The best aluminium rectangular tubes, compared.
Top pick: Aluminium Online 40 × 20 × 2 mm Best value: Aluminium Online 30 × 20 × 2 mm – Lowest price per metre in this set, about £11.00, with a 2 mm wall. Alloy and temper are not stated, and there is no written review. Updated October 2026.
An aluminium rectangular tube is a rectangular hollow section: two different outside sizes, a wall, and a cut length. The five amazon.co.uk bars here are 800 mm or 1,000 mm lengths, not 6 m bars. None includes fixings, end caps, or a stated working load. Three Aluminium bars state neither alloy nor temper. How to read section, wall, and length is on the [aluminium rectangular tube buying guide](/hub/rods-and-pipes/aluminium-rectangular-tube/sub/aluminium-rectangular-tube-buying-guide). One listing stores a face as an outside diameter, and the 60 × 40 × 3 mm page also stores a sheet, so measure on arrival. Square tube, round tube, and plastic end caps are different products and are not in this comparison. Both outside sizes should be in millimetres, then the wall, then the length.
An aluminium rectangular tube is a rectangular hollow section: two different outside sizes, a wall, and a cut length. The five amazon.co.uk bars here are 800 mm or 1,000 mm lengths, not 6 m bars.
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
Do you need 6063-T6 printed on the listing?
The Aluminium Online 40 × 20 × 2 mm listing is a 1,000 mm mill-finish hollow at about £15.85, and the technical block follows the title more closely than the 60 × 40 row: a 2 mm wall, a length of 100 cm, and dimensions of 40 mm by 20 mm. The star line is 5.0 from 4, and the listing has no written review, so those stars are not a description of stiffness or of outdoor use. Alloy and temper are not stated. A bullet uses the brand line “Generisch” and the product type HARDWARE_TUBING. Origin is the United Kingdom, and included components name the hollow section only. If you subtract twice the wall and ignore corner radius, the bore is about 36 mm by 16 mm; that is geometry, not a caliper reading, so measure before a sleeve. At about £15.85 per metre it is a wider rail in the middle of the set, and you are buying the printed section rather than a tested frame.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A 40 mm rail of about 1 m where you accept an unstated alloy and will measure the bore.
Less suitable: Anyone treating five stars with no sentences as a strength test, or a job that needs 6063-T6 in the title.
Specifications
Common questions
Is an alloy stated?
No. The listing states aluminium, mill finish, 40 × 20 × 2 mm, and a length of 1,000 mm.
Does it come with fixings?
Included components name the hollow section only. No fixings are listed.
Is there written review text?
The listing line is 5.0 from 4. The listing has no written review.
The Aluminium Online listing titled 60 × 40 × 3 mm, model RH060x40x3, is about £21.59 for a stated 1,000 mm, the largest and dearest bar in the set. The only written review says “as described”, under a star line of 5.0 from 1, which is not a sample you can lean on. The technical block stores item form Sheet and dimensions of 6 × 4 × 0.1 cm, beside an item thickness of 3 mm and a length of 100 cm, so the page describes both a hollow section and a small sheet. Alloy and temper are not stated; the grade rating says Commercial, the origin is the United Kingdom, and the finish is mill. No fixings are listed, and the listing does not state a weight. A rough mass using 2.7 g/cm³ for a sharp-cornered 60 × 40 × 3 mm metre is about 1.5 kg, and that is a rule of thumb rather than a printed figure: if the parcel is a light sheet, it is not this tube. Keep it only after you measure, and do not use the single star as a reason to skip that check.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A buyer who needs a 60 × 40 mm spar and will measure past the sheet field before keeping the parcel.
Less suitable: Anyone who needs a certificate, a second matching bar with a clean listing, or a page where the technical block already agrees with the title.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the technical block match the title?
The title and model RH060x40x3 describe a 60 × 40 × 3 mm hollow section, 1,000 mm. The technical block stores item form Sheet and dimensions 6 × 4 × 0.1 cm.
Does it come with fixings?
The listing asks and does not answer. Included components say Aluminium. No screws, brackets, or end caps are listed.
Is an alloy stated?
No. The listing states aluminium, mill finish, and grade rating Commercial. It does not state 6063-T6 or 6082.
The Fabal 30 × 15 × 1.3 mm bar is an 800 mm cut of stated 6063-T6 mill-finish tube at about £12.53, and the listing allows the sawn length to vary by about ±2 mm. UK comments that match a tube say it arrived promptly, was used outside, should not rust, and did the job, though one review title on the same page names 60 mm × 20 mm × 1.2 mm, so the 4.8 from 7 is not a clean set of comments for this section alone. The bullets say the surface is ready to paint, powder-coat, or anodise, and that the bar is for fabrication rather than a decorative face. The technical block stores an outside diameter of 1.3 mm and dimensions of 80 cm by 1.3 cm, which repeats the wall rather than the 30 × 15 mm outside size in the title. No fixings are included, and the origin is not stated as the United Kingdom. At about £15.66 per metre it costs more, length for length, than the same seller’s 1,000 mm cut. Measure the section when it arrives, and do not treat the 1.3 mm wall as a thread you can cut with a self-tapping screw.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A short 30 × 15 mm repair where 800 mm is enough and you want 6063-T6 written on the listing.
Less suitable: A gap over about 800 mm, a self-tapped thread in a 1.3 mm wall, or a job that needs the technical block to match the title.
Specifications
Common questions
Can you paint this tube?
The listing says the mill-finish surface is ready for painting, powder coating, or anodising. No coating is supplied.
How long is this cut?
800 mm. The listing says cut lengths may vary by ±2 mm.
Does the technical block match the title?
The title is 30 × 15 × 1.3 mm. The outside-diameter field stores 1.3 mm, which is the wall, not an outside size.
The Fabal 30 × 15 × 1.3 mm metre is the same stated 6063-T6 mill-finish section as the 800 mm cut, at about £13.15 for 1,000 mm. One UK review with text says the bar was exactly as described, arrived early, and that the buyer had used the seller before; the star line is 4.7 from 4, which is a short rating sample. The stored dimensions of 100 cm by 1.5 cm match a metre of the 15 mm side, while the outside-diameter field stores 30 mm, one face of the rectangle rather than a round tube. The bullets say the mill finish is ready to paint, powder-coat, or anodise, and that imperial figures on the packet are approximate. No screws, brackets, or end caps are included, and the origin is not stated. You pay £0.62 more than the shorter Fabal and receive 200 mm more bar, still with a 1.3 mm wall that suits a through-bolt or a rivet more honestly than a thread cut in the metal. It is the top pick in this set when that section and a stated temper fit a light frame under 1 m.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A light frame or shelf under 1 m that needs 30 × 15 × 1.3 mm and a printed 6063-T6.
Less suitable: A deeper section, a stated working load, or a bar longer than 1 m.
Specifications
Common questions
What alloy is stated?
6063-T6. The listing also states mill finish, 30 × 15 × 1.3 mm, and a length of 1,000 mm.
Can you paint it?
The listing says the uncoated mill finish is ready for painting, powder coating, or anodising. No coating is supplied.
Are the imperial sizes exact?
The listing says imperial figures are approximate and that the metric sizes are the exact ones.
The Aluminium Online 30 × 20 × 2 mm bar is a 1,000 mm mill-finish hollow at about £11.00, the lowest price per metre in this set, and the title claims next-working-day delivery. The star line is 4.0 from 2, and the listing has no written review sentences, so the rating does not describe a job. Alloy and temper are not stated, which means you cannot treat it as 6063-T6. Country of origin is the United Kingdom, the manufacturer field is Aluminium Online, and included components name the hollow section only. The technical block stores a 2 mm wall, an outside-diameter field of 30 mm, and dimensions of 30 mm by 20 mm, which is the section rather than the 1 m length. The image on the listing is a shared placeholder, not a unique photograph of this size. It is the best value here if a 2 mm wall and an unstated alloy are acceptable and you measure on arrival.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A light 30 × 20 mm frame where you will measure the bar and you do not need a printed temper.
Less suitable: A repair that must match 6063-T6, or any job that needs written reviews of this section.
Specifications
Common questions
Does this tube come with fittings?
Included components name the aluminium rectangular hollow section only. No fittings are listed.
Is an alloy stated?
No. The listing states aluminium and mill finish, and it does not state an alloy or a temper.
Is it weatherproof?
The listing asks that question and does not answer it. Mill finish dulls outdoors as oxide forms. No end caps are included.
Five aluminium rectangular tube listings on amazon.co.uk are scored from 0 to 100. Stars, review volume, whether the title and technical block agree, the stated use, and price per metre each have a fixed share. No bar was load-tested. A 5.0 from one review does not outrank a stated 6063-T6 bar. Conflicting diameter fields, a sheet field on a tube title, and ratings with no written text are deducted.
