What are radiators made of? An informational guide

What material are radiators made  of?

What are radiators made of is a great question and not as silly as you may think to start with. The confusion is being created by the varying different and exciting finishes that radiators can now come in. Furthermore the styles and designs have also changed with time. So where did we start and where are we going? Radiators have been around for a long time and pretty much anything that emits heat could be classed as a radiator. If you think about bed heaters that used to be filled with coals and place in a container and put in the bed, really this was the first personal radiator. The need for heating in the home actually came to the UK pretty late as we stuck to fires in each room and then gas fires so the humble radiator was a late starter in the UK and then it was made out of cast iron because this was a something that we used a lot of in the industrial revolution. Unfortunately cast iron is not very good at transferring heat and is heavy and brittle. Steel is a much better medium and with the advent of large scale presses and automation it was and still is relatively simple to produce. So the panel radiator was created and then as efficiency was demanded, extra panels and convectors where developed. In generally most radiators are made out of steel but there is still used today, aluminium, cast iron, plastic, copper and brass. Steel has pretty much dominated the radiator market because it is a dependable material that is hard, long lasting and traded across the world. The other materials have just not cut it in the hard world that is central heating and can be expensive, floored and easily damaged. The radiator market is driven by its consumers and they are now demanding great output, great designs and great finishes. [caption id="" align="alignright" width="150"] High grade stell column rads.[/caption] Here at Columnrads we can tick all those boxes and if you are looking for standard efficient panel rads with good clear finish and quality then perfect. We also have a massive range of column rads that are made out of high grade steel with perfect performance and a modern contemporary design that is just not rivalled in the UK. For advice on the best radiator for you, view our guide to chosing a radiator.