FAQs

Stone® is now discontinued as a standard colour. Suppliers are still able to order non-standard colour from us, although price surcharges and/or minimum order requirements may apply. Please see our Find a Supplier page to find your nearest ten suppliers anywhere in Australia. This colour is still available in our fencing range, however the colour name is specific to the fencing product range. Riversand® is the fencing colour that matches the discontinued COLORBOND® steel colour Stone®. Please view information on Fencing range including the warranty.

Plantation® is now discontinued as a standard colour. Suppliers are still able to order non-standard colour from us, although price surcharges and/or minimum order requirements may apply. Please see our Find a Supplier page to find your nearest ten suppliers anywhere in Australia. This colour is still available in our fencing range, however the colour name is specific to the fencing product range. Hedge® is the fencing colour that matches the discontinued COLORBOND® steel colour Plantation®. Please view information on Fencing range including the warranty.

Night Sky® is a standard colour. Please see our Find a Supplier page to find your nearest ten suppliers anywhere in Australia. This colour is still available in our fencing range, for post and rails only, however the colour name is specific to the fencing product range. Please view information on Fencing range including the warranty.

The cooling energy savings associated with COLORBOND® Coolmax® steel have been quantified in our own BlueScope Steel building study. This involved comparing the relative running costs of three identical insulated buildings, the only difference being the type of roofing material used. The results have been used as a guide to possible savings for other buildings. This is further supported by information from reputable sources in the public domain, see our Calculator and Case Study.

Whether a steel frame is mechanically jointed or welded, in a properly constructed and insulated home, thermally induced movement and noise is equally as likely as with other materials. Steel framing expands and contracts at rates not too dissimilar from other materials, which means it’s unlikely that there will be noise or cornice cracking problems.

All light products have a greater tendency to show dirt than darker colours. Fortunately all COLORBOND® steel has excellent resistance to dirt retention, so regular washing from the rain is all that is usually required to keep your roof looking great.

Grade 250 is a common term generally referring to AS/NZS 3678-250. Where possible the full name: AS/NZS 3678-250 should be used to avoid confusion. The two grades, AS/NZS 3678-250 and AS/NZS 1594-HA250, are produced on two different rolling mills that give each grade different characteristics. The AS/NZS 3678, 250 grade is produced on a plate mill and is available in thicknesses from 5mm to 150mm, widths 1200mm to 3200mm and lengths up to 18.3m long. By contrast the AS/NZS 1594-HA250 grade is available in thicknesses 3mm to 12mm, widths of 900mm to 800mm and lengths of 2.4m to 9m.*

In general the AS/NZS 1594-HA250 grade is lower in price and offers the advantages of lower silicon levels (improved laser cutting and improved appearance of galvanized coatings), thinner and more adherent mill scale and tighter dimensional tolerances. AS/NZS 3678-250, on the other hand, offers advantages of larger plate sizes, the availability of heavier gauges and less residual stress in the plate. In some circumstances the higher silicon level of the AS/NZS 3678-250 grade can be an advantage during galvanizing as it may result in higher zinc coating mass, providing increased corrosion protection.

* Note: not all width and thickness combinations are available. Some products outside these restrictions may be available by enquiry – contact BlueScope Steel Customer Services on 1300 135 004.

BlueScope Steel will continue to supply pressure vessel grades in accordance with the 1995 version of AS 1548 for a period of time. In most cases there is a close equivalent grade between the 1995 and 2008 versions of the AS 1548 standard. Should you have a need to obtain a particular grade in accordance with either the 1995 or the 2008 versions of AS 1548 then please contact BlueScope Steel Direct on Free Call 1 800 789 to discuss your requirements.

Steel framing encourages home designers to think outside the square and make the most of available space and spanning capabilities. It lends itself perfectly to innovative designs and non-conventional rooflines, helping to create distinctive, highly individualised homes. In particular, the high strength-to-weight ratio of steel roof framing allows for longer spans, creating larger, more open living areas. And because it’s steel, it measures up against increasingly stringent building and fire regulations.

For most plain carbon manganese steels the yield strength decreases approximately linearly with increasing temperature at the rate of around 0.1% of room temperature strength per 1°C increase in temperature. This means that most steels have about 50% of their room temperature strength at 500°C.

Above this temperature, the rate of softening increases more rapidly. Also other factors such as creep and oxidation become important at higher temperatures and can further increase the rate of softening. For these reasons, plain carbon steels are not generally suitable for applications above 450°C.