FAQs

Do not allow any metals other than aluminium, galvanised steel, ZINCALUME® steel or zinc to come into direct contact with COLORBOND® steel. Any direct contact between any other metals (eg. copper and lead) and COLORBOND® steel can result in corrosion. Especially take note of the following:

• Copper pipes and lead flashing should not come in direct contact with either ZINCALUME® steel or COLORBOND® steel. If the building design is such that water will flow from lead flashing onto ZINCALUME® steel or COLORBOND® steel, then the flashing should be painted.
• Water from copper pipes should not be directed onto COLORBOND® steel or ZINCALUME® steel.
• Stainless steel fixings and fixings containing copper should also not be used with ZINCALUME® steel or COLORBOND® steel.
• Fasteners conforming to AS3566 Class 3 or 4 are acceptable depending on the location of the product. If you have any questions, ask your supplier or contact us.
• This information is intended as a guide only. For more information, on our Corrosion Technical Bulletins, Download Corrosion Technical Bulletin CTB 12 - Dissimilar Metals.

The difference lies in performance requirements. COLORBOND® steel complies with a number of Australian Standards and was designed in Australia for Australian conditions. It is manufactured by BlueScope Steel, with a reputation second to none. COLORBOND® steel is not just powder coated steel. It is one of the most advanced steel products in the world, combining the outstanding anti corrosion performance of a ZINCALUME® steel base with a superior paint system. With imported steels you may not have all of these guarantees of quality.

Pale Terracotta, Torres Blue, Blue Ridge®, Ironbark, Bronze Olive or Saltbush is now discontinued as a standard colour for roofing & rainwater goods. 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.

Our recommendation is not to touch up. Minor scratching will not affect the life of the sheet and is rarely obvious to a casual observer. Should damage be substantial, replace the sheet. We particularly recommend against the use of spray cans, as these can result in overspraying of surrounding areas. The problem might not be immediately obvious, but since overspray paint weathers at a different rate to the oven dried paint on COLORBOND® steel you'll eventually be left with an unsightly blemish on the sheet.

Most Australian garden shed manufacturers use COLORBOND® steel.

However some garden sheds may be made with imported prepainted steel that might look the same, but isn't made to the same specifications and therefore doesn't necessarily deliver the same performance levels.

To guarantee you are getting genuine COLORBOND® steel made by BlueScope Steel, look for the 'branding' below.

Most Australian garden shed manufacturers use COLORBOND® steel. However, there are garden sheds available that use imported repainted steel.

The importance of looking for the brand was highlighted during recent market research undertaken by BlueScope Steel. Some garden sheds where made using imported prepainted steel so BlueScope Steel decided to have these products tested to see how they compared with COLORBOND® steel.

Research and Technical services people noticed that the primer was relatively thin. Additionally the paint was on a very thin zinc coated steel base. By comparison, COLORBOND® steel used in garden sheds has a ZINCALUME® steel base, with a zinc/aluminium alloy coating that is about 50% thicker. This means in most applications the COLORBOND® steel would have a longer service life. The other material would typically deteriorate to show red rust much sooner.

One interesting point was that the retailer of the sheds kept calling the product a "Colourbond" shed. This may mislead consumers into thinking the shed is made from COLORBOND® steel, made by BlueScope Steel. Therefore you should always look for the brand to ensure you are getting genuine COLORBOND® steel - manufactured by BlueScope Steel, in Australia, for Australian conditions.

BlueScope Steel recommend 'cold cutting' coated steel products. If this recommendation is followed, these products will 'self heal', that is, the zinc in the surrounding coating will protect the newly exposed edge. How does this happen? In the presence of moisture, a reaction occurs between the zinc and the steel which results in galvanic protection of the exposed steel, thereby inhibiting corrosion. The degree of protection depends on the thickness of the coating (the amount of zinc), and this is taken into account when Building Standards are formulated.