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Metal facade cladding: aluminium or steel?

Posted on: 09/22/2026
Facade guide 2026
Metal facade cladding
aluminium or steel?
22 September 2026
By SuissePliage
Reading time 7 min

Metal cladding gives a new or renovated facade a durable, maintenance-free skin with a clean look. Two families compete: profiled steel, economical and tough, and aluminium panels with hidden fixings, more architectural. This guide helps you choose, work out quantities and prepare the installation.

✅
The short answer

Choose profiled steel for a technical building, garage or workshop: economical, tough, visible fixings. Choose aluminium with hidden fixings for a house or a showcase facade: no visible screws, RAL colours, light. Either way, fit it on a subframe with a ventilated air gap.

The two families compared

Criterion Steel 35B Aluminium BL-312
Look Strong ribs, industrial style Smooth panels, fine joints, architectural
Fixing Visible Hidden, covered by the next panel
Width 1000 mm cover width 283 mm cover width per panel
Length 2 m, 3 m or made to measure Up to 4 m per panel
Thickness 0.63 mm (about 6 kg/m²) 1 mm or 1.5 mm
Colour Subject to availability RAL of your choice
For Garage, workshop, shed, renovation House, ventilated facade, high-quality renovation

Steel cladding 35B

Profile 4.250.35, fitted vertically or horizontally. The most economical way to clad a large area quickly. See the steel cladding

Aluminium cladding BL-312

Vertical panel with concealed fixing, 283 mm cover width, 1 or 1.5 mm, RAL colours. See the aluminium cladding

How a ventilated facade works

Cross-section of a ventilated facade with metal cladding: wall, insulation, subframe, air gap, cladding and air inlet

A wall · B insulation · C subframe · D ventilated air gap · E cladding · F protected air inlet (mesh) at the bottom, outlet at the top.

Cladding is never stuck to the wall: it is fixed to a subframe (timber or aluminium) that creates an air gap behind it. Air enters at the bottom, rises and leaves at the top: it removes moisture and heat and protects the insulation.

  • A continuous air gap, usually at least 2 cm, never blocked.
  • An air inlet at the bottom and an outlet at the top, protected by mesh against rodents and insects.
  • A subframe running across the panels: horizontal for vertical cladding, and vice versa.

Working out quantities

Aluminium BL-312: divide the facade width by 0.283 m (cover width) and round up. Example: an 8 m wide facade needs 8 ÷ 0.283 = 28.3, so 29 panels at the facade height. Above 4 m high, plan a horizontal joint or several panels stacked.

Steel 35B: divide the width by 1 m (cover width): the same 8 m facade needs 8 sheets.

Add a margin for cuts around windows and corners.

Installation, step by step

1

Prepare the substrate

Sound wall, insulation fitted if planned, and a level, plumb subframe at regular centres, suited to the local wind.

2

Set the starter

At the foot of the facade: starter profile and air inlet mesh. The first panel or sheet must be perfectly plumb, as all the others line up with it.

3

Fix the panels

Aluminium: the screw zone is covered by the next panel, so no screw remains visible. Steel: regular fixings following the layout plan. Use fixings compatible with the metal (stainless steel with aluminium).

4

Allow for expansion

Aluminium expands with heat: do not jam panels tight and keep the gaps at the ends.

5

Detail the junctions

Corners, reveals and window sills, coping on the wall head: these finishes make the facade watertight and good-looking.

i
Finishes around the cladding

Under windows: our guide to the window sill. On the wall head: our copings. On the roof: our guide to roof flashings.

Choose your cladding

Profiled steel or aluminium with hidden fixings, RAL colours.

▶ See the cladding

→ All about BL-312 aluminium cladding

Frequently asked questions

Q
Aluminium or steel cladding: which to choose?

Profiled steel is the most economical and suits garages, workshops and sheds. Aluminium with hidden fixings gives a more refined finish, with no visible screws and in RAL colours, for a house or a showcase facade.

Q
Does metal cladding need an air gap behind it?

Yes. The cladding is fitted on a subframe leaving a continuous air gap, usually at least 2 cm, with an inlet at the bottom and an outlet at the top. It removes moisture and protects the insulation.

Q
Can metal cladding be fitted horizontally?

Steel cladding 35B can be fitted vertically or horizontally. Aluminium cladding BL-312 is designed for vertical fitting on a horizontal subframe.

Q
How many BL-312 panels for a facade?

Divide the facade width by 0.283 m and round up: an 8 m facade needs 29 panels, plus a margin for cuts.

Q
What if the facade is more than 4 m high?

BL-312 panels are made up to 4 m long. Beyond that, plan a horizontal joint or several stacked panels, to be checked in the layout plan before ordering.

Q
Which screws for aluminium cladding?

Fixings compatible with aluminium, usually stainless steel, to avoid galvanic corrosion. The fixing stays hidden under the next panel.

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