Special Shaped Profiles

Typical examples of special profiles supplied by HL Metal include:

• T-shaped, Z-shaped and L-shaped steel profiles
• Omega profiles and hat-shaped channels
• Special channels and asymmetrical sections
• Complex hollow sections with multiple cavities
• Custom rail and guiding profiles
• Special flange and edge-stiffened profiles
• Thin-wall or thick-wall hybrid shapes for weight optimisation

Each project can have its own unique geometry. We review your technical drawings and loading conditions to recommend the most suitable shape, material and production route.

• Hot rolling: Ideal for large, high-strength profiles. Heated billets or slabs are rolled into the desired shape using dedicated roll passes.
• Cold drawing / cold rolling: Used where tight tolerances, smooth surfaces and higher mechanical strength are required, e.g. automotive or machinery components.
• Extrusion (aluminium and soft metals): Material is pushed through a custom die to create complex shapes with excellent dimensional repetition.

• Laser cutting & CNC machining: Suited for small to medium batches, prototypes or highly intricate designs that need precision slots, holes and contours.
• Welding & assembly: Multi-part profiles and hybrid structures can be built by combining cut plates, hollow sections and stiffeners with certified welding procedures.
• Finishing operations: Shot blasting, deburring, painting, galvanizing or polishing to meet corrosion, aesthetic and safety requirements.

Special shaped profiles offer clear benefits compared to using multiple standard sections:

• Design flexibility: Engineers can move beyond standard geometries and design profiles exactly around the forces and functional needs.
• Material efficiency: Tailored thickness and shape reduce unnecessary material, lowering both weight and cost.
• Performance optimisation: Cross-sections can be engineered to strengthen critical areas, improve stiffness or integrate guiding and fastening features.

• Reduced assembly costs: Functions that previously required several welded or bolted parts can be integrated into a single profile, shortening assembly time.
• Aesthetic customisation: In architectural projects, special profiles support distinctive facades, framing details and visible steel structures.
• Better integration: Profiles can be designed to match cladding systems, glazing interfaces, gasket grooves or cable management paths.

For OEMs and project owners, this means lighter, smarter and more competitive designs with a faster route from drawing to final product.

• Advanced engineering support: Our team reviews your CAD drawings, loading requirements and fabrication route to help define an optimum profile design.
• Diverse material range: Carbon steel, stainless steel, galvanized steel, aluminium and other alloys for different environments and weight targets.
• Certified quality: Products can comply with ASTM, EN, DIN and ISO standards, with EN 10204 3.1 certificates available on request.

• Flexible batch sizes: From prototype and trial batches to full industrial series production.
• Global export expertise: Experience in packing, container loading, documentation and shipment to ports in Europe, Middle East, North Africa and South America.
• Integrated processing: Cut-to-length, drilling, slotting, bending and welding, so you receive profiles as close as possible to final part geometry.

Working with HL Metal means having a single partner from profile design and material selection to processing and export logistics.