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Best aluminium rectangular tube for a short light frame

Updated: October 2026

The cheapest ticket, the highest stars, and the only stated temper are three different listings. The best aluminium rectangular tube in this five-bar amazon.co.uk set is a conditional pick, not a prize for the whole of Britain. If 30 × 15 × 1.3 mm and stated 6063-T6 fit a job under 1 m, start with the Fabal metre. If you need a longer bar, a certificate, or a stated load, leave the set. The listings were read on 16 October 2026 and no bar was load-tested. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. All five rows stay on the [aluminium rectangular tube comparison](/hub/rods-and-pipes/aluminium-rectangular-tube).

The cheapest ticket, the highest stars, and the only stated temper are three different listings.

Our top picks

Fabal Aluminium Fabal 30 × 15 × 1.3 mm, 800 mm

Best overall

Fabal Aluminium Fabal 30 × 15 × 1.3 mm, 800 mm
6.6/10about £12.53
View offer
Fabal Aluminium Fabal 30 × 15 × 1.3 mm, 1 m

Rank 2

Fabal Aluminium Fabal 30 × 15 × 1.3 mm, 1 m
7.8/10about £13.15
View offer
Aluminium Online Aluminium Online 30 × 20 × 2 mm

Best value

Aluminium Online Aluminium Online 30 × 20 × 2 mm
5.2/10about £11.00
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What “best” means in this five-bar set
  2. 2.The Fabal metre, and who should skip it
  3. 3.The £11 bar, the 40 × 20, and the 60 × 40
  4. 4.When a stockholder is the better shop

What “best” means in this five-bar set

Best, here, means the listing that states the section, the wall, the length, and the temper, for a light frame that does not carry a person. Stars are the amazon.co.uk average, not a strength test. A 5.0 from one review, or from four ratings with no text, does not name the wall. The 800 mm Fabal, £12.53, is about £15.66 per metre. The same section at 1,000 mm is £13.15 per metre. The £11.00 bar is cheaper and does not state an alloy. No listing prints a safe working load. How to write the size is on the aluminium rectangular tube sizes page.

The Fabal metre, and who should skip it

The top pick is the Fabal 30 × 15 × 1.3 mm bar at £13.15 for 1,000 mm, stated as 6063-T6 mill finish. You pay £0.62 more than the 800 mm cut and receive 200 mm more tube. The star line is 4.7 from four ratings. The one written review says the bar was exactly as described. The outside-diameter field stores 30 mm, so measure the rectangle. The wall is 1.3 mm, so a through-bolt or a rivet is a more honest fixing than a self-tapper. Skip this bar for a 2 mm wall, a gate wider than 1 m, 6082, or a mill certificate.
Fabal Aluminium Fabal 30 × 15 × 1.3 mm, 800 mm

Testsieger

Fabal Aluminium Fabal 30 × 15 × 1.3 mm, 800 mm
6.6/10about £12.53
View offer

The £11 bar, the 40 × 20, and the 60 × 40

The best value, if you accept an unstated alloy, is the Aluminium Online 30 × 20 × 2 mm hollow at £11.00 for 1,000 mm. The wall is thicker than 1.3 mm and the origin is the United Kingdom. The star line is 4.0 from two ratings, with no written sentences. Do not read it as 6063-T6. Open the 40 × 20 × 2 mm bar at £15.85 when the rail must be 40 mm wide. Model RH060x40x3 at £21.59 is not the pick: one review says “as described”, and the technical block also stores item form Sheet. Outdoor oxide and steel fixings are on the aluminium box section for outdoor frames page.

When a stockholder is the better shop

Amazon, in this set, is a convenient offcut. Fabal’s own shop, on 16 October 2026, listed the same 30 × 15 × 1.3 mm 6063-T6 section from 100 mm to 5,000 mm at £2.98 per metre including VAT, with a stated weight of 0.298 kg/m. That shop price is not the amazon.co.uk price of £13.15. Leave amazon when you need several metres or a length past 1 m. Leave all five for a certificate, 6082, a stated load, or a bar that will carry a person, a roof, a stair, or a floor. If the other metal is mild steel, read aluminium box section vs steel box section before you buy a thin wall for stiffness.

Common questions

Which of these five bars should I start with?
Start with the Fabal 1,000 mm bar at £13.15 when the opening accepts 30 × 15 × 1.3 mm and you want 6063-T6 on the listing. It is the top pick here for a light frame under 1 m. The £11.00 bar is the alternative when the alloy can stay unstated and you will measure a 30 × 20 × 2 mm section on arrival.
Is the £11 bar the best value?
It is the best value in this set on price per metre: £11.00 for 1,000 mm of 30 × 20 × 2 mm, with a thicker wall than the Fabal bars. The limit is the missing alloy and temper, two ratings, and no written review. That is a price judgement, not a claim that the bar is the stiffest or that it carries a stated T6 temper.
Why is the 800 mm Fabal dearer per metre than the 1 m cut?
The 800 mm cut is £12.53, about £15.66 per metre. The 1,000 mm cut is £13.15 for the same stated 30 × 15 × 1.3 mm 6063-T6 section, so you pay £0.62 more and receive 200 mm more tube. Buy the shorter bar only when 800 mm, plus or minus about 2 mm, is the length you can use.
Can I trust 5.0 from one review?
Not as a strength test. The 60 × 40 × 3 mm listing is 5.0 from one review that says “as described”, and the technical block also says Sheet. The 40 × 20 mm listing is 5.0 from four ratings with no written text. A star average with no sentences does not tell you the wall, the temper, or whether the parcel matched the title.
The Fabal shop is cheaper per metre. Why buy the amazon cut?
The shop price of £2.98 per metre, on Fabal’s own page on 16 October 2026, covers the same nominal section in lengths up to 5 m. The amazon listing at £13.15 is a 1 m cut with marketplace delivery. Use amazon for that short cut. Use the shop, or another stockholder, when you need more than 1 m or more than one bar.
When should I skip all five?
Skip them for a bar longer than 1,000 mm, a mill certificate, 6082, a stated working load, or a section that will carry a person, a roof, a stair, or a floor. Also skip the 60 × 40 listing if you will not measure a parcel whose technical block says Sheet. None of these pages is a design under Approved Document A.

Related pages

How to cut aluminium box section

Aluminium rectangular tube

Aluminium rectangular tube sizes, wall and cut length

Aluminium box section for outdoor frames in the UK

Aluminium box section vs steel for a light UK frame

Sources

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.

  1. Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  2. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (satisfactory quality) (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  3. HSE: welding (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  4. HSE: COSHH basics (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  5. Approved Document A: structure (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  6. Using the UKCA marking (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  7. BS EN 755-2: mechanical properties of extruded aluminium (retrieved 16 October 2026)