Materials

Steel Frame Outdoor Products

Heavy-gauge steel built for heat, weather, and equipment that earns a permanent spot outside.

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Living with steel

Steel goes where heat and load go

Grills, smokers and kennels are steel for a reason: it takes direct heat and hard use that aluminum and rattan cannot. That strength is why these pieces are heavy — plan the spot before assembly rather than after.

The coating is the rust defence

Unlike aluminum, steel will rust if the coating is breached. E-coated and powder-coated finishes are what prevent it, so touch up chips when you see them rather than at the end of the season.

A cover is the cheapest life extension

Grease and standing water end outdoor cookers far more often than use does. Several MBY steel products ship with a fitted cover; on the ones that do not, adding one costs less than the rust it prevents.

Steel is the material you choose when you want mass. It is stronger than aluminum at the same thickness, it costs less, and it stays where you put it. The trade-off is honest and worth stating plainly: steel contains iron, so unlike aluminum it can rust if the coating is breached and left that way.

When steel is the right call

Anything that needs to be heavy or take heat. Fire pit bodies, grill and smoker cabinets, and kennel panels are all better in steel, because weight is a feature and because steel tolerates direct heat that would be a problem elsewhere. A smoker cabinet in aluminum would be worse, not better.

When aluminum is the right call

Seating you move, and anything that lives permanently in weather without a cover. Aluminum outdoor furniture cannot rust at all, and it is light enough for one person to rearrange. That is why our conversation sets are aluminum-framed and our smokers are steel. The material follows the job rather than a house preference.

Keeping steel from rusting

Rust on outdoor steel almost always starts at a chip, a scratch, or a weld point where the coating is thinnest. Two habits prevent most of it. Cover the item between uses, and let it dry before you do, because a sealed cover over a damp surface traps moisture and causes exactly what the cover was meant to prevent. If you find a chip, touch it up rather than waiting, since bare steel spreads corrosion under the surrounding coating.

Related

For steel-bodied cooking equipment specifically, see outdoor cooking. For the material comparison in full, our outdoor furniture buying guide covers how frame material affects lifespan.

Common questions

Aluminum cannot rust and is light enough to move alone. Powder-coated steel is heavier and stiffer, so it stays put in wind and carries heat well, which is why smokers, grills, and fire pit tables use it.

The powder coat seals the steel against moisture. Rust only becomes a risk where the finish is chipped or scratched through, so touch up damage and keep equipment covered when it is not in use.

Steel holds its shape under repeated heating and cooling instead of warping, and its weight keeps a tall vertical smoker or loaded grill cart stable on a patio.

Every piece passes the MBY All-Weather Test, a five-point durability check covering frame material, cushion fill and fabric, fastener spec, weight rating, and weather exposure before it is listed.