In-House Steel Core Welding for Large Specimen Trees
Project Background
Every architectural-grade tree we build starts as a welded steel core. The skeleton determines whether a 7-metre specimen stays upright in an atrium draft, so we weld it in our own workshop rather than sourcing welded frames from a subcontractor.
Specifications
Core material
Q235 galvanised steel tube
Core diameter
48–200 mm depending on tree height
Welding method
TIG welding, full penetration at joints
Surface prep
Hot-dip galvanised before bark carving
Base fixing
Bolted to a base anchor plate, not free-standing
Client Challenge
Lightweight blow-moulded plastic cores cannot be anchored and fail under wind load. Buyers who have been given a hollow core typically discover the problem on site, when a finished tree tips in a lobby draft and has to be removed and rebuilt.
Solution
We calculate the core gauge against the tree's height, canopy area and the site's wind load, then weld and galvanise it in-house. The result bolts to a structural base plate, which is the same detail your structural engineer signs off on.
Welding & Production Photos
artificial tree galvanized steel core weldingworkshop trunk detail textureworkshop trunk base detail
Final Installation
Two workers lifting a completed carved trunk section in the workshop