Fire Hydrant Box
SKU: FL-PF-010
Recessed fire hydrant box. Red powder-coated steel, break-glass door.
| Material | SPCC steel (1.5mm) |
|---|---|
| Manufacturing Process | Laser cutting + bending + welding + powder coating |
| Surface Finish | Powder coating (red RAL 3000) |
| Tolerance | ±0.5mm |
| Dimensions | 500×400×200mm |
| Door | Break-glass |
| Color | Red RAL 3000 |
| Recessed | Yes |
| MOQ | 50 units |
| Lead Time | Quoted after drawing review and process confirmation |
| Sample Time | Quoted after drawing review and process confirmation |
| Sample Fee | USD 100 |
| Price Range | USD 55-90/unit |
| Applications | Buildings, public facilities |
| Compliance | EN 671, NFPA 10 |
| Export Markets | USA, Germany, UAE |
How This Fire Hydrant Box Is Fabricated and Checked
A fire hydrant cabinet is a small sheet metal enclosure where the details matter more than the size. It is recessed into a wall, it has a break-glass door, and its colour is specified rather than chosen, which means the finish has to be consistent from batch to batch as well as correct on the first one.
The coating is applied to a specified colour rather than a chosen one, and consistency between batches is treated as part of the surface finishing specification.| Stage | What happens | What is verified before the job moves on |
|---|---|---|
| Cutting | 1.5 mm SPCC sheet is laser cut. The box body, the door, the glass rebate and the wall flange are cut in one nest. | The door and the opening are checked as a pair. The gap between them is what the door sits in, and on a recessed cabinet that gap is visible against the wall. |
| Bending | The box and the door are folded. The wall flange is formed so the cabinet can be set into a wall and finished against the plaster. | Flange width and flatness are checked. The flange is the only part of a recessed cabinet that stays visible once it is installed, so it has to be straight and consistent. |
| Welding | The body corners are welded. The glass rebate is formed or welded depending on the door design. | Corner joints are checked for flushness on the visible face. On a small cabinet every corner is visible from close range, and filler is not an option on a powder coated part. |
| Glass rebate and door hardware | The rebate for the break-glass panel is established, and hinges and catch are fitted. | Rebate dimensions and the fixing method for the glass are checked. Whether the glass is retained by a lip, by clips or by a frame is a decision that has to be made before the door is formed, not after. |
| Pre-treatment | The cabinet is degreased, rinsed and conversion coated. | Pre-treatment is checked at the folded corners, which is where oil residue survives and where coating adhesion fails first. |
| Powder coating to RAL 3000 | The cabinet is powder coated and cured. Colour is checked against a reference panel from the same powder batch. | Film thickness and colour are checked against a reference. On a colour like red 3000, which is a specified identification colour, batch-to-batch consistency is checked rather than assumed – two cabinets from different batches sitting side by side on one wall must not be visibly different. |
| Final assembly and packing | Hardware is fitted, glass is either fitted or packed separately, and the cabinet is packed. | Door operation, catch engagement and the overall finish are checked before packing. Where the glass is supplied, it travels separately in the carton with protection, because a glass panel loose inside a metal box will not arrive intact. |
What Can Change on Fire Hydrant Box Metal Fabrication Without New Tooling
The cabinet is cut and folded, so dimensions and door arrangement are open. The items below are the ones that affect the wall interface or the glass.
| What can be changed | What it affects | What it does not affect |
|---|---|---|
| Cabinet size and depth | Cut pattern and the recess depth required | The material thickness |
| Surface mounted instead of recessed | The wall flange arrangement and the door swing | The box itself |
| Glass rebate and retention method | The door design and how the glass is held | The body |
| Colour | Powder batch – a specified identification colour needs the same batch for a matching set | The structure |
| Lock or catch type | The door hardware and the opening method | The seal face, if the cabinet is not sealed |
Questions Buyers Ask About Fire Hydrant Box Metal Fabrication
Is the glass supplied with the cabinet?
That is worth settling at quotation rather than assuming, because it changes both the scope and the way the cabinet is packed. Three things need deciding: the thickness and type of the break-glass panel, whether it is glass or a breakable acrylic, and whether the cabinet needs a hammer or striker to be provided with it. If the glass is supplied locally in your market, send us the thickness and the panel size and the rebate will be dimensioned to suit – the rebate is formed into the door, so the thickness has to be known before the door is made, not after.
Why is the colour specified rather than chosen?
Because cabinet colours in a building are an identification system rather than a decorative choice. A colour like red 3000 is used so that fire equipment is recognisable at a glance, and the requirement is usually set by the local fire code or by the project specification. That has one practical consequence: consistency matters as much as the colour itself. If a floor has eight cabinets, they have to look like eight cabinets from the same range, so for a set we use the same powder batch throughout and check finished parts against a reference panel. If you need a specific RAL number outside the standard range, give it at quotation and it can be matched.
Can it be surface mounted instead of recessed?
Structurally yes – the box is the same idea either way – but the details change and they are not interchangeable afterwards. A recessed cabinet has a flange that finishes against the wall and a door that sits roughly flush. A surface-mounted cabinet needs a back that can be fixed to the wall, a deeper box standing proud of the surface, and a door thick enough to survive being knocked in a corridor. The door swing also matters: a surface-mounted cabinet projects further, so it needs clearance in front. Tell us which you are installing before the design is fixed, because converting one into the other after fabrication is effectively a new cabinet.
Send the recess dimensions, the glass thickness if it is in your scope, and the colour specification. The rebate and the wall flange are both formed before the cabinet is coated. Send your specification for a quotation.
Where glass is supplied with the cabinet it travels separately in the carton, protected on both faces – see the packaging guide.
