How is Cold Rolled Steel Used for Home Design and Decor?

When you think of steel, what’s the first thing that pops into your mind? For a lot of people, their minds go to construction, where steel beams form the foundation of sky-high buildings. Others might first think of the automotive industry, where steel accounts for up to 60% of a vehicle’s total weight. The fact of the matter is steel, in some form or another, is around us much of the time. In our buildings, in our vehicles, and even in our home decor.

Materials for Architecture and Home Decor

Yes, steel has been a popular material used for both architecture and home design for quite some time. Specifically cold rolled steel, which I’ll be covering in more detail today, is commonly used to create home decor elements — like light fixtures and brackets — as well as components for appliances. 

Cold Rolled Steel Light Fixtures

Walking into a home furnishings store, you’re likely to find lighting fixtures made from many different materials. This can be due to aesthetic features: an aluminum light fixture is going to have a different look from one made of cold rolled steel, copper, or brass. But appearance isn’t the only difference. 

Aluminum is chosen for its stampability and its high strength-to-weight ratio. It also comes at a lower cost than other material options. For copper, its excellent thermal and electrical conductivity make it a great choice for internal lighting components. In the case of brass, it brings many desirable qualities like softness, corrosion resistance, and surface regularity. All of these qualities lend themselves to use in light fixtures and many other types of home decor.

In the case of cold rolled steel, it has numerous qualities that lend themselves to lighting fixtures. As we’ve touched on before, cold rolled steel performs extremely well in applications requiring production precision. Alongside its higher tensile strength and yield strengths — when compared to standard steel — cold rolled holds tolerances extremely well. Finally, cold rolled steel works with a wide variety of surface finishes, providing a level of versatility that’s ideal in the home decor world. 

Cold Rolled Steel and Home Appliances

Even when it’s not being used decoratively, you’d be hard pressed to find a home that doesn’t contain cold rolled steel in one form or another. Nearly all home appliances have parts and components made from this dependable material. Cold rolled steel appliances include washers, dryers, and refrigerators. It’s also commonly used in computer hardware, lawn mowers, and water heaters. 

Whether cold rolled steel is functioning as a decorative element or forming the internal components of the appliances we use each and every day, we’ve come to rely on this material. Known for its ability to maintain tight tolerances and accept surface finishes, cold rolled steel is also 100% recyclable. If you’re interested in obtaining cold rolled steel in quantities small and large, request a quick quote from us: