When you need outdoor lockers, it is really important to choose the right material for outdoor use. Plastic lockers have been a popular solution for external storage for many years. They are tough, resistant to water and won't rust, making them particularly useful for wet and demanding environments. However, plastic is no longer the only option. Purpose-designed outdoor steel lockers now provide schools, colleges, workplaces, sports facilities and other organisations with a highly practical and stylish alternative. Manufactured specifically to cope with outdoor conditions, weather resistant steel lockers combine the traditional appearance metal lockers with the additional protection needed for external use.
So, when comparing plastic vs outdoor steel lockers, which should you choose?
What Are Outdoor Steel Lockers?
Metal storage lockers are designed to use in dry indoor environments. If you put a standard steel locker outside with prolonged exposure to rain, moisture and changing temperatures it will eventually corrode over time. Outdoor steel lockers, on the other hand, have been specifically designed for external environments. Weather resistant steel lockers available from 3D Lockers are manufactured from zintec steel and finished with a durable weather-resistant polyester coating. This allows them to withstand outdoor conditions including rain, snow, ice and temperature changes. Steel external lockers are an excellent option when you want the durability and appearance of a metal locker to use outside!
Browse our Outdoor Steel Lockers
What Are Plastic Lockers?
Plastic lockers are manufactured from strong polyethylene and are designed for demanding indoor and outdoor environments. One of their biggest advantages is their resistance to water and corrosion. Unlike conventional steel, polyethylene will not rust, making plastic lockers particularly useful in locations regularly exposed to water or high humidity. You can use plastic lockers in swimming pools, leisure centres, outdoor activity centres, watersports facilities, factories and schools. Plastic lockers are also highly resistant to dents and scratches, making them a great option for high useage areas.
Plastic vs Outdoor Steel Lockers: What's the Difference?
Both products can provide effective outdoor storage, but they have different strengths:
Weather Resistance
This is one of the first things that springs to mind when buying lockers for outdoor use. Plastic lockers have excellent resistance to water and will not rust or corrode. This makes them particularly useful for very wet environments, swimming facilities and locations where lockers may need regular washing down. Outdoor steel lockers are also manufactured specifically to withstand the British weather. Their zintec steel construction and durable weather-resistant polyester finish provide protection against rain, snow, ice and changing temperatures. The most important thing is to choose lockers designed for outdoor use rather than a metal locker designed only for indoor use.
Security
Security is one of the strongest reasons to consider outdoor steel lockers. Steel provides a solid and secure storage solution for personal belongings, bags, coats, books, work equipment and other items. There is also a choice of locking systems. Depending on your requirements, outdoor steel lockers can be supplied with wet-area cam locks and alternative options including coin, token and RFID locking systems. This makes it much easier to create an outdoor locker system around the people who will actually be using it.
Appearance
One of the advantages of modern outdoor steel lockers is that they look much like the standard metal lockers you are used to seeing inside schools, colleges and workplaces. There is a wide selection of colours available, not just grey or silver. You can also choose from green, blue, red, white or black doors, allowing lockers to complement school colours or corporate branding. This is particularly useful for schools. As we regularly find when helping schools select lockers, colour is really important and can make a storage area feel brighter and more welcoming.
Choice of Compartments
Another major benefit of outdoor steel storage lockers is flexibility. Our weather resistant steel range is available with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 door configurations, all with different widths and depths available depending on the model. This means you can choose larger sized compartments bigger equipment, larger bags and coats. or increase the number of individual storage spaces where capacity is the priority. Rather than simply asking, "How many lockers can we fit?", think about what users actually need to store. A pupil carrying a large backpack, coat and PE kit has very different requirements from an employee storing a phone, keys and a few personal possessions.
Why Choose Outdoor Lockers for Schools?
Outdoor lockers for schools are particularly useful where corridor and classroom space indoors is limited. School buildings are busy places and internal space is valuable. Adding another large run of lockers to a narrow corridor isn't always practical. By installing school outdoor lockers in a playground or other suitable external area, schools can increase storage capacity easily. Pupils can use outdoor school lockers to store school bags, coats, books, PE kits and personal belongings during the day. Different door configurations arae available so you can select compartment sizes according to pupil age and what needs to be stored. Outdoor steel lockers for schools can provide the appearance of traditional school metal lockers while being designed specifically for external conditions.
For a real-world example of an external school locker project, take a look at our Alfriston High School outdoor locker case study
Outdoor Steel Lockers for Workplaces
Outdoor lockers can also be used in areas outside the workplace to provide useful staff storage at factories, warehouses, construction facilities, distribution centres, offices and industrial sites. They can be very useful when indoor space for staff lockers is limited and creating an outdoor staff area with secure lockers to store bags, workwear, valuables. With different compartment configurations and locking options available, businesses can create a practical external storage area around their workforce.
When Are Plastic Lockers the Better Choice?
Although outdoor steel lockers offer some significant advantages, there are applications where we would still recommend plastic lockers. If lockers are going into an exceptionally wet or humid environment, then plastic can be the more appropriate material. Swimming pool changing areas are a good example. Conventional steel is unsuitable for continuously wet environments because moisture can lead to corrosion over time. Plastic lockers won't rust, which is why they remain such a popular option around pools and other wet facilities. Plastic lockers are also useful where lockers need to be washed or hosed down regularly so places like food factories or laboratories. Other advantages are they wont't show scratches, dents or graffiti so plastic lockers would therefore suit high useages areas that are prone to alot of impact.
Plastic is simply a different locker material with characteristics that make them certain for certain environments.
Don't Put Standard Metal Lockers Outside
This is probably the most important piece of advice in this guide. If you need outdoor storage, buy lockers that have actually been designed for outdoor use. Standard powder-coated metal lockers are an excellent option inside schools, offices and workplaces that are dry and kept indoors. Moisture, rain and changing temperatures can cause standard steel lockers to deteriorate over time.
Invest in purpose-designed outdoor steel lockers which have been finished specifically for external conditions. By choosing the correct locker from the start, it will provide a reliable long-term storage solution for years to come.
What Should You Consider Before Buying Outdoor Lockers?
Before ordering either plastic or steel outdoor storage lockers, think carefully about the following:
- The proposed location
- How exposed is it?
- Will the lockers sit directly in the rain or underneath a locker canopy?
- Who will use them? What will they store?
- How much space is available?
- What level of security is required?
- What is the access like and layout?
For school installations, make sure there is sufficient space for groups of pupils to use their lockers without creating congestion. Locker doors should be able to open properly and the units must be positioned and installed securely.
On larger projects, this is where a professional site survey can be really useful. We can help with measuring the area properly and considering traffic flow, obstructions and fixing requirements before ordering to prevent any expensive problems later on. As well as co-ordinating a professional locker installation service.
Need Help Choosing Outdoor Lockers?
At 3D Lockers, we have over 35 years of locker industry experience and can help you choose the most suitable outdoor lockers for your site. Our team can advise on sizes, door configurations, locking options, colours, layout and installation.
Explore our Outdoor Steel Lockers or browse our Plastic Lockers to compare the available options. Alternatively, contact the 3D Lockers team for advice and a free quotation for your outdoor locker project.
