Fit-out steel for Dunstable's new sheds
Dunstable's industrial side is now mostly sheds. Woodside Industrial Estate has reached practical completion on its Vision 44 scheme and let a 55,000 sq ft unit, and the pan-European developer Baytree chose a Dunstable site for a logistics warehouse. Every new occupier ends up needing steel that the empty shell does not include, such as stairs to a mezzanine, guarding round a loading bay or a frame for plant, and that is the gap a fabricator fills.
We make supply-only stairs, fire escapes, walkways and handrails, plant and generator enclosures, equipment frames and base plates, all to your drawing, under cover in a 12,000 sq ft workshop. You get an itemised written quote within 24 hours in the working week and a lead time confirmed in writing. Invoices run against your PO. Commercial and trade only, with no domestic work, and your own installer fits the steel.
Who in Dunstable needs steel made to drawing
- New-build warehouse tenants Occupiers of fresh units at Woodside and Nimbus Park fit access stairs, escape routes and guarded walkways. We supply these made to drawing, for their own installer to fix.
- E-commerce and postal logistics Parcel and sorting operators such as The Delivery Group, which recruits in Dunstable, run sorting machinery on raised frames and need access steelwork, platforms and guarding.
- Developers and main contractors Firms building units on the estates order structural steel items, canopies and plant screens in bulk, with BS EN 1090 marking when the project calls for it.
- Trade and light industrial users Smaller trade-counter and engineering tenants send frames, brackets and skids, often repeating the same part month after month once the first batch has been approved.
The larger steel orders a Dunstable occupier places
An empty distribution unit rarely comes with its internal steel. Typical orders are a run of staircases and fire escapes with landings, a mezzanine edge protected by handrails and kick plates, walkways over conveyor lines, canopies at loading doors, and enclosures for generators or compressors in the yard. Material is normally structural carbon steel, supplied primed or hot-dip galvanised so it can stand outdoors. Where several units of one stair are wanted, the first is checked against the site dimensions before the rest are cut.
Containers for Dunstable yards and open storage
Not every Dunstable need is a building. Yards and open storage areas use modified containers as secure stores, workshops and plant rooms. We frame structural openings into the rails, fit doors, windows and roller shutters, and link or stack units. Cut-downs, repairs and repaints are available too, and you can supply the unit or have us source one. Recent units were about £3,400 to £6,800 each net of VAT. See container repairs.
Stairs, walkways and frames for warehouse fit-out
The larger Dunstable jobs are the steel that moves people and equipment around a unit: stairs, fire escapes, walkways and handrails, lifting frames, machine bases and skids. Welding is by coded MIG, TIG and MMA welders, plasma cutting and bending are in-house, and structural pieces come under BS EN 1090 control. Finishes are raw, primed, wet spray, powder coat or hot-dip galvanised. See stairs and fire escapes.
Woodside, Nimbus Park and the other Dunstable estates
Woodside Industrial Estate offers 34 premium units and is still adding to them. Agents list Eastern Avenue, Nimbus Park and Chiltern Park as the key industrial and warehouse locations in the town, and Novaloca also lists Apex Business Centre, Arianne Business Centre, Dukeminster Trading Estate and Houghton Hall Business Park. Each has loading access, so the steel can be delivered to the door.
Why a Bedford workshop can cost Dunstable less
Cutting, welding, finishing and checking all happen in our own 12,000 sq ft workshop, so no stage is passed to a subcontractor with its own margin. Delivery to Dunstable goes through our logistics partners and shows as its own line on the quote. Put the two together and the total often comes in below a local fabricator, which is easy to check: send us the same drawing you've sent them.
Delivery and site visits in Dunstable
Dunstable sits 18 road miles from the Bedford workshop, about 24 minutes by car, mostly on the M1. We organise the delivery through our logistics partners. Staircases and handrail runs travel flat, so give us the overall length and landing width and the right vehicle is sent. A loaded lorry takes longer than a car, and arrival is agreed with you before the load leaves. With fabrication in-house, our price often lands below local fabricators.
Our engineers come to Dunstable to look at the stairwell or opening and take the dimensions. Units on Woodside and Nimbus Park share estate roads, so tell us the gate width, the turning space and any delivery slot the landlord or site manager sets. Long stair flights have to be lifted off the trailer, so say what lifting you have on site and we agree the drop with you. Your own installer fits them.
How a job runs
- 01.Send the drawing
PDF or CAD, a dimensioned sketch, or a photo of the old part. Quantities and the site postcode help.
- 02.Itemised quote in 24 hours
Material, fabrication, finish and haulage broken out line by line, with the lead time confirmed in writing.
- 03.Agree spec and finish
Sections, tolerances, weld spec and finish confirmed before anything is cut.
- 04.Fabricated inside our unit
Cut, welded and assembled by coded welders in our 12,000 sq ft Marston Moretaine workshop.
- 05.Check and paperwork
Dimensionally checked before dispatch; welder qualification and mill certificates on request.
- 06.Delivered to site
We organise delivery to your site through our logistics partners, or you can collect from the yard if that suits. One-offs and batches both welcome.
Work we take on
- Container modifications: conversions and modifications to drawing, single units or batches
- Structural openings: side openings, doors, roller shutters, linking and cut-downs
- Container repairs: panel, door and rail repairs and repaints for depots and fleets
- Steel enclosures: generator, acoustic, plant and battery housings
- Skids and frames: skids, machine bases, lifting frames and supports
- Commercial fabrication: fabrication to drawing, structural steelwork, one-offs and batches
- Stairs and fire escapes: supplied ready for your installer to fit
- Walkways and railings: handrails, platforms and ladders, supplied to fit
Frequently asked questions
Can you supply stairs and walkways for a new Dunstable unit?
Yes, as supply-only. We make and finish them to drawing, and your installer fits them. State the finish you want, and galvanising is listed as a separate line in the quote.
Do Dunstable buyers get a fixed lead time?
The lead time is confirmed in writing with the quote, before you place the order. Multi-unit and batch orders can carry staged payments, and invoices run against your PO.
Is BS EN 1090 certification available for Dunstable projects?
Our factory production control is certified to BS EN 1090, so structural steelwork can be supplied UKCA or CE marked. Tell us at quote stage which marking your contractor needs.
What drawings do you need to price a staircase?
Floor-to-floor height, the opening size, the width, the landing positions and the finish. A site sketch with dimensions is enough for an itemised quote, and we confirm the dimensions again before cutting.
Will your engineers come to our Dunstable site?
Yes. We are based in Bedford, 18 road miles and about 24 minutes away, mostly on the M1. Engineers visit to see the job and measure up, and we organise delivery of the finished steel to the unit. Drawings can still be brought to the workshop in person.
Nearby areas
We also quote for firms in Luton, Leighton Buzzard, Hemel Hempstead, Hitchin, Milton Keynes and Aylesbury. See every town on the areas we serve page.