Commissions
Statue materials, from bronze to resin
Cast bronze, aluminum, steel, copper, resin, plaster and clay: what each looks like, where it can stand, and which to choose.
What we make in
- Cast bronze
- Poured at a foundry from a mold of the sculpture. The traditional monument metal: it darkens to a patina over the years.
- Outdoors
- Aluminum
- Cast, or formed into panels over a steel frame, as on our 50-foot Washington. Light, and it resists corrosion.
- Outdoors
- Stainless steel
- Polished or brushed. It doesn’t rust, and it reads modern.
- Outdoors
- Corten steel
- A weathering steel: its rust-brown surface forms a layer that protects the steel beneath.
- Outdoors
- Copper
- Sheet copper, formed and joined. It weathers to green, like the Statue of Liberty’s skin.
- Outdoors
- Mild steel
- Welded, then painted or powder-coated. Outdoors, the coating needs keeping up.
- Outdoors, coated
- Resin or fiberglass
- Cast from a mold, then painted or given a metal-look finish. Light, and lower in cost.
- Outdoors, coated
- Plaster
- Sculpted or cast, then painted, like our 10-foot Washington.
- Indoors
- Clay
- Where most commissions start: the model you approve before anything is made.
- Models
The Statue of Liberty is copper: a skin 3/32 of an inch thick.
Which to choose outdoors
It depends on the budget. Bronze where it fits. When the size outruns the budget, aluminum, steel or resin reach the scale for less.
Our 50-foot Washington is aluminum panels on a structural steel frame. How the Colossus is built
Sizes and their names, from tabletop to colossal: statue sizes. For a town, campus or park: commissioning a public monument.
Questions
What is the best material for an outdoor statue?
It depends on the budget. Bronze where it fits; when the size outruns the budget, aluminum, steel or resin reach the scale for less.
Is bronze better than resin?
Bronze is the traditional outdoor metal and weathers to a patina. Resin and fiberglass are lighter and cost less, and need a protective coating outside.
What is corten steel?
A weathering steel. Its surface rusts to a stable brown layer that protects the steel beneath, so it needs no paint.
Is the Dark Bronze statue cast bronze?
No. Dark Bronze is a painted patina finish that gives our 16-inch statue the look of bronze. Cast bronze is a commission.
Does the material change the price?
Yes. Size sets the range; material, method and detail set where in it a piece lands. We quote after a call. What a statue costs
Not sure which?
Tell us where it will stand and what you have to spend. We’ll say what fits.