A Recessed Box Is a Builder’s Dimension Before It Is a Fabricator’s One
A recessed hydrant box is built into a wall, which means its external dimensions are set by the opening the builder leaves, and builders do not leave openings to a fabricator’s drawing. The result is a product that has to be specified with a tolerance for a hole that is not square, not to dimension, and already built by the time the box arrives. This is why recessed boxes are quoted with a trim or a flange: the flange exists to cover the gap between the box and the opening rather than to look finished.
- Specify the opening size the box has to fit, and the tolerance on it, separately from the box size. They are not the same number.
- A recessed box needs an internal depth that suits what goes inside it, including the valve and the coupling. Depth is the dimension most often found to be short on site.
- Wall thickness varies, and it decides how far the box stands proud or sits back. It is worth confirming before the flange is detailed.
Red RAL 3000 Powder Coat: What It Does and What It Does Not Do
The red finish is specified for identification and it is a legitimate safety requirement in many installations, but it is a coating and nothing more. It does not make the box fire-rated, and it does not make it compliant with any particular fire equipment standard. Those are properties of the equipment inside and of the installation, and they are established by the equipment supplier and by the local authority having jurisdiction rather than by the box.
What the coating does need is a specification for the environment, because a recessed box in a stairwell and one in an outdoor wall are not the same duty. Powder coat over 1.5 mm SPCC is a good exterior finish as long as the edges and the fold lines are covered, and the fold lines are where coverage is thinnest. The break-glass door is a separate item and it needs a hinge and a catch that work after years of not being used, which is a different specification from a door that opens daily. Lead time is quoted after drawing review and process confirmation.
Payment Terms
How a project is paid for is agreed before production starts, and the structure that applies to your order is stated on the quotation and on the order confirmation, so there is no ambiguity later.
- 30% advance payment with the order and the 70% balance before shipment — our standard structure.
- 70% advance payment with the order and the 30% balance before shipment — used for some projects.
- 100% payment in advance before production starts — used for some projects.
If your finance team works to a fixed structure, say so in the first enquiry and we will confirm what applies to your order before you commit. Request a quotation.
Questions buyers ask before sending drawings
The questions that come up most often before a project starts, answered the way we answer them by email.
What do you need from me to quote Fire Hydrant Box?
2D drawings as PDF, DWG or DXF, or 3D files as STEP, IGES or SolidWorks, together with material grade, sheet thickness, surface finish, quantity and destination country. If the drawing is not finished yet, send a photo, a sketch or the existing part instead — we review what can be measured from it and reply with the questions that still need answering.
How long does a quotation take?
Enquiries are answered within one business day. Simple laser-cut and bent parts are quoted within 24 hours. Welded frames, assembled units and multi-part structures are quoted after the drawing review and process confirmation, and the date is confirmed in our reply.
Is there a minimum order quantity?
Prototypes are made from a single piece and small batches of 10–50 pieces are routine. Prototype, first batch and repeat volume are quoted together so the numbers stay consistent as the project scales.
Can you work from a sample or a photo if I have no drawing?
Yes. Send the part itself, clear photographs with a rule or caliper in frame, or a dimensioned sketch. We measure what can be measured, list what is still undefined, and confirm it with you before production.
How it’s made: fire hydrant box fabrication — door types, finishes and site installation.
Need a Similar Part?
Most enquiries that start on a page like this are not an order for Fire Hydrant Box — they are a search for a factory that can make something like it. Send us your drawing, 3D model or sample and we will review the manufacturing process and the quotation requirements, then come back with a process plan, a price and a lead time.
We work from 2D drawings, STEP / DWG / DXF / PDF files, or a physical sample if that is all you have.
No complete drawings yet? Describe the part, send photos or a sketch, or send a sample — we can start from there. Discuss your project.
Trade Terms and Delivery
We quote under the standard Incoterms your logistics team already works with, and build the packing and documentation around the one you choose.
- EXW — you collect from our Ningbo facility and run export clearance through your own forwarder.
- FOB Ningbo — we deliver to the vessel at Ningbo port and handle export clearance.
- CIF — we cover carriage and insurance to your named destination port.
- DDP — we handle carriage, insurance, import clearance and duties through to your door.
Send your destination country, target delivery date and preferred trade term together with the drawing. Request a quotation.
Quotation Time
We quote from your drawings. How long that takes depends on what the part asks for:
- Simple parts — quoted within 24 hours. Laser-cut blanks and bent components, supplied with complete 2D or 3D drawings. Mon–Fri, GMT+8.
- Complex assemblies — quoted after the drawing review. Payment kiosks, multi-part welded frames, enclosures with purchased hardware, or anything needing a coating or assembly trial. We confirm a quotation date once the scope is clear.
Production lead time is quoted separately, after drawing review and process confirmation. Send your drawings.
What stands behind this quotation
- Manufacturing since 20162,500 m² Ningbo plant — 3 laser cutting machines (including newer TRUMPF), 4 CNC press brakes and 10 welding stations.
- Shipped to more than 30 export marketsEnclosures, cabinets and formed parts supplied to OEM buyers across Europe, North America and Asia.
- 123 documented product casesMedical device housings, HVAC and heat pump enclosures, agricultural and livestock equipment, industrial hydraulics, material handling trolleys and EV charging cabinets.
- Factory evidence you can checkTUV Rheinland audit reference MIC-ASI243729 and Bureau Veritas reference MIC-ASR263630 available for buyer review under NDA.
Before you send drawings: an NDA is signed on request · first-article inspection is carried out before a batch continues · pricing is staged from prototype quantity to repeat volume · pre-shipment photos and packing records are prepared when the project needs them.