T C Rowan supplies CNC plasma-cut and profiled steel to your drawings as part of a complete fabrication package, with one firm responsible from the first drawing to the final bolt. We take on the profiling, then weld, assemble and finish the parts in our own Banbury workshop and install the finished steelwork with our own erection team. If you are searching for plasma cutting services or profile cutting around Banbury, that single line of responsibility is the difference between parts that drop straight into the fabrication and a pile of plates that no one will stand behind once they are on site.
What plasma cutting and profiling gives you
Plasma cutting drives a high-temperature plasma arc through steel plate to cut precise profiles straight from a digital drawing. Because the cut is driven by a CNC file rather than by hand, every part comes out to the same shape and the same hole pattern, time after time. For fabricated steelwork that means clean, repeatable components that fit together properly when they reach the bench.
We provide profiled steel for the parts that hold a fabrication together and the bespoke shapes a job calls for, including:
- Base plates and cap plates for columns and posts, drilled and profiled to the engineer’s detail
- Gussets, cleats and fin plates for bolted and welded connections
- End plates and stiffeners for beam and portal-frame connections
- Brackets, fixings and bespoke supports profiled to suit the structure
- Bespoke shapes, templates and one-off parts cut to your drawing rather than bought off the shelf
Profiled parts are the building blocks of almost every steel package, so this work sits inside our wider steel fabrication service rather than standing on its own. Need the structural side covered in depth? See our structural steelwork page.
Cut to your drawings or ours
The cleanest way to order profiled steel is to send a drawing. Supply a DXF, DWG or PDF with dimensions and we profile the steel to it, so the part that comes back is the part you specified. If you only have a sketch, a marked-up plan or an idea of what you need, our in-house design and detailing team produces the fabrication drawings, confirms every section, hole and connection with you, and only then is steel cut. Nothing is profiled on an assumption.
That in-house detailing matters because a profiled part is only as good as the drawing behind it. Getting the geometry, the hole positions and the connection right on paper is what keeps the steel from clashing once it is welded up and lifted into place. For projects that start from a brief rather than a finished design, our design and build solutions take the job from concept through detailing to fabrication.
Materials, thickness and tolerance
We profile in mild steel and stainless steel. Mild steel is the workhorse for structural plate, base plates, gussets and brackets, then protected with primer, galvanising or paint to suit the job. Stainless steel is profiled where corrosion resistance or a clean exposed finish is the priority. We do not work in aluminium or bronze.
Thickness, grade and cut tolerance are confirmed per job against your drawing and the structural engineer’s specification, because the right plate for a heavily loaded base plate is not the same as the right plate for a light bracket. Where structural grade matters, parts are profiled in standard grades such as S275 and S355, confirmed against the calculation. If a spec would help your decision, we will pin it down for your specific job rather than quote a number that does not apply to your steel.
From profile to finished steelwork
Profiling is one stage in the job, not the whole job, and the value is in what happens next. Every package follows the same disciplined path:
- Drawings and detailing. We work from your architect’s plans and the structural engineer’s calculations, or produce fabrication drawings from a survey, and agree every part before cutting.
- Profiling. Plates, gussets, base plates, brackets and bespoke shapes are profiled to the agreed drawings.
- Fabrication. The profiled parts are welded and assembled in our own Banbury workshop by qualified, coded welders using MIG, TIG and MMA processes to suit the joint, then finished as the job needs.
- Delivery or full installation. We deliver the finished steelwork to your site, or our own erection team installs it and ties it into the structure.
Because the same firm details, fabricates and erects the steel, the profiled parts are made to fit the fabrication they are going into, not to a generic standard that then needs reworking. For steelwork that has to be shaped as well as cut, our metal bending and section rolling service curves and forms sections to match.
Quality, standards and traceability
T C Rowan is CE approved and works to BS EN 1090 execution standards, the recognised standard for structural steelwork in the UK and Europe. Material traceability is available on request, so the steel in your structure can be traced back to its source where your project or Building Control requires it. We are fully insured, and a family-run business that puts its name to the whole package rather than just one stage of it.
For load-bearing and structural work, plate sizing, grade and connection detail must be confirmed by a structural engineer’s calculation, and load-bearing alterations require Building Control sign-off. We profile and fabricate to those calculations rather than guessing, and coordinate with your engineer so the finished steel matches what has been approved.
Frequently asked questions
What is plasma cutting and steel profiling used for?
Plasma cutting profiles flat steel into precise shapes from a digital drawing, so the same part comes out identical every time. It is how we produce base plates, gussets, cleats, end plates and bespoke brackets, then weld and assemble them into the finished fabrication.
Can you cut to my DXF file or drawings?
Yes. Supply a DXF, DWG or PDF with dimensions and we profile the steel to it. If you only have a sketch or marked-up plan, our in-house detailers can produce the fabrication drawings and confirm every part with you before any steel is cut.
What thickness and material can you profile?
We profile mild and stainless steel plate across the range typical of structural and general fabrication work. The exact thickness, grade and tolerance are confirmed per job against your drawing, so the part is right for the load and the finish it has to carry. We do not profile aluminium or bronze.
Do you fabricate and install the cut steel too?
Yes, and that is the point of using us. We supply the profiled parts and then weld, assemble and finish them in our own Banbury workshop, with our own erection team installing the steelwork on site. One firm carries the job from drawing to final bolt. Contact us for a free quote on your job.