What is Colorbond?

The Colorbond trademark is owned by BlueScope Steel Limited.

The Colorbond trademark refers to both the process that is used to paint steel with a colored polyester coating and to the names of the various colors.

The Colorbond process is a unique and innovative method developed for creating high-quality, durable painted steel.
It involves five main steps:

1. Preparation: The first step in the Colorbond process is to prepare the steel surface. This typically includes cleaning and smoothing out any imperfections.
2. Metallic Coating: After preparation, a metallic coating made of aluminium or zinc is applied to both sides of the steel sheeting to protect it from corrosion. This is refered to as galvanizing.
3. Primer Application: A thin layer of primer is then added on top of this metallic coating. This helps improve adhesion between the paint layers that will be applied next and also provides additional protection against rust.
4. Paint Layering: Two coats are now layered onto each side - one coat specifically designed for extreme weather conditions and another color coat which gives it its final appearance with selected pigment options available depending on customer needs.
5. Baking Process: Finally, these coatings are baked at high temperatures, so they bond permanently with the metal substrate forming an integrated system less prone to peeling or flaking compared with traditional post-paint applications.

By following these stages you get robustly coated sheets that can withstand harsh weather conditions while retaining vibrant colors over time - hence named as 'Colorbond'.

The specific chemical composition of the final coat used in Colorbond steel is proprietary information owned by BlueScope Steel, and thus it's not publicly disclosed. It involves a complex blend of acrylic resins with pigments added for color. This type of paint system ensures high durability, UV resistance and corrosion protection – crucial factors to meet the challenges posed by harsh weather conditions while retaining its vibrant colors over time.

Is Colorbond Steel More Expensive?

Colorbond steel is more expensive than Zincalume, galvanized or non Colorbond coated steel.
But is it better?

There is an Australian Standard for coated steel. This is ASTM A755/A755M-18.

Standard Specification For Steel Sheet,
Metallic Coated By The Hot-Dip Process And Prepainted By The Coil-Coating Process For Exterior Exposed Building Products

1. This specification covers steel sheet metallic coated by the hot-dip process and coil-coated with organic films for exterior exposed building products. Sheet of this designation is furnished in coils, cut lengths, and formed cut lengths. Building products include corrugated and various types of roll and brake-formed configurations.
2. The substrate is available in several different metallic-coated steel sheet products as enumerated in 4.1, depending on the requirements of the purchaser.
3. Coating systems supplied under this specification consist of a primer coat covered by various types and thicknesses of top coats. The combination of primer and top coat is classed as either a two-coat thin-film system or as a two-coat (or more) thick-film system. Typical top-coating materials are: polyester, silicone polyester, acrylic, fluoropolymer, plastisol, or polyurethane.

Australian Standards are important in the construction industry. Materials that comply with Australian Standards ensure safety, structural integrity and quality over the long term.

Do we use Colorbond steel?

At Sheds4less we do not use Colorbond steel. All steel used in Sheds4less sheds is tested to the above Australian standard. This ensures that you get a quality product that will last a lifetime but at a reasonable cost. Because we test our steel to the Australian standard we are confident to give a 30 year warranty on all our sheds.

What are Colorbond colors?

There are 22 trade marked color names in the range of Colorbond steel typically used in garden sheds. Download the full color chart here. There are 9 colors that are more common. Paint companies and steel makers try to “match” these popular colors. But as they are trademarked, they cannot use the same name. Below is a table of the most common colors and their “alternative” names.

We produce our sheds in three of the most popular colors used architecturally today that are similar to the Colorbond colors.

Midland Green

- similar to Pale Eucalypt

Sandrift Cream

- similar to Paperbark

Onyx Grey

- in the range between Woodland Grey and Monument. See the color chart below.

Find the Shed to Fit Your Space

With over 3,000 different garden sheds you are bound to find a shed that fits your space. Use our online shed selector to find the right size and right door configuration to suit your needs.

Click here for our shed selector tool.