machined square | Folded front |
|---|---|---|
| Spans 600 mm at 6 mm | Adequate | Stiffer — a vertical leg resists bending |
| Edge appearance | The plate thickness, nothing else | Reads as a heavier top than it is |
| Cleaning | A 90° corner at the front | Nothing to catch a cloth |
| Carcass height | Unaffected | Lower by the return, if the fold goes down |
| Inspection | Measureable at ±0.05 mm | A formed feature, not measured the same way |
Most domestic kitchens take the fold. Most laboratory and workshop tops take the square edge, because a fold is one more place for residue to sit and one more feature to argue about during validation.
04Choosing, in the order that works
Start from what the top has to survive, not from a finish sample.
- Wet or dry? Wet areas — sinks, dishwashers, wash-down — argue for solid plate. Dry display surfaces can be anything.
- Hot or cold? A pan straight off a hob will scorch a bonded surface. Solid 304 or 316L tolerates it and cools.
- Repairable? A solid top can be re-grained in place. A clad top with a lifting edge cannot.
- Who installs it? Weight decides this, and weight is a specification item we quote, not a surprise on site.
We make the first two methods only, in 304 or 316L, from 5 to 10 mm, with a 15-day lead time from a confirmed drawing. Packing is on-edge with edges protected, and the inspection sheet that records the edge tolerance travels with the parts. If your layout suits one of the other three constructions better, we will say so — that is a shorter conversation than a remake.
Countertop specification · Kitchen countertops · OEM fabrication · Send a drawing