BlueScope has conducted the most rigorous testing program in Colorbond steel’s history to verify new enhancements in Colorbondsteel paint-colour durability compared with previous-generation product.
BlueScope product development portfolio leader Detlev Mueller says that to ensure that new Colorbond steel would perform well in Australian conditions, it was tested in several outdoor locations across the country for four years.
“Our testing program for Colorbond steel is unique in that our procedures replicate building applications in actual Australian conditions,” Mueller says.
“Our testing procedure includes samples of Colorbond steel being placed on what are dubbed ‘hot racks.’ These black, insulated boxes enable close simulation of the skin temperatures of real insulated roofs.”
Mueller says BlueScope’s rigorous outdoor testing is an important distinction between Colorbond steel and imported alternatives.
BlueScope national field performance manager George Thomson says new Colorbond steel’s improved corrosion durability and gloss retention, compared with the previous-generation product, have been verified through extensive accelerated testing at BlueScope’s Weathering Laboratory, where cyclic salt fog and ultra-violet light machines are used for complementary analysis. steel.com.au/create