Combisteel

Buying Combisteel

Combisteel is the brand you turn to when you want to fit out a whole kitchen from one place rather than five. The Dutch manufacturer runs one of the widest catalogues in commercial catering: stainless steel tables, sinks and shelving, upright and counter refrigeration, walk-in cold rooms, a full modular cooking line, food prep machines and warewashing. That breadth is the point. If you are building a servery, a prep area and a cook line at once, you can source them as one coherent set with matching depths and finishes, which keeps both the look and the fitting simple.

The stainless steel furniture is the backbone of the range, and the numbers in the product names are worth learning. A 600, 700 or 800 worktable refers to the depth of the top in millimetres, so a 700 table sits 700mm front to back and lines up cleanly with the 700 cooking blocks. Most of the fabrication is built in AISI 304 stainless, the grade you want for wet, salty, heavily cleaned environments because it resists corrosion and takes daily scrubbing. When you specify tables, sink units and shelving, measure your run first: get the lengths and the depth right, decide where you need an upstand against the wall, and choose between undershelves and cupboard bases before you order.

Refrigeration and cooking are where Combisteel earns its keep on a busy site. The fridges, freezers, saladettes and prep counters are built around Gastronorm, so a 1/1 or 2/1 GN pan drops straight in, and the modular 700 cooking line lets you sit fryers, griddles, gas ranges and lava stone grills side by side on matching bases. Treat the brand as a value to mid workhorse rather than a premium name: you choose it for solid, honest kit at a sensible cost, not for the last word in energy ratings or finish. One habit to adopt early is to note the Combisteel article code (the 7000-series number, for example 7061.0010) for anything you buy, because that code is how you re-order the exact spare, shelf or container later.

Combisteel: common questions

What does Combisteel make, and who is it for?

Combisteel is a Dutch value to mid brand with an unusually broad range. It covers stainless steel furniture (tables, sinks, wall and floor shelving), refrigeration (upright fridges and freezers, saladettes, display cabinets, chest freezers, ice machines and walk-in cold rooms), a modular cooking line (fryers, griddles, chargrills, gas and electric ranges, convection and pizza ovens, salamanders and induction), food prep machines and warewashing. It suits cafes, pubs, takeaways, care homes, schools and busy independent restaurants that want dependable, well-priced kit and the convenience of buying most of the kitchen from one brand. If you need premium energy ratings or a designer finish, look higher up the market, but for everyday commercial service Combisteel is a sensible workhorse.

What do the 600, 700 and 800 numbers mean on the tables and cooking line?

They are the depth of the unit in millimetres. A 700 worktable is 700mm from front to back, an 800 is 800mm, and so on. The same logic runs through the modular cooking line, so 700 cooking blocks share the 700 depth and butt up flush against 700 tables and refrigerated bases. Getting the depth consistent across a run matters as much as the length: it keeps the worktop line straight, the splashbacks aligned and the whole cook line working as one bench rather than a set of mismatched boxes.

What grade of stainless steel is it, and how hard-wearing is it?

Most of the fabrication is AISI 304 stainless steel, the standard commercial grade for food areas. It resists rust and corrosion in wet, humid and frequently cleaned conditions, takes daily detergent and sanitiser without pitting, and wipes down easily for hygiene. Because it is a value range, the gauge (the thickness of the steel) and the bracing are specified to a sensible cost rather than the heaviest possible build, so for very high-traffic pot-wash and heavy-load storage, check the shelf load ratings and consider reinforced options where you will be stacking real weight. For normal daily service it holds up well.

Which Combisteel refrigeration should I choose for a UK kitchen?

Start with how you actually work. For back-of-house storage, the upright single and double-door fridges and freezers in 600L and larger sizes give you bulk capacity. For a prep line, a saladette or refrigerated counter keeps 1/1 GN pans of toppings chilled at the point of use, which is ideal for pizza, sandwich and garnish stations. For front of house, the glass-door display and countertop models show stock while keeping it cold. Check the climate class suits a warm UK kitchen (you want a unit rated to hold temperature when the room heats up during service), confirm the internal capacity in litres against your covers, and make sure the Gastronorm sizing matches the pans you already run.

Can I get a Combisteel walk-in cold room, and how is it delivered and fitted?

Yes. Combisteel makes modular cold rooms and combined cold and freezer rooms in a range of footprints, built from insulated panels (commonly 120mm) that bolt together on site, with the refrigeration unit matched to whether you need chill or freeze temperatures. Because these are large items assembled in place, they are not a simple parcel delivery: they need access checked, a level base, and usually installation and commissioning by an engineer. Delivery, siting and installation for heavy items like cold rooms are quoted separately, so you see the full cost and timeline before you commit rather than being surprised at the door.

How quickly can I get Combisteel equipment, and what about spares?

It depends on the line. Lordwell holds some Combisteel stock in its own warehouse, and those items can go out for next working day when you order before the daily cut-off. Most of the range, though, is ordered in from the manufacturer, so we confirm the lead time with you before you commit rather than promising a blanket next-day date. Given the size of some units (cold rooms, cook lines and large refrigeration) that is the honest way to handle it. For spares and accessories, quote the Combisteel article code (the 7000-series number on the unit or its paperwork): that code identifies the exact shelf, door, container or part, so you re-order the right item first time.