FAQs

XLERPLATE LITE® steel is BlueScope Steel's brand name for coil plate. XLERPLATE LITE® steel offers the advantages of short lead times, wide product range, consistent quality and the technical and in-market support you would expect from BlueScope Steel. It is produced on either the Western Port or Port Kembla Steelworks hot strip mills as hot rolled coil to meet the requirements of the AS/NZS 1594 Standard. The hot rolled coil is then cut to length at a coil processing facility to form the XLERPLATE LITE® steel product.f

COLORBOND® Coolmax® steel has equivalent corrosion performance to COLORBOND® steel in marine environments, as reflected by the equivalent warranty offer.

The reality is energy costs are going up, not down. That's a concern for most commercial and industrial building owners and tenants. So it's reassuring to know that a roof made from COLORBOND® Coolmax® steel in Whitehaven™ can help reduce the annual cooling energy costs of your building by up to 7.5%¹ compared to COLORBOND® steel in Surfmist®. Best of all, COLORBOND® Coolmax® steel delivers all the quality, durability and warranty* support that comes only with genuine COLORBOND® steel. Read more.....

^{1. COLORBOND® Coolmax® steel in Whitehaven™ has a 9% higher solar reflectance than COLORBOND® steel in Surfmist®. Based on independent roof studies this difference could result in cooling energy savings of up to 7.5%. Savings will vary and depend upon the level of insulation, location of air-conditioning ducts, building shape and function. COLORBOND®, ZINCALUME®, Surfmist® and BlueScope are registered trade marks and Coolmax® and Whitehaven™ are trade marks of BlueScope Steel Limited. © 2010 BlueScope Steel Limited ABN 16 000 011 058. All rights reserved.}

COLORBOND® steel and ZINCALUME® steel sheet from BlueScope Steel are used by several independent manufacturers to rollform a number of roofing & walling profiles, gutters & downpipes including gutter guards.   You can view our supplier locator for a rainwater goods supplier in your area.

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Most holes required for plumbing are already provided in steel framing systems. Feeding poly pipe through the pre-punched holes provided in steel framing is straightforward, and saves time having to drill every hole. Steel frame manufacturers can provide plumbing holes that are flared, these flared holes do not require grommets, if plumbing holes are not flared, grommets are required and are usually delivered to the site by the frame manufacturer.  Visit the tools you’ll need section to find the right tools and supplies for the job.

The grades in the 1995 and 2008 versions of the standard will be very similar. However, there will be some differences between some of the grades in the two versions of the standard. Details of the differences can be obtained from the standard or by discussing specific issues with BlueScope Steel. Please contact BlueScope Steel Direct on Free Call 1 800 789 to discuss.

Fitting electrical stud plates on steel framing is straight-forward. Low profile wafer head screws are recommended to ensure minimum interference with plasterboard wall panel, which is fixed over the plates, to the wall frames. Simple tools such as vice grips can save time and make the job easier. Vice grips are a quick clamp-and-release tool that fits around the stud lip to clamp and hold a plate in exact position, leaving both hands free to do the screw fixing. Visit the tools you’ll need section to find the right tools and supplies for the job.

Sec J requires you to verify the energy efficiency of the building from a heating and cooling perspective. This is typically done in one of two ways:

1. Comply with a series of Deemed to Satisfy (DTS) requirements such as putting a certain amount of insulation in the roof and walls. The use of COLORBOND® Coolmax® steel may or may not provide concessions as the requirements are necessarily conservative.
2. Use energy efficiency verification software, which gives you wider scope. This is the more common method for commercial buildings because the cost of the expert modelling is insignificant compared with the potential efficiency gains that can be made over using DTS measures. The use of COLORBOND® Coolmax® steel for roofing in the verification software is likely to provide the most benefit. For instance, a reduction of roof insulation may then lead to a roof spacer not being required. Alternatively the use of COLORBOND® Coolmax® steel may compensate for an underperforming element or an element that is expensive to achieve the level required.

XLERPLATE LITE® steel is available in a wide range of grades from structural steel grades such as HA200, HA250, HA300, HA350 and HA400; to the commercial formable steel grade HA1; as well as a range of Analysis grades such as HA1006, HA1016, K1042 and XK15B28. XLERPLATE LITE® steel is available in thicknesses from 3mm to 12mm and widths of 900mm to 1800mm wide. However, not all grades are available in all thickness and width combinations. For advice on availability please contact XLERPLATE® steel Customer Service on 1300 135 004. XLERPLATE LITE® steel floorplate is also available in thicknesses from 2.1mm to 8mm. XLERPLATE LITE® steel is available in lengths from 2400mm to 9000mm, however lengths outside this range may be available on enquiry, again please contact XLERPLATE® Customer Service to discuss your needs.