Trade pricing on commercial-grade metal planters.

No fee, no annual minimum, no renewal. Apply once and the account stays open.

It applies to any order over $10,000 if you provide Reseller Certificate. Trade discount does not stack with clearance sale or other sales on website.

For $5,000+ orders you'll still get the 10% discount with the account manager, and the custom fabrication. The 15% is volume-based and kicks in at $10,000.

Yes. Everything is fabricated in-house, so custom dimensions are routine rather than exceptional. Send a drawing or a dimension and we'll quote it.

It can, during the weathering period — and it is a detailing problem, not a material defect.

While the patina is still forming, rain carries loose iron oxide off the surface. That runoff will stain light, porous substrates: broom-finish concrete, limestone, travertine, unsealed pavers. Once the patina stabilises, runoff drops off sharply and effectively stops.

Four things control it. Stand-off detailing — keep the steel off the finished surface so runoff drips clear rather than wicking across the substrate; every PlanterCraft planter ships on 1" elevated feet, which builds this in. Pre-weathering — weathering the planter off-site moves the heaviest runoff period away from the finished hardscape. Seal the substrate, not the steel — a penetrating sealer on adjacent concrete or stone is far more effective and far lower maintenance than sealing the planter. Placement — on gravel, dark pavers or planting beds, runoff is invisible.

If staining does occur on concrete, an oxalic-acid rust remover will usually lift it. On porous natural stone it may be permanent, which is why the detailing decision needs to be made before install, not after.

In the right environment, decades — and the honest answer requires naming the environments where that isn't true.

Weathering steel protects itself only if it goes through wet/dry cycling. The surface has to dry out between wettings for the patina to densify and stabilise. Where that happens, corrosion slows to a near-standstill and the planter outlives most of what surrounds it.

Where it does not happen, the patina never stabilises: constant wetness from permanently shaded spots, trapped water or constant irrigation overspray; constant immersion, since Corten is not a water-feature material; and high chloride exposure from coastal salt spray or heavy de-icing salt. In those conditions weathering steel corrodes at rates closer to mild steel. For a marine-exposed or continuously wet application, specify powder-coated aluminum — it is the correct material, and we would rather say so up front than warranty a failure.

Two design factors extend service life meaningfully: the 11-gauge wall gives roughly double the sacrificial thickness of a typical 16-gauge planter, and the built-in drainage plus 1" elevated feet stop water pooling in and under the planter, which is where premature failures usually start.

Yes, and they regularly are. The constraints are the same as for any rooftop container and they are resolved at design stage, not delivery.

Load. The engineer needs saturated weight over bearing footprint, verified against slab capacity. Distributing load over more, smaller planters is often easier to approve than concentrating it in fewer large ones.

Drainage. Where the water goes once it leaves the planter. Our planters have built-in drainage; the deck assembly has to be detailed to receive it.

Runoff. On light pavers, see the staining answer above. The 1" elevated feet help; substrate sealing and pre-weathering help more.

Access. Fully assembled planters need a delivery route. On tight sites this drives size selection more than design does — worth raising early.

Every PlanterCraft planter is fabricated from 11-gauge steel — 0.1196", or approximately 1/8" thick. The industry norm for metal planters is 14- to 16-gauge, which measures 0.0747" and 0.0598" respectively, so we are running roughly double the wall thickness of a 16-gauge planter.

For a specifier the thickness matters in two places. Deflection: thin-wall planters bow outward under the lateral pressure of saturated soil, particularly on runs over 48". An inner return lip is formed into every PlanterCraft planter to add edge stiffness and hold the walls true. Sacrificial thickness: weathering steel loses a small amount of section as the patina forms and stabilises. Starting at 0.1196" rather than 0.0598" means twice the material available to lose before wall integrity is a question.

Planters ship in 3–5 weeks. Everything is made to order — there is no warehouse of finished stock and no import container to wait on. Clearance items are the exception and ship within 48 hours.

Because every planter is fabricated to the order, a custom size does not sit in a separate, slower queue than a standard one. Lead time is confirmed on every quote.

Everything is manufactured in-house at our facility in Rahway, New Jersey, with distribution through Baltimore, Dallas and Los Angeles.

Yes. Custom sizing is a standard part of the business, not an exception — non-standard dimensions, shapes and configurations are fabricated to drawing.

Because everything is made to order, a custom size does not sit in a separate, slower queue than a standard one. Lead times are the same.

Send dimensions, or drawings if you have them, and we will quote against them.

They arrive fully welded and ready to place. Every planter is welded in our own shop — aluminum as a single seamless piece with no visible joins, Corten stitch welded. Edging and screens ship the same way.

There is no field welding, no fastener kits, no bolt-together panels and no on-site assembly labour to schedule. Nothing is added to your site programme beyond unloading and positioning.

This is worth checking against any planter you are comparing us to. Flat-pack and bolt-together planters are common at this size because they ship cheaper, but the assembly hours land on your crew and the joints are the first thing to fail once the planter is full and saturated.

Shipping is free across the USA. Everything arrives fully welded, crated and ready to place, so the only thing your site team has to do is show the driver where to unload.

Larger planters and multi-unit orders move palletized via LTL freight. The carrier's dispatcher contacts the site number to schedule a delivery window, which matters on jobs with restricted access or crane time. Smaller single planters ship ground.

White-glove delivery is available on request. We handle the freight, uncrate, position every piece, remove all packaging and leave. Your crew arrives to planters already in place, ready for soil and planting — no receiving, no debris removal, nothing added to the site programme.

One procurement note worth raising early: the receiving party should inspect pallets and note any damage on the delivery slip before signing. Once it is signed clean, damage claims get difficult.

Delivery access is worth thinking about at design stage rather than delivery day. Fully assembled planters need a route in, and on tight urban sites that constraint drives size selection more than the design does.