Sphere Water Features
Stainless Steel Water Feature Sphere
- Self contained water feature
- Grade 304 OR 316 high quality stainless steel
- Easy to install & maintain
- Low voltage (cheap & safe to run)
- For indoor & outdoor use Mirror Polished finish (super reflections in the garden)
Send a drawing or a photograph on WhatsApp or by email and we will quote against it. No form to fill in.
Product Overview
What This Piece Is
The Sphere water features is charming and makes a beautiful centerpiece for your favorite outdoor gathering spot. It has a contemporary shape, creating a dramatic and eye-catching effect. Water scales down the sleek surface, spilling into the basin. The beautiful stainless steel sphere can be combined with round or square Lite fountain basin. These lightweight, yet durable basins can be used either above or below ground, and are designed to be topped with river stone. Easy to assemble, the kit includes the pump and all other components necessary to create your fountain. The basin provides easy access to the pump with a removable pump access plate.
Who It Is For
- Fountain and water feature installers
- Landscape contractors
- Hotels, spas and resorts
- Private garden projects with an existing basin
Problems It Solves
- Water running unevenly and leaving mineral streaks on one side
- Leaks where a solid ball was drilled on site
- Pipe and plate dimensions that do not match the basin already built
- A grade chosen on price rather than on the water chemistry
Key Benefits
Why Buyers Specify This Product
A Reflection That Stays Whole
Weld seams are ground and re-polished until a straight line reflected across the surface does not break in two, which is the difference between a sculpture and a divided mirror.
Built to Your Size, Not to a Die
Water pressure forming has no standard die limit, so the diameter comes from your drawing rather than from the tooling a supplier happens to own.
Grade Matched to the Location
316 and 316L are specified for coastal cities, marine air and acid rain regions where 304 would be attacked. Indoor work is quoted in 304.
Water Flow Designed Into the Ball
The inner pipe ends in a funnel at the crown so water leaves evenly and runs gently over the whole surface instead of streaking down one side.
One Supplier From Drawing to Freight
Our 3D drawing team develops the panels, the workshop forms and finishes the piece, and express, air or sea freight is arranged from here.
Application Scenarios
Where This Product Is Installed
The same piece behaves differently indoors, on a coast and in a fountain basin. These are the settings we build for most often.
Garden and courtyard fountains
A sphere sitting on a pedestal tube with water flowing across the mirror surface.
Technical Features
Specifications and Capability
Figures below combine what this listing states with the full capability range of the workshop, so you can see immediately whether a variant of this piece is possible.
- Available diameter range
- 19 mm to 5000 mm, built to your drawing
- Grade referenced
- AISI 316, AISI 304
- Grades available
- AISI 201, AISI 304, AISI 316, AISI 316L
- Wall thickness range
- 0.6 mm to 6 mm
- Materials
- Stainless steel, carbon steel, brass, copper, aluminium, corten steel
- Finishes
- Mirror polish, Mill finish, Brushed, Electroplating, Sandblasting, Etching, Silk printing, Spray painted RAL colour
- Forming methods
- Water pressure forming, mould pressing, spinning
- Weld seams
- Ground back and re-polished so the reflection runs unbroken
- Customisation
- Drilling and tapping, laser cut patterns, perforation, sandblasted logos, base plates, water feature pipework
- Made in
- Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
Materials
- Stainless steel 201 / 304 / 316 / 316L
- Carbon steel and mild steel
- Brass
- Copper
- Aluminium
- Corten weathering steel
Customisation Options
- Any diameter to your drawing, with no die limit
- Drilling and tapping to your hole pattern
- Laser cut designs and perforated surfaces
- Sandblasted or etched logos and artwork
- Continents added for a world globe
- Sprayed RAL colour with printed patterns under the topcoat
- Support post and base plate for fountain mounting
Manufacturing Process
How It Is Made
Water Pressure Forming
Technicians calculate the exact developed size for each steel sheet, the sheet is bent into leaf shapes, welded into an approximate spherical cube and then expanded into a true sphere under water pressure. Weld seams are ground off and the surface is mirror polished. There is no standard die limiting the size, so any diameter can be built to a drawing.
Best for: Large and giant spheres, one-off commissions, sizes with no existing tooling
Mould Pressing
Sheet is deformed against a mould, two hemispheres are welded together, the weld seam is ground back and the ball is polished or brushed. Available from 5 mm to 500 mm diameter with 0.6 mm to 6 mm wall thickness, with drilling and tapping to your drawing and invisible weld seams.
Best for: Repeat batches of small and medium balls, gazing balls, drilled and tapped balls
Spinning
Two hemispheres are metal spun and then welded together, ground and polished. This is the route that produces the thickest wall sections we offer.
