01Four profiles
Each one answers a different question. The square edge says “this is plate”. The folded edge says “this is stiff and there is no sharp line to catch”. The bevel says “do not lean on this”. The radius says “this is safe to walk into”.
| Profile | Section | Stiffness added | Where it belongs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square, machined | 90°, as cut and machined | None | Wall edges, butted joints, a deliberately industrial front |
| Folded front | Plate turned under, 20–40 mm return | High | Kitchens, islands, anywhere a thin-looking edge is wanted |
| Bevelled | 20–45° chamfer | None | Bar tops, pass counters, a deliberate sharp read |
| Radiused | R3–R12 bullnose | None | Any edge at body height in a public or domestic space |
02Which edge carries ±0.05 mm
Only the machined square edge. That is not a marketing distinction, it is what can be measured: a straight machined edge can be indicated against a straight edge or a dial gauge along its length, and the number is repeatable.
A fold is a formed feature — the outer surface stretches and the inner surface compresses, and the resulting radius is a tool dimension with its own tolerance. A radiused edge is ground by hand and checked with a radius gauge. Neither can be inspected to ±0.05 mm, and quoting them as if they could is how a specification loses credibility with the person receiving the parts. When a drawing asks us for ±0.05 mm on a fold, we come back and ask which feature it was meant to be on, rather than quietly applying it to the one we can hold.
Write “machined edge ±0.05 mm” on the drawing, not “±0.05 mm” in the title block. The second one gets applied to a fold by someone and then argued about.
03The folded front edge, and why it is the default
Folding the front edge down from the same plate is the cheapest way to make 6 mm plate behave like 20 mm plate. The fold adds a vertical leg that resists bending, and it removes the exposed edge that catches cloths, forearms and dirt.
- Return depth 20–40 mm. Deeper is stiffer and heavier; 30 mm covers most kitchens.
- Inside radius is set by the tooling, typically 1–1.5 times plate thickness.
- No joint at the corner if the return is folded and the ends are mitred and welded — that weld is then dressed and re-grained.
- It changes the carcass height, because the fold goes below the top surface, not above it.
04Safety and the public edge
A square machined edge on 6 mm plate is not sharp in the way a knife is sharp, but it is a consistent 90° corner at thigh height, and in a public or domestic setting that is a decision somebody will eventually lean into.
The usual answer is a small radius — R3 to R6 — which still reads as a crisp edge from a metre away and removes the corner that cuts. R12 and above is a deliberate bullnose, used where the edge is a handrail as much as a worktop.
For commercial kitchens the edge is also a cleaning surface: a radius is easier to wipe than a sharp internal corner, and an edge that turns under the top (the fold) leaves nothing to catch.
We cut all four profiles from the same 304 or 316L plate, on the same 5–10 mm thickness, so the profile is a drawing decision rather than a stocking decision — the grade of plate does not limit which edge you can have. Our lead time is 15 working days from a confirmed drawing, packing is on-edge with the front edges protected, and the ±0.05 mm figure on the square edge is measured and recorded on the inspection sheet that ships with the parts. If a joint or an edge is later questioned, the warranty is against that sheet, not against a photograph.