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ium holds up incredibly well,” Ged says.“ It’ s highly scratch-resistant. And even if it is scratched, the material has a unique ability to self-heal through natural oxidation.”
Karl elaborates:“ While the anodised layer is thin, it’ s very hard. Minor damage doesn’ t spread or degrade like it might in other materials.”
Aesthetic Flexibility
From a design standpoint, anodised aluminium offers a wide array of finishes.“ We’ ve got sample cases with all sorts of tones: light, dark, grey, brown, metallic,” Ged says.“ People often think anodised finishes are just silver or gold, but that’ s outdated thinking. You can meet almost any design brief.”
What anodised aluminium lacks in mirror-shine, it makes up for in practicality.“ High-gloss finishes tend to show every fingerprint and mark,” adds Michael.“ Matte anodised finishes disguise that, while still offering a premium look.”
And because HOPPE does both the manufacturing and anodising in-house, the flexibility is unmatched.“ We’ re in complete control,” Jens says.“ If a fabricator wants a custom colour in volume, we can do that. We’ re not waiting three months for a container from overseas.”
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The Shape of Things to Come
Beyond appearance, the method of manufacture plays a big role in product design. Stainless steel handles are typically made from tubes, limiting the shapes that can be achieved. Anodised aluminium, being cast, offers more design freedom.
“ You can create more ergonomic, curved, or flat profiles with aluminium,” Karl notes.“ And that’ s important as modern door and window designs become sleeker and more minimal.”
‘ We do everything ourselves, from the product design to the anodising
’ Weight and Commercial Fit
While aluminium is lighter than stainless steel, the difference at the handle level isn’ t enormous. Still, in specific applications, like bi-fold or lift-slide doors, every gram counts.
“ Stainless handles are hollow tubes, while aluminium ones are solid. So, weight-wise, they’ re closer than you’ d think,” explains Michael. Anodised aluminium has proven popular across both commercial and residential sectors.“ We
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supply thousands of handles for apartment blocks, offices, schools, and just as many for residential entrance and patio doors,” Ged adds.
Cost Comparison
Contrary to assumption, anodised aluminium is not a premium-priced option.“ The price difference isn’ t significant,” Ged says.“ It depends more on where the product is made and what grade of stainless is being used. A European-made 304 stainless steel handle will cost more than an anodised aluminium one; and significantly more than a low-grade import.”
The Sustainability Edge
In today’ s market, sustainability matters, and it’ s here that aluminium has a distinct advantage.
“ Aluminium is infinitely recyclable,” Karl explains.“ It requires less energy to recycle, and the transportation is cheaper because of its weight. Stainless steel, while recyclable, is more energy-intensive to process.”
HOPPE is committed to environmental responsibility. All of HOPPE’ s products are manufactured to ISO environmental standards, and the company is committed to reducing its carbon footprint across the board.
“ We track material origins, recyclability, and energy use. We’ re moving toward using more recycled aluminium in the first place,” Jens says.
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Informed Choices for Better Outcomes
Anodised aluminium offers exceptional corrosion resistance, lower maintenance, aesthetic variety, and sustainability— all with consistent, high-quality performance.
“ It’ s not about saying one is better than the other in every case,” Jens concludes.“ It’ s about asking: What’ s the right material for this job, this environment, this customer?”
HOPPE’ s Handle of Excellence
With more than 30 years in the UK and over 70 years of international expertise, HOPPE’ s legacy is one of precision, innovation, and above all: quality. HOPPE’ s integrated approach means its customers benefit from the combined knowledge of its technical teams in Germany and its market specialists in the UK, all working together to support you with practical solutions that match performance with style.
Here, HOPPE Germany and HOPPE UK explain that choosing the right material isn’ t about defaulting
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to the familiar; it’ s about understanding your environment, your customer’ s needs, and your long-term expectations. This discussion isn’ t about persuading customers to abandon stainless steel. In some cases, it may well be the right choice. But anodised aluminium deserves a seat at the table, offering durability, aesthetic versatility, corrosion resistance, and sustainable manufacturing, often with lower maintenance and a comparable price tag.
And that’ s where HOPPE adds real value – information and education to make sure you get the right product for every specification and application. Working together to make it work better for you.
Ged concludes:“ We do everything ourselves, from the product design to the anodising, and that gives us the control to offer real, tangible benefits to customers. Whether it’ s aesthetics, sustainability, or long-term durability, we want people to choose the best product for their project. That’ s where conversations like this really matter.”
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