Steel wall pool vs frame pool
Updated: October 2026
You are looking at two prices that feel like two versions of the same oval, and the titles both mention steel. One is a tube kit around £550 to £750. The other is a sheet shell from about £1,500 to just under £2,000, and the shell still needs a pump. This page is that choice inside four amazon.co.uk listings. The rows, with prices as filed on 16 October 2026, are on the [oval pool comparison](/hub/swimming-pools/oval-pool). There was no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
You are looking at two prices that feel like two versions of the same oval, and the titles both mention steel. One is a tube kit around £550 to £750.
You are looking at two prices that feel like two versions of the same oval, and the titles both mention steel. One is a tube kit around £550 to £750. The other is a sheet shell from about £1,500 to just under £2,000, and the shell still needs a pump. This page is that choice inside four amazon.co.uk listings. The rows, with prices as filed on 16 October 2026, are on the oval pool comparison. There was no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Construction | Steel | Wall height | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Planet Pool Planet Pool oval steel wall | Steel-wall oval | 0.8 mm | 1.50 m | 3.6 | about £1,936.75 | View offer |
 Bestway Bestway Steel Pro MAX oval | Frame oval | Not stated (tube kit) | 33 in (title); 0.84 m (attributes) | 6.8 | about £548.61 | View offer | |
 Summer Fun Summer Fun oval steel wall | Steel-wall oval | 0.45 mm | 1.20 m (title) | 5.4 | about £1,528.90 | View offer |
On this page
What each name means
A frame pool hangs a liner on poles or tubes. A steel-wall pool is a sheet formed into an oval, with a liner hung inside. The Bestway Steel Pro MAX, model 5613ZE, at £548.61, is the first kind. The word steel in that title is the frame. The Funsicle Oval Oasis at £748.46 is a frame as well. Calling either a steel-wall pool because the tubes are metal will send you to the wrong manual. Summer Fun part 341005, at £1,528.90, is the sheet: 3.00 m by 5.00 m by 1.20 m, 0.45 mm steel, 250 kg. Planet Pool, at £1,936.75, is the thicker sheet: 0.8 mm steel, a 0.6 mm liner, and 6.00 m by 3.20 m by 1.50 m. European shop pages sometimes attach a lifespan in years to this split. Those years are their claim. They are not a UK life for these ASINs. Both frames print 33 in. You splash. You do not stand. The checks under this split are on the oval pool buying guide.
Supports and recess
An oval holds pressure differently from a round pool. The curved ends share the load. The long straight sides need braces, often called buttresses, or straps under the floor. A trade article describes external braces adding on the order of 3 ft at the side. None of our four listings claims a buttress, a strap width, or that extra 3 ft. You still plan a margin. Summer Fun recommends a stable concrete base plate. Planet Pool’s bullets say the pool can be partly or fully recessed, and they do not describe the hole or the backfill. A frame kit here does not claim a recess. Off-level ground hurts a tall sheet more, because the waterline runs to one wall and stays there. The 25 mm figure and the shallow fill are on how to set up an oval pool.
What you still have to buy
Bestway’s included line is one pool and one filter pump, with no voltage printed. Funsicle’s bullets name a FiltraBoost 400S at 110 to 120 V. That voltage is the wrong mains for the UK, so you should not energise that pump here. A ladder is in none of the four included-components lines. The shells name a skimmer and leave the pump out. Summer Fun adds a return nozzle and the concrete plate. Planet Pool’s box text adds handrails and a grounding set, and the included field still says skimmer. Handrails are a help at 1.50 m. They do not circulate water. A filter and the power are still yours to buy. SPATA’s treatment guidance is about 2 mg/l free chlorine and pH 7.2 to 7.8 once a filter is running. The choice that remains is whether the listing already contains the machine that keeps the water moving.
When a frame, when a steel wall
Choose the Bestway frame when you want a seasonal splash, a pump named in the box, and the lowest price in this set, at £548.61. Accept 33 in of water, a square size attribute, a Cardboard material line, and unstated voltage. Leave the Funsicle out of that sentence. Its pump is printed at 110 to 120 V. Choose a steel wall when standing depth is the point and you have priced the pump and the base the listing omitted. Summer Fun is the 1.20 m, 13,500 litre option, with a width attribute that fights the title. Planet Pool is the 1.50 m option, with a size block that agrees with itself, a recess claim, and a single review that says only Orribile. The Summer Fun is the lower shell price and the one with a litre figure. The conditional top pick remains the Bestway.
Common questions
Is the Bestway a steel-wall pool because the frame is steel?
The Bestway Steel Pro MAX is a frame kit. The steel in the name is the tube structure, at a title height of 33 in. A steel-wall pool in this set is Summer Fun or Planet Pool. The Funsicle is a frame as well.
Which one can be recessed?
Planet Pool’s bullets say the oval can be partly or fully recessed. That is the only recess claim among the four listings, and they do not describe the excavation. A recess is a pool builder’s job.
Why does an oval need side supports a round pool does not?
The curved ends share water pressure around the arc. The straight sides need braces or under-floor straps. A trade note puts external buttresses on the order of 3 ft extra width. None of these listings states that extra width.
How thick is the steel on each shell?
Summer Fun states 0.45 mm. Planet Pool states 0.8 mm, with a 0.6 mm liner. The frame listings do not state a wall-sheet thickness, because they are tube kits. Thickness on the shell does not add the pump the included line left out.
Which listing includes the filter?
Bestway’s included line names a filter pump, and the bullets add a Type I cartridge. Funsicle names a pump too, stated at 110 to 120 V. Summer Fun and Planet Pool name a skimmer and do not name a pump. For a UK socket, the Bestway is the only row that includes a pump without printing the wrong voltage.
What wall height can an adult stand in?
The frame titles are 33 in, about 0.84 m. That is splash depth. Summer Fun’s title wall is 1.20 m, with 13,500 litres stated. Planet Pool’s wall is 1.50 m, with no litres stated. Standing depth is the reason to look at a shell, and it arrives with a base and a filter still to buy.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources for planning, pool electrics, barriers and water care. Listings are the amazon.co.uk captures for these four ASINs, not a live reload on 16 October 2026. Prices on amazon.co.uk move.
- Planning Portal, outdoor swimming pool (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- GPDO 2015 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- mygov.scot, engineering installation at home (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- BSI, BS EN 16582-3:2015 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- RoSPA, drowning prevention (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- SPATA, water treatment (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- IET, Part P frequently asked questions (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- RLSS UK, water safety in residential pools (retrieved 16 October 2026)