Guides / Ceiling Pricing
An aluminium strip ceiling — also called a linear plank or linear strip ceiling — is quoted per square metre because a strip is a continuous profile and its coverage is an area. But the rate on a quotation is not one fixed number: it is built from the strip, the carrier or keel that holds it, the clips, the perimeter trim and the finish on the face, and it moves with the aluminium price on the day. This page sets out what a per-square-metre strip ceiling rate covers, the five inputs that move it, and how to compare two quotes that look the same.
There is no single per-square-metre price for an aluminium strip ceiling. The rate tracks five inputs — the aluminium ingot price on the quote date, the finish tier, the strip thickness, the quantity, and whether the carrier, clips and trim are included — and any number a supplier publishes can only be held for the validity period on the quotation. Hold those five steady and a per-square-metre rate becomes comparable; change one and the number moves.
So the practical answer to “what does an aluminium strip ceiling cost per m²?” is: ask what the rate includes, and compare like for like rather than a bare panel rate against a full supply.
A strip ceiling is a linear metal ceiling made from narrow aluminium planks rather than square tiles. The strip runs the length of the ceiling and joins the next strip along its edge, so the finish and the joint line — not the module — are what you see. Three things define it:
Published figures on this page are the ones our ceiling systems range lists; where a project needs something outside them, the answer is “made to order”, not a number invented here.
The plank is continuous, so its coverage is measured as the area of the soffit it covers, not as a count of pieces. That is why the main lines on a strip ceiling quotation are per square metre: the plank and the carrier that holds it are both priced against the same ceiling area. The edges are different — perimeter trim and closing profiles are priced per linear metre, because their quantity follows the length of the room edge, not its area.
The practical consequence: a strip ceiling quotation almost always mixes two units, per m² and per linear metre. Before comparing totals, read the unit column on each line. A total that looks higher per square metre may simply have more of the per-linear-metre trim inside it.
A ceiling quote is a set of line items, not one number. Lay two quotes against the same list and the reason they differ becomes visible.
| Line item | What it is | Usually quoted |
|---|---|---|
| Strip planks | The aluminium strips themselves, at the specified profile, width, thickness and finish | Per m², by area |
| Carrier / keel | The main runners and cross carriers that hold the strips on the chosen module | Per m² or per linear metre |
| Clips & brackets | The clips that lock each strip to the carrier, plus hangers and fixing to the soffit | Often separate |
| Perimeter trim | Wall angle or shadow trim closing the ceiling at the room edge | Per linear metre |
| Acoustic infill | An absorbent layer behind an open or perforated strip, where acoustics are specified | Separate when specified |
| Cutting & waste | Made-to-order strip lengths and the allowance for offcuts at the perimeter | Inside the rate, or added |
Accessories — carrier, clips and trim — are quoted separately unless they are written into the initial enquiry. That is the single most common reason two strip ceiling quotes for the same room cannot be ranked.
Whatever the profile, the rate tracks the same five inputs our ceiling systems page sets out. Hold four constant and change the fifth, and you can see exactly what is driving the difference between two offers.
| Input | How it moves the rate |
|---|---|
| Base aluminium price | Tracked to the LME / SHFE aluminium ingot price on the quote date; the rate is held for the validity period stated on the quotation |
| Finish tier | Adds a per-m² premium: powder coat < PVDF < anodized / wood-grain / stone-grain < titanium (highest) |
| Strip thickness | Aluminium from 0.6 to 3.0 mm, priced on a sliding scale rather than a single step |
| Quantity & container load | Unit rate steps down by order quantity; the minimum order is quoted per project |
| Accessories | Carrier, keel, clips and trim, quoted as their own lines unless the enquiry bundles them |
Because the aluminium content is a market input, our ceiling page states the same rule we apply here: prices follow the aluminium ingot price and are quoted per project, not fixed. A price written into a brochure cannot be held for a project that starts two months later.
Send the same drawing to three suppliers and you can still get three different totals. Almost always it is one of these, not a magic price difference:
Put the items from the table above on one sheet, mark what each quote includes, and the comparison stops being a guessing game.
A strip ceiling quote comes back firm when the enquiry carries the inputs. Five things are enough:
Send a drawing for a firm per-project strip ceiling quote
The full profile range, widths, thickness band and finishes are on the ceiling systems page. If you are still weighing a strip ceiling against baffle or open cell, the ceiling system comparison sets out the decision, and the 1200 × 600 tile guide covers the priced components of a tiled ceiling. What documentation a project can ask for is on the certifications page.
There is no single rate. The per-square-metre price is built from the strip plank, the carrier or keel that holds it, the clips, the perimeter trim and the finish on the face, and it tracks the aluminium ingot price on the quote date. Send the strip profile, thickness, finish, area and destination and the quotation is priced per project rather than at a fixed list rate.
Both measures appear on the same quotation. The plank and the carrier that holds it are normally priced per square metre of ceiling area, because coverage is an area. Perimeter trim and closing profiles are priced per linear metre of edge. Read the unit column on each line before comparing totals.
In a closed-joint strip ceiling the strips butt together and read as a solid plane. In an open-joint ceiling a deliberate gap is left between strips, which gives a stronger linear pattern and lets air or services pass through. The joint type changes the accessory list and the visual, and it is a specification choice rather than a price tier of its own.
Our published ceiling systems range runs panel widths of 100, 150, 200 and 300 mm, in aluminium from 0.6 mm to 3.0 mm thick, with standard lengths made to order. The linear range covers profiles B, C, G, R, S, V and F, in closed-joint, open-joint or curved runs.
Not by default. Grid or keel, clips and perimeter trim are quoted as separate line items unless they are requested in the initial enquiry. A rate that quotes the plank alone is the plank alone; ask for the carrier and trim to be bundled if you want to compare on installed supply rather than on panel rate.
Quotations reference the current LME or SHFE ingot price on the quote date, and the rate is held for the validity period written on the quotation. After the validity period the price is re-based to the prevailing market. Coating is the other variable: it too tracks the market, which is why the rate is quoted per project rather than published.
For interiors, powder coating covers the standard range. Where the ceiling faces weather, salt air or a humid service environment, a fluoropolymer (PVDF) or anodised finish is specified, with the coating thickness stated on the quote. Wood-grain, stone-grain, water-ripple and titanium finishes sit in the higher finish tiers and are chosen for the look rather than the weather.
Usually because the two quotes do not contain the same things: one is the plank alone and the other includes the carrier and trim; the strip widths or thicknesses differ; the finish tier differs; or the waste allowance for cut lengths differs. Hold the profile, width, thickness, finish and quantity constant, then compare, and the differences resolve to what each line includes.