Aluminium Polished Round Tube

Shop bright polished aluminium tube from our comprehensive online aluminium store. All of our round tubes are available to order in various sizes with fast delivery times. All our polished alloy round tubes have similar qualities to our standard mill finish aluminium round tube. With a good strength-to-weight ratio and the addition of a quality mechanically polished finish for a highly attractive appearance.

At Aluminium Warehouse we understand our customers needs. Those who buy bright polished tube, often choose it for architectural applications which demand a visually pleasing material. Therefore, you may find this profile in retail settings, modern interiors, hospitals, automobiles and even art galleries. 

Round aluminium tube is essentially a straight pipe with hollow sections. Round tubes are extruded profiles. They start their shelf life as a solid aluminium billet. Billets are large round bars. These billets then go into a large furnace. When the desired temperature is reached, the aluminium is pushed through a die. A die looks like a round metal disc. It acts as a template with the exact size of the wall thickness and outside diameters to create a seamless tube hollow.

We also supply polished sections of aluminium angle and square tube. If however you require an round tube pipe that has a greater level of strength, we would recommend reviewing our steel tubes. Currently we have stock of both stainless steel round tube or mild steel ERW round tube.

Alternatively, easyfix tube is another style of aluminium round tube. It's used as a building system. Alongside the plastic connectors and plastic end caps it can create a bespoke framework for racking and similar structures. Find out more here.

How to polish aluminium?

Polished aluminium is the process of improving the surface finish of the material. There are two techniques for polished tubes. The first is chemical polishing. The chemical is used to remove scratches, mill defects and film layers to produce a highly reflective mirror-like finish. This is an expensive process but is favoured for high-end architectural pieces.

Mechanical polishing is the use of physical tools to enhance the appearance of the alloys surface. There are three stages to mechanical polishing; grinding, polishing and then buffing. Once complete, any roughness is significantly reduced and smoothed. This method is both cheaper and the most popular since it improves the finish to a good standard for a clean visual impact. 

Will polished aluminium oxidise?

When aluminium comes into contact with oxygen it will immediately react and form a layer of oxide. This layer is protective and will reduce corrosion to the material, however it could affect the lustre of any newly polished aluminium over time, if not maintained regularly. After polishing, we would recommend sealing the surface with a lacquer or wax, especially if the material comes in contact with moisture.