For the price, you can't go wrong. Very well packed with recyclable foam, all the tools you need (actually more than you need), and VERY easy to assemble. Very sturdy and no noise. It appears to be dark brown powder-coated steel, with a wood ladder. The ladder is also held in place with velcro. Intelligently designed. In the perfect world, I'd suggest that they round off the bottom corners, which stick out a little bit, so I have to watch my shins. The pillows are still going to fall down behind the headboard, because it is just a railing and not a board, actually. Also, it is just a hair too low to the floor to put a typical storage box underneath. That's not a problem, since I am opposed to putting stuff under the bed, anyway, it just collects dust! So my tweaks will be to add corner protectors to the bottom corners, and tie on a decorative board or fabric to the headboard to keep the pillows from falling off.