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Toyo Steel

Osaka, Japan · Since 1969 · Home

We love products that stay with us throughout our lives. In Osaka, Toyo Steel makes steel toolboxes, pressed from a single piece with no welds, which have become everyday objects far beyond the workshop.

Red Toyo Steel toolbox, open on a workbench

Founded in

1969, Osaka

Manufacturing

Japanese steel, made in Japan

Awards

Good Design Award 2009 and 2014

Distribution

France and Germany through Robinson

Toyo Steel boxes in their cartons, in a department store

The story

A toolbox from a single piece of steel

Founded in 1969 as a maker of professional tools, Toyo Steel was the first company to develop a steel toolbox with no welds, pressed from a single sheet of metal. Rounded corners, a round retractable handle, a padlock-compatible latch: every detail is designed to last.

Awarded Tokyo's Good Design Award in 2009 for the Y-350 and again in 2014 for the TWR-2, the box has left the workshop for every room in the house: camera lenses, hard drives, drawing supplies, sewing, electronics, camping, kitchen.

Good Design Award ·

Winner of Tokyo's Good Design Award, in 2009 and again in 2014

Originally designed for professional use, this highly versatile toolbox saw its timeless design, simple yet sophisticated, rewarded in November 2009 with the Good Design Award in the Long Life Design category, thanks to the brand's iconic model, the Y-350. In November 2014, it was the turn of the TWR-2 and TWR-4 wagons to win the prize.

The Good Design Award, presented since 1957, is the benchmark for design in Japan; its Long Life Design distinction honours objects that remain appreciated, and in production, over the years. The “G Mark” label appears on every Y-350: a simple selling point to show in the shop.

2009

Y-350 · Long Life Design Award

2014

TWR-2 and TWR-4 wagons

ISO

9001 since 2006 · 45001 since 2020

Good Design Award label on a Toyo Steel Y-350 box

The range

Seven sizes, two finishes

From the small case to the large model with trays, in a matte or gloss finish, with stackable models.

For shops

A best-seller in the window and on the shelf

Seasonal colours, displays and visuals provided, restocking from our warehouse in France.

Collaborations

Special editions and custom colours

Together with Toyo Steel, we develop limited editions for brands, hotels and institutions. Discover our bespoke projects.

Robinson Collection · Toyo Steel · Open on YouTube ↗

On video

Toyo Steel in one minute

Our product video “Robinson Collection • Toyo Steel”, shot by the agency: the sizes, the colours, the gestures. These videos are free for our retailers to use.

Detail of the red Toyo Steel box
Toyo Steel boxes on the Robinson stand
Toyo Steel boxes in a department store

In brief

What makes these boxes unique

Simple, verifiable facts, the ones we highlight on our own online shops. Use them as they are on your labels, your product pages and when advising customers.

01

One sheet of steel, zero welds

Base and lid are pressed from a single sheet of steel: no weak points, remarkable strength combined with surprising lightness (1.3 kg for the Y-350).

02

Details that last

Rounded corners with no sharp edges, a retractable handle, a precise padlock-compatible latch: sturdy, durable and timeless.

03

A range that stacks

Modular sizes, from the T-190 to the Y-350, flat lids and stackable boxes: every size finds its place in the window and on the desk.

04

From the workshop to the home

Tools, stationery, photography, sewing, electronics, kitchen, everyday objects: one box, a thousand uses, for every kind of customer.

05

Colours worth collecting

Blue, red, khaki, beige, white, blue-grey, coral, black, Italian yellow, antique green, silver… Customers come back for a second shade.

06

A solid pedigree

Higashi-Osaka since 1969, a design almost unchanged, Good Design Award 2009 and 2014, Long Life Design Award, ISO 9001 certification.

“Dreams will not rust.”
Dreams will not rust.

Taiji Hisashi, president of Toyo Steel

Example · Y-350

37.3 × 16.4 × 12.4 cm · 1,300 g · pressed steel · made in Osaka · Good Design Award 2009

Product sheets, HD visuals and selling points for each reference are in the B2B portal. See also the Y-350 page on Maison Godillot ↗.

You run a shop

Order Toyo Steel on our B2B portal

Robinson distributes Toyo Steel in France and Germany: full catalogue, technical sheets, pack sizes, prices and lead times. Accounts are opened after verification.

You are a private customer

Where to buy

Online, on our two shops: The Outsiders for Japanese stationery, Maison Godillot for Japanese design.

In the same spirit

All brands