Steel Vs Aluminum Roof Rack

This is why saferack uses the highest grade aluminum and steel available when designing and manufacturing every one of our products.

Steel vs aluminum roof rack.

In 2017 aluminum racks are the clear winner when compared to steel. Overall both aluminum and steel have superior profiles in terms of strength weight and long life of service. 50kg what does your arb weigh. Yes the rack is 45kg however i think the arb steel racks are heavier than this e g.

This allows a manufacturer to manipulate specific areas of the rack to provide more strength through gauging aluminum racks are also much more polished due to the fact that they do not rust like steel racks. With the market for roof racks ever increasing we can give you a few pointers to help you decide on your next roof rack material. Sep 9 2012 692 0 36 alverstoke. Dec 1 2011 4 andy that is going to be a fair amount of weight up high over corrugations the rack is going to take a fair hammering.

While aluminum might score a point on weight we think the advantages of steel still outweigh it. One of aluminums biggest advantages is that it s lighter than steel. Mild steels and carbon steels tend to be less expensive than aluminum but the cost of stainless steel vs aluminum typically aluminum is much pricer. When it comes to the cost of steel vs aluminum steel is usually less expensive.

In saying this though we must distinguish which type of steel we re talking about. Because steel can rust steel racks must be coated. At backrack we use a high quality powder coating that prevents the rack from rusting and keeps it looking great for many years. This could make an aluminum rack a little easier to handle while installing it and perhaps offer a tiny tiny advantage in gas mileage but that s about it.

Aluminum typically will not have a coating and therefore will be either metallic in appearance or they will be painted. The aluminium or steel debate has existed in the roof rack industry since the beginning. Steel and aluminum both perform well as a metal roofing material. However aluminum roofing depending upon the exact product chosen can run up to 20 percent higher in price compared to steel roofing.

Another advantage of using steel for a truck rack is its magnetism.