Custom Stainless Steel Plaques – 6 Reasons why you need them

With nearly half of Great Britain wanting to be remembered by their descendants as good people, it’s safe to say legacy preservation is still relevant. However, legacy isn’t just about preserving the memory of a person; it can be preserving a brand, organisation, instill a reminder of a school or business mission.

But what’s the best way to acknowledge information, a person, or an organisation’s mission? By using custom stainless steel plaques.

Installing Memorial Plaques can elevate the aesthetic of outdoor furniture like picnic tables, seats and planters. But that’s not the only reason they’re essential for outdoor furniture. Dive right in with us, as today we’re going to uncover the major reasons why you need stainless steel memorial plaques for your school, business or local council.

Stainless steel outdoor plaques are a great commemorative piece that can be used as a sign, display a graphic such a QR code or logo. While they’re mainly made from stainless steel, plaques can also be made from more traditional materials like brass, cast aluminium or cast bronze.

With engraved stainless steel plaques, you can add symbols, wording or motifs.

While various outdoor memorial plaques are available, stainless steel is superior for outdoor furniture. Here are the reasons why:

1. Durable and resistant

Let’s face it: British weather is highly unpredictable and subject to rain, wind, snow and sun throughout the year. This means plaques for outdoor park benches like the Surrey Memorial Seat must be durable amongst these climates and stay readable in any season. Out of the many metals, stainless steel has a high threshold for resisting corrosion, which is the perfect choice to preserve memories and legacies for a long time.

2. Elevate the aesthetic

With stainless steel plaques, there’s a variety of ways you can add finishes, such as polishing, brushing or etchings and paint colours. All these can add value to the furniture it’s installed on, making it look more sleek and sophisticated. It all depends on the type of finishing and customisation you require.

3. Low maintenance

As stainless steel is heat-resistant, chemical-resistant and weather-resistant, there’s little upkeep needed to clean plaques. Generally, plaques only need a mild detergent, not even special cleaning agents, to keep them looking pristine, being a fantastic match for outdoor seating areas subject to harsh weather.

4. Easy to customise

Stainless steel plaques can be made in a variety of shapes and sizes. Because of this, there is a lot of flexibility in their design. When laser engraved, they can easily feature custom artwork or signage to compliment any outdoor furniture without any headache.

5. High Resistance to vandalism

With around 530,875 reported criminal damage cases each year in the U.K. being filed, vandalism and arson is a major concern for many councils, businesses and schools. However, stainless steel is difficult to vandalise, meaning scratches, graffiti or even fire is unlikely to cause discolouration or degrade plaques.

6. Long lifespan

Compared to other metals, stainless steel has a longer lifespan. On average, they can last for around 50-100 years. Its long life duration can easily help preserve legacy, awards and acknowledgements.

Before making a custom order for a stainless steel plaque, there are a few things to consider, such as:

Purpose

You must first consider its purpose and location to help you decide on a suitable plaque. Many stainless steel plaques are suitable for installing outdoor spaces and furniture. For instance, a memorial seat, picnic table or long planter are common pieces of furniture on which plaques are fitted.

Top Tip: Always think if the plaque will be used for informational, commemorative or decorative purposes; this will help you with your decision.

Customisation

You’ll want to be particular about the customisation options for your stainless steel plaques. Think about the text, logos, graphics design elements, font, size and shape so it complements the furniture it will be installed onto.

Budget

Always take into account your budget for each stainless steel plaque. The costs can vary according to the size, customisation and engraving. If you have a budget in mind, it can make the decision-making process a lot easier. For a general idea, check out our baseline costs of different stainless steel plaques.

At Earth Anchors, we’re no stranger to manufacturing custom stainless steel plaques for our clients. We recently created 140 stainless steel laser-engraved plaques with 10 different variations.

Our client wanted a QR code engraved onto the plaque in this project. We used a fibre laser to ensure the details could be engraved, making the Q.R. code scannable.

With a detailed list of translations, Q.R. codes, efficiency with revisions and drafts for customer approval and consistent communication, we minimised costs and produced bespoke plaques within a month of ordering over 40 different sites in the U.K.

Laser engraving onto metals like stainless steel is nothing new; it has existed for decades and is used in the automotive industry and tool manufacturers. With laser engraving being the most cost-effective and efficient engraving method, alongside the durability of stainless steel, these plaques are often disaster and weatherproof.

It’s not uncommon for aircraft and ships to use them, having their serial/I.D. numbers to identify in the event of a disaster. While stainless steel plaques are ideal for outdoor furniture like benches, picnic tables and planters, they are also perfect for even simpler things like door and house numbers to machinery serial plates.

But remember, before deciding on your stainless steel plaque, consider its purpose, location and type of engraving you want.

With over 50 years of experience manufacturing and distributing stainless steel plaques to the U.K. and Europe, we can help you with your custom orders, bringing your concept to life quickly. If you have an idea in mind, contact our team.