01What is covered
Defects in material and workmanship, for the period stated on your order confirmation. In practice that means three things:
| Defect | What it looks like | Our response |
|---|---|---|
| Wrong alloy or thickness | Certificate does not match the plate | Replacement part |
| Dimensional error against the confirmed drawing | Part does not fit the drawing | Rework or replacement |
| Weld failure | Crack or leak at a dressed joint | Repair or replacement |
| Finishing defect present on delivery | Visible patch, grain mismatch | Rework |
The period itself is on the order confirmation and on the quotation you approve, so it is in writing before you commit rather than on a web page after.
02What is not covered
Almost every complaint that reaches us as a “warranty” is one of these five, and none of them is a defect. They are described fully in why stainless steel rusts.
- Rust from a chloride or a cleaner. Pitting near a sink where sanitiser or brine sat wet.
- Rust from contamination. Free iron left by a carbon steel tool or swarf at installation.
- Scratching from use. A brushed finish can be re-grained; it is not a defect that a top has been used.
- Water marks and heat tint. Cosmetic, and reversible with the right cleaner.
- Installation damage. Handling, lifting, cutting on site, or a carcass that does not match the drawing the top was cut to.
Rust at a weld, in a line, on a part that has never been used, is usually a missing passivation step — that is ours. Rust in patches wherever a tool touched the surface is contamination at installation — that is not.
03How a claim runs
- Send photographs — one wide, one close, one at an angle in raking light. The angle is what shows whether the defect is surface or through.
- Send the inspection sheet number from the shipment. It ties the claim to a measured part.
- We answer with a cause, not just a verdict, and say which side of the line it falls on.
- If it is ours: rework or replacement, agreed in writing before anything ships.
We would rather tell you a failure was caused by a cleaner and explain why than replace a part that will fail again for the same reason. That is not a refusal — it is the only answer that ends the problem.
04The period, and how it is set
The warranty period is stated on the order confirmation you approve, not on this page, because it depends on the product and the market. What does not change is what the period runs on: the material we bought and the operations we performed.
| Element | Recorded as | Where it lives |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | 304 (1.4301) or 316L (1.4404) | Mill certificate, heat number |
| Thickness | 5 / 6 / 8 / 10 mm | Inspection sheet |
| Edge tolerance | ±0.05 mm at a machined edge | Inspection sheet |
| Finish | No.4 brushed, grain direction | Drawing and packing mark |
A claim is therefore argued against a document rather than an impression. If a part arrives at 6 mm when the drawing said 8 mm, the inspection sheet and the packing list settle it in one email. If a top shows pitting near a sink, the same sheet tells us the grade — and whether 304 was the right choice for that kitchen, which is a conversation worth having before the top is made rather than after it fails.
Two practical points. First, our lead time is 15 working days from a confirmed drawing, and a replacement part goes into the same queue — it is not made faster because it is a claim, and saying otherwise would be a promise we cannot keep. Second, packing is on-edge with the edges protected and the parts photographed before the case closes, so a transit claim and a manufacturing claim can be told apart from evidence instead of from memory. Keep the packaging until the parts are installed; it is the only record of how they travelled.