Why We Choose Bluescope Colorbond Steel & Colours
Smartkits only uses Bluescope Colorbond Steel in all of our Kits and applications. We have done since day one, and will continue to do so as our business grows and Australian's are made more aware of the quality and longevity it has over imported steel products.
In the 50+ years since COLORBOND® steel first rolled off a paint-line in 1966, a great deal has changed. Not only has the colour range evolved, so too has the technology of COLORBOND® steel production. The most recent innovation, ACTIVATE® technology, was introduced in 2013, and BlueScope holds numerous patents on the technology, both in Australia and around the world. No wonder we’re now seeing COLORBOND® steel being used on anything from roofs and garages, to large commercial buildings like the Adelaide Velodrome and Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena. Indeed, peoples' passion for COLORBOND® steel seems greater than ever; we see it being used not only on roofs, fences, walls, gutters and fascia, garage doors, sheds, carports but also all manner of home-made creations from letter boxes and statues, to cubby houses and Christmas Trees!
COLORBOND® steel is owned and manufactured by BlueScope, which was once a part of BHP and became an independent company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) in 2002. To celebrate COLORBOND® steel’s 50th anniversary in 2016, new advertising has been developed to showcase the wonderful ways COLORBOND® steel has been used over the years around Australia. The tagline, The Colours of Australia since 1966™, reflects not just the simple truth that the COLORBOND® steel colour range is inspired by Australian colours, but is also a celebration of the spirit that has made Australia such a unique place to live and build….since 1966.
Here in Australia, our buildings certainly face some pretty challenging weather conditions from extremes of heat and cold, to dust, rain, wind and hail. And it’s for this reason that COLORBOND® steel is assessed at outdoor sites around Australia, as well as in accelerated laboratory testing. COLORBOND® steel undergoes corrosion testing, durability testing, application testing (to ensure it can be used in a wide range of building and manufacturing applications, and with all the common building products used across the industry) and outdoor exposure testing. As part of the assessment program, there are over 12,000 panels on exposure across Australia, ranging from moderate to very severe marine environments, and from tropical to industrial locations.
BlueScope’s assessment program for COLORBOND® steel is designed to replicate building applications in actual Australian conditions. By recreating actual building applications – including varying pitches, profiles, product types and the inclusion of unwashed areas – BlueScope’s assessment regime exceeds Australian testing standards for steel building products, giving a genuine understanding of how COLORBOND® steel will perform on real homes.
Manufactured in Australia to Australian Standards (AS1397 and AS/NZS 2728) and tested in some of the harshest Australian conditions over the last 50 years, genuine COLORBOND® steel is far more than just ‘paint on steel’.
1.) The steel base is manufactured to meet relevant Australian Standards, ensuring strict adherence to the required grade and strength.
2.) The base is then coated in BlueScope’s industry leading metallic coating incorporating Activate® technology*, to provide enhanced corrosion resistance.
3.) A thin pretreatment layer is applied to optimise the adhesion of further coatings.
4.) A corrosion inhibitive primer is baked onto the surface.
5.) A topcoat of specially developed, exterior grade paint is baked on to provide resistance to chipping, flaking and blistering and to ensure the finish retains its look for longer.
*Activate® technology is not available for COLORBOND® Intramax™ steel, and COLORBOND® steel products with a galvanised steel substrate.
Simple maintenance of COLORBOND® steel by regular washing with clean, fresh water will not only prolong its life but also maintain its attractiveness for longer periods thus protecting your asset. Applications where the paint finish is naturally washed by rainwater do not usually require this maintenance, e.g. roofing. However, some areas such as wall cladding under eaves, the top of garage doors and the underside of eave gutters are often not washed by rainwater, and so require some attention. Ensure these ‘unwashed’ areas are hosed down at least every six months and more frequently in coastal areas where marine salt spray is prevalent, and in areas where high levels of industrial fallout occur. It is also important to ensure that there is no build-up of debris, such as soil and mulch against COLORBOND® steel products.
If cared for in this way, your building components made from COLORBOND® steel should give many years of easy maintenance life.
When you purchase COLORBOND® steel products from Smartkits, you are buying products made and backed by BlueScope, one of Australia’s largest manufacturers. It's 100% Australian steel!
