Zinc Planters and Window Boxes

Zinc planters and Window Boxes are popular in gardens thanks to their flexibility and weatherproof qualities. It’s an excellent material for outside use as it can cope with anything the British climate throws at it.

Zinc planters and Window boxes are made of steel that has been electroplated with a layer of zinc to provide the lovely look we want in a garden.

Zinc is ideal for outdoor use and is available in a range of colours to suit any garden design. It’s robust, flexible and can be turned into a wide variety of shapes and sizes.

Common uses

Zinc planters are common in commercial spaces and the home. You’ll often see them in pub gardens, cafes and restaurants, anywhere that offers outdoor dining or seating, hotels, public gardens, professional gardens and the home.

They look fantastic on balconies, on window sills, as area dividers, borders and feature points within a space.

They are common because they can resist staining and weather and will continue looking good all year round. You can also plant anything you like within them, which adds to their appeal.

How it’s made

Zinc is mined from the earth’s crust and goes through a four-stage process to prepare it ready for use.

The first stage is roasting, where the zinc is fed into a bed roaster that runs at 950 C and turns zinc into calcine.

The calcine is then dissolved in sulphuric acid to burn away impurities in a process called leaching. The material is then sent to a process called electrowinning.

Electrowinning uses cathodes and anodes that are electrified. The cathodes collect the zinc, which are then removed and the zinc harvested.

Finally, the zinc is then melted and cast into the desired shape, slabs, blocks, ingots and sheets, depending on the end use.

Random facts about zinc

Zinc was first identified as an element in 1746 but there is evidence that both the Greeks and Romans used zinc as early as 20BC.

Benefits of zinc

Zinc has a wide range of benefits, including to human health as well as industry. It’s also the 24th most abundant material on earth, so there should be no shortage anytime soon!

Zinc use in metal is usually as a material to galvanise other materials, usually iron and steel.

The galvanisation process creates a thin layer of zinc over the iron or steel protecting it from oxidation and the elements. The material remains flexible, ideal for shaping, cutting and welding.

Zinc has a very long lifespan and has self-healing qualities. That’s why it works so well in manufacturing. As areas degrade, the zinc spreads to fill holes, ensuring maximum protection for the material underneath.

That’s why it’s used everywhere from car manufacture to zinc planters for the garden.

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