Design moment
HG INSIDER
2 | AUSTRALIAN HOUSE & GARDEN
COLORBOND
huts, and was such a success that in
1921, local subsidiary John Lysaght
(Australia) began producing it in
Newcastle, NSW. Although the product
didn’t need painting, Aussies still wanted
to give their roofs the personal touch, so
every few years they’d scramble on top of
their houses with paint
tins and brushes. US firm
Lithostrip Corporation &
Pre Finish Metals did away
with that hassle in the 1950s, when it
devised a way to bond paint to
galvanised steel. John Lysaght eventually
brought the technology to Australia,
adapting it for local conditions.
Meanwhile, BHP Steel found that with
an alloy coating of aluminium, zinc and
silicon, sheet steel would last even
longer, and began producing Zincalume
in 1976. The same advance flowed
through to Colorbond products.A
t the John Lysaght ironworks in
Port Kembla, NSW, a promising
new product rolled off the
painting line in 1966, one that was
destined to become a favourite with
homeowners and builders across the
country. Australia had long lovedcorrugated iron, but this pre-painted
Colorbond steel would prove an even
better fit.
In the late 1880s, British firm Lysaght
began exporting galvanised, or zinc-
coated, corrugated iron to Australia
under the Orb brand. It was a breeze to
transport long distances, easy to install
and tough as drovers’ boots. As well as a
roofing material, it fronted up as cladding
on shearing sheds, silos and outbackBHP acquired John Lysaght a few years
later, so Colorbond and Zincalume had
much of Australia covered. BHP Steel
became BlueScope Steel in 2003.
“Colorbond is one of the world’s most
advanced building materials,” says Lisa
Dent, manager of marketing and market
development at BlueScope. “Our teams
have conducted outdoor exposure and
accelerated laboratory testing to
thousands of panels for 50 years.”
Half a century of rigorous testing has
led to a string of innovations such as
Thermatech, designed to reflect solar
heat, and Activate, introduced in 2013,
which adds a magnesium coating and
makes Colorbond even more resilient.WHAT IT MEANS TO US
About nine million tonnes of Colorbond
have been produced since 1966. Nearly
half of all new homes in Australia have
roofs made from the material, while 90
per cent feature it in some form, be it
sheds, gutters, carports or letterboxes.
Today Colorbond comes in 22
shades that blend in with the Australian
landscape, from Paperbark to Ironstone.
Currently, the most popular hues
are Surfmist, Woodland Grey and
Monument (pictured above, from left),
all smoky neutrals.
“Monument is our go-to colour
where a balance of clean simple lines,
durability and restraint is required,” says
Queensland architect Shaun Lockyer.
“We like the robust qualities of the
material, along with the look of it.
It makes for strong architecture.” #Half a century of rigorous testing
has lead to a string of innovations.ABOVE LEFT Architect Nick Richter used a
Colorbond roof treatment for his home in Sydney. Photograph by John Paul Urizar (house).Over 50 years, this steely stalwart has come to
define shelter in Australia, writes Chris Pearson.