Aluminum Plate Rainscreen Panel System
Sure-Panel Plate Rainscreen uses solid aluminum or stainless steel plate, back-routed and fabricated in Burnsville, Minnesota, then installed on our proprietary Sure-Panel aluminum extrusion. The result is a crisp, flat facade with open reveals, no caulking and no exposed fasteners. Solid plate stands up to contact damage, which makes it a strong choice for high-traffic walls, entries and ground floors.
Why solid plate?
Plate panels are solid metal, not a composite. They're durable and resilient to contact damage, which matters at entries, loading areas, school walls and fire stations where carts, equipment and people come close to the wall. Plate can also be perforated for screens and accents.
Materials and sizes
Aluminum plate: .063" to .250"
Stainless steel: 18, 16, 14 and 11 gauge
Maximum panel size: 59" × 193"
Options: Perforated panels; alternate-color reveals
How the plate rainscreen system works
Back-routed, formed panels. Plate is routed on the back and formed into a panel with returned edges.
Proprietary Sure-Panel extrusion. Panels engage our aluminum extrusion attached to the substructure, with fasteners concealed.
Open dry joints. The joints stay open and the cavity behind the panel drains and ventilates. No sealant to maintain.
Design reveals. Reveal lines can be finished in an alternate color as an accent.
Finishes
Plate panels come in a wide range of standard colors and finishes and a large custom color collection, including 2-coat Kynar (PVDF) finishes.
Project spotlight: Rapid City Fire Station #1
Rapid City, South Dakota's new Fire Station #1 uses about 5,750 sq ft of pressure-equalized rainscreen in .080" 5052-H32 aluminum plate with a 2-coat Kynar finish in Cityscape and Slate Gray, plus about 920 sq ft of red ACM accents. Read the case study.
Short lead times
Fabrication in as little as 3–4 weeks, or about 6–8 weeks including drafting (shop drawings). We ship nationwide.
Where plate rainscreen fits best
Public safety and municipal buildings
K-12 schools and campus buildings (ground-floor walls, entries)
Healthcare and clinics
Perforated accents and screens
Plate rainscreen vs. ACM rainscreen
Both install on the Sure-Panel extrusion with open joints. ACM is lighter and very flat at large sizes, with PE or FR core options. Plate is solid metal, better against impact, and can be perforated. See ACM dry joint rainscreen and the rainscreen systems guide.
How the plate dry joint system is detailed
The Sure-Panel plate dry joint details (CNCDJ series) show a 1/8" aluminum plate panel system with:- 1/4" aluminum plate splines at the vertical and horizontal joints- Perimeter extrusions with starter clips and attachment clips, shimmed as required- Weep slots at the base and window heads- Panels installed over the air and water infiltration barrier, sheathing (plywood preferred) and steel studs
Details included: parapet, horizontal joint, vertical joint, window head, base, edge (A) and (B), and soffit return.
Specifications & drawings
Download the Sure-Panel aluminum plate dry joint details: sure-panel-aluminum-plate-dry-joint-details.pdf. More in the Specs & CAD library. CAD and Revit details are available on request.