Amazon stars
30%Up to 30 points from the amazon.co.uk star average: stars divided by 5, times 30, rounded half up. The star line is not a strength test.
Review volume
15%Up to 15 points for how many ratings exist and whether a written review matches this section. Two ratings with no written text score lower than seven ratings.
Listing agreement
25%Up to 25 points when alloy and temper are stated, the title gives both outside sizes, the wall, and the length, and the technical block agrees. A sheet field against a tube title scores none of the form points.
Stated use
15%Up to 15 points for a stated temper on a light frame at 1,000 mm or 800 mm. A 2 mm wall with no temper scores less. A 3 mm title that the technical block contradicts scores least.
Price per metre
15%Up to 15 points for the lowest price per metre inside this set. The about £11.00 bar leads on price. A dearer bar with a sheet conflict scores less.
Choose the outside section, the wall, and the cut length before the star line. In this set those three numbers, plus whether 6063-T6 is printed, separate a bar you can specify from a listing you should measure.
An aluminium rectangular tube is a rectangular hollow section. Two outside sizes differ, a wall thickness sits inside them, and the bar is sold at a cut length. Square tube, round tube, and plastic end caps are different products and are not in this comparison. Shoppers on amazon.co.uk in this set are buying 800 mm or 1,000 mm fabrication bars, not 6 m stockholder lengths. Read the title first. Both outside sizes should be in millimetres, then the wall, then the length.
Several listings store one face, or the wall, in an outside-diameter field. The bar in the title is rectangular. A 30 mm figure on the Fabal metre is one face of 30 × 15 mm, not a round size.
The short Fabal is 800 mm, with a stated tolerance of about ±2 mm. An 850 mm gap is longer than that cut. Imperial figures on the Fabal packet are approximate; the seller says the metric line is exact.
Mill-finish aluminium dulls outdoors as oxide forms. Coupling the bar to bare steel, copper, or wet mortar and treating the white crust as rust misreads that surface. These listings do not include isolating fixings or end caps.
Start with both outside sizes in millimetres, taken from the title. A rectangular hollow section has two different faces. Square tube and round tube are other products. In this set the faces are 30 × 15 mm, 30 × 20 mm, 40 × 20 mm, and 60 × 40 mm. Wall comes next: 1.3 mm on both Fabal bars, 2 mm on the 30 × 20 mm and 40 × 20 mm bars, and 3 mm on the title of the 60 × 40 mm bar. Outside size minus twice the wall ignores the corner radius, so it is only a sketch of the bore.
Alloy and temper decide whether you can name the metal. 6063-T6 is printed on the Fabal 800 mm and 1,000 mm bars. The three Aluminium Online bars state aluminium and mill finish, and they do not state an alloy or a temper. Do not read them as 6063-T6 or as 6082. None of the titles says seamless, and none is sold as pressure pipe. BS EN 755-2 is the properties standard for extruded aluminium tube: the figures depend on alloy, temper, and thickness.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You want 6063-T6 written on the listing, and 30 × 15 × 1.3 mm fits a light frame shorter than 1 m. The Fabal metre states that temper at about £13.15. The wall is thin for a self-tapped thread, and the outside-diameter field stores one face.
You accept an unstated alloy and you want a 2 mm wall at the lowest price per metre in this set. The Aluminium Online 30 × 20 × 2 mm bar is about £11.00. There is no written review, so measure the section on arrival.
The gap is about 800 mm and you still want 6063-T6 on a 30 × 15 × 1.3 mm bar. The shorter Fabal is about £12.53, with a stated cut tolerance of about ±2 mm. It costs more per metre than the same seller’s 1,000 mm cut.
The Fabal 30 × 15 × 1.3 mm metre is the top pick in this five-bar set: stated 6063-T6 at about £13.15 per metre, with one written review that the bar was as described. The Aluminium Online 30 × 20 × 2 mm bar is the best value at about £11.00, with a thicker wall than the Fabal section. Alloy and temper are not stated on that bar, and there is no written review. The 800 mm Fabal is the same stated alloy on a shorter cut. The 40 × 20 mm bar follows its title more closely than the 60 × 40 mm listing, whose technical block also stores a sheet. None of these scores is a working load.
Aluminium Online 30 × 20 × 2 mm
Lowest price per metre in this set, about £11.00, with a 2 mm wall. Alloy and temper are not stated, and there is no written review.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK sources and amazon.co.uk listings from the category digest, checked on 16 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines can change after that date.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Scores use the listing fields, the review text, and published UK sources. We did not lab-test these bars, and we do not state a working load.