Best for: Heavy wall spheres and hemispheres, structural or high impact locations
Quality Control
How the Surface Is Judged
Surface Uniformity
A polished surface is judged on whether reflected light is even across the whole ball rather than dark in low lying areas, whether the reflected object stays sharp, and whether it distorts.
Weld Seam Treatment
The weld line is where two panels meet and is the hardest area to finish. If it is not treated correctly the piece reads as a divided mirror and a straight reflected line breaks into two parts, so seams are ground and re-polished until the reflection runs through unbroken.
Material Selection
304 is used for indoor work. For coastal cities and acid rain regions 316 is specified because of its higher corrosion resistance, and we recommend 316 for outdoor sculpture generally. We do not recommend 201 for sculpture work.
We publish the inspection criteria we use rather than a certification badge we cannot evidence.
Comparison
How This Compares With Other Production Routes
| Method | Size range | Thickness | What it gives you | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water pressure forming | 19 mm to 5000 mm | 0.6 mm to 6 mm | No die limit, so any diameter can be built | Large spheres and one off commissions |
| Mould pressing | 5 mm to 500 mm | 0.6 mm to 6 mm | Repeatable geometry, invisible seams, drilling and tapping available | Batches of small and medium balls |
| Spinning | Hemisphere based | Thickest wall option | Heaviest sections we produce | Impact exposed and structural pieces |
| Stamping press hemisphere | Φ20 mm to Φ700 mm | 0.6 mm to 3 mm | Consistent batch geometry | Repeat hemisphere and dome components |
| Welded assembled hemisphere | Φ200 mm to Φ3500 mm | 0.6 mm to 3 mm | Large domes with invisible seams | Architectural domes and wall arrays |
Use Guide
Installing and Looking After It
Spheres can sit directly on lawn, gravel or paving, or be mounted on a granite or fabricated steel base. Base plates are made to the fixing centres of the foundation you build. For fountain work the inner pipe, funnel outlet and square base plate are built into the ball.
For daily cleaning use warm water and a cloth, then dry the surface with a towel, because minerals in the water leave marks on stainless steel. A mild neutral cleaning agent removes tough dirt without damaging the surface, and glass cleaner with a microfibre cloth deals with fingerprints. Never scrub a polished ball with a steel wire ball, it leaves scratches that cannot be removed.
Before You Order
- Diameter, or the diameters in the group
- Grade: 304 indoors, 316 or 316L on the coast
- Wall thickness between 0.6 mm and 6 mm
- Finish and, for colour work, the RAL reference
- Mounting: free standing, base plate, post or fountain
- Destination country and site access
Related Products
Other Pieces in Sphere Water Features
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Projects Using This Type of Work
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Background Reading
Guide to Installing and Mounting Metal Spheres
Base plates, support posts, granite bases and fountain pipework, and why they are built with the piece rather than added on site.
Stainless Steel Sphere Water Features for Decoration
High-grade and advanced stainless steel sphere water features are counted as the popular choice for both the traditional garden an
Choosing a Stainless Steel Sphere Water Feature
When you enter any hotel, resort or even a large corporate house, the common thing that you often see in
FAQ
Questions About This Product
Can this be made in a different size?
Yes. Water pressure forming works without a standard die, so any diameter can be made to your specification between 19 mm and 5000 mm. Send the size you need and we quote against it.
Which stainless steel grade will you use?
AISI 304 for indoor placement and AISI 316 or 316L for coastal cities, marine air and acid rain regions. 316 has better corrosion resistance and durability than 304, and we recommend it for outdoor sculpture. We do not recommend 201.
Will the weld seam show?
No. Seams are ground back and re-polished until a straight reflected line runs across them without breaking. On mould pressed balls the seams are invisible.
How is the fountain pipework arranged?
An inner pipe runs through the ball with a funnel shaped ending at the top so water flows evenly over the surface. It exits at the bottom, usually with a further 10 inch length, and attaches to a square stainless base plate. Pipe lengths and plate sizes are custom built to your basin.
What finishes can I choose?
Mirror polish, mill finish, brushed, electroplating, sandblasting, etching, silk printing and sprayed colour in any RAL reference.
How will it be shipped?
Samples and small orders go by air express, usually 5 to 8 days with DHL, UPS, FedEx or Aramex. Medium and urgent orders go by bulk air, around 5 days to your airport. Large orders go by sea, usually 15 to 45 days to your local customs. 7 feet is the largest diameter that ships by conventional freight.
Can you work from my drawing or photographs?
Yes. Our factory has a 3D drawing design team and an in house artist team, and we build from small samples, ideas, 3D drawings or detailed pictures. OEM and ODM commissions are welcome.
Next Step
Get A Quote For This Piece
Send the diameter, grade, finish and destination and you will have a price and a lead time. Drawings and photographs are welcome on WhatsApp or by email.