COLORBOND® steel celebrates 50 years

It’s the brand that has literally shaped a nation – from huge sporting arenas to the Australian backyard.  Today it’s difficult to imagine an Australian city, town or rural property without seeing COLORBOND® steel somewhere.  The iconic BlueScope brand is marking an incredible 50 years since its inception in 1966, over which time has become one of the most widely used and loved building products in the country.

Back in 1966, COLORBOND® steel came in just six colours that were used primarily for roofing, while today there are many more, including 22 standard roofing colours inspired by the colours of Australia and designed to not only withstand the harsh Australian elements but also to complement our natural environment.

“Our taste in colours is something that changes with the times and colours can be seen as historical and cultural markers,” said Lisa Dent, Manager Marketing & Market Development – Sales & Marketing, BlueScope.

“Of course the story of COLORBOND® steel is much more than just the colour. Its history is built on decades of innovation and improvement,  which has earned COLORBOND® steel a position as one of the world’s toughest, most advanced building materials.

“Australia’s widely diverse environmental conditions demand a product that is specifically tested and developed for Australia. Our research and innovation teams have been conducting real-world outdoor exposure testing and accelerated laboratory testing to thousands of panels of COLORBOND® steel for almost fifty years to ensure COLORBOND® steel is an ideal building material for Australian conditions – from the heat of the Northern Territory to much cooler climate of Tasmania,” Lisa said.

For decades COLORBOND® steel has been a popular choice from roofs to fences, sheds, garages, public buildings and even art, and is much-loved by world-leading architects creating award-winning commercial buildings and residential homes, as well as farmers needing a strong and durable material  suited to Australia’s tough conditions.

Examples of commercial buildings that use COLORBOND® steel in their construction include the fantastic Prairie Hotel located halfway between Adelaide and the Simpson Desert in Parachilna which features in the new COLORBOND® steel TV commercial; Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne, the Kununurra Court House in Western Australia* and the distinctive Crocodile Hotel in Kakadu.

The use of COLORBOND® steel is only limited by the imagination, which is why architects love the durability of the product and the ability to create structures of expansive curvature and grace with it.

For more information about COLORBOND® steel including the latest range of colours, visit www.colorbond.com or the COLORBOND® steel  Facebook page.