TATA STEEL REVEALS RESULTS OF INDUSTRY RESEARCH INTO CLADDING SPECIFICATIONS

The leading pre-finished steel manufacturer has shared the results of its latest UK building envelope sector research, commissioned for its Colorcoat^® brand. This survey reveals some of the common drivers behind cladding specifications and the value architects and developers place on aesthetics, manufacturer support and product guarantees.

With respondents from across the architectural and property development sectors, the survey found that the top three drivers influencing cladding specification decisions were fire performance, long-term aesthetics and durability, and a long product lifespan.

Unsurprisingly, fire classification was listed as ‘very important’, while developers also listed long-term aesthetics to be ‘very important’, with an average score of 9.8 out of 10.

However, over 20% of respondents said they expected specification drivers to evolve as a greater focus is placed on sustainability across the construction sector. On sustainability, nearly half of respondents considered embodied carbon versus operational carbon to be important or very important for their projects – with longer product lifespans ensuring the embodied carbon of a solution remains locked away.

When it came to manufacturer support, access to detailed and up-to-date online product data was the most common expectation – with 36% of respondents voting for it. This highlights the need for transparency within the industry, with many in the construction sector now looking to access product data online. This was followed by quality technical support, ensuring that specifiers can easily speak to a manufacturer’s technical team member about their queries and specific project criteria.

The manufacturer was also keen to find out about the importance of material guarantees, with cover in the event of product failure, the length of cover and the ease of applying for the warranty all scoring highly. A great example of this is Tata Steel’s own Confidex^® Guarantee, offered on Colorcoat Prisma^® and Colorcoat HPS200 Ultra^® pre-finished steel for up to 40 years for the weatherside of the product, when used for industrial and commercial buildings and applied for online.

Interestingly nearly half of respondent’s rated achieving BREEAM standards as the highest sustainability driver in projects, as well as a greater consideration on biodiversity since the introduction of the Biodiversity Net Gain in 2024. This was given the same level of importance as recyclability of materials and end-of-life, contributing to sustainability rather than just focusing on embodied carbon.

Looking at its own product range, the company surveyed the reasons why people specified its Colorcoat^® pre-finished steel, with the brand’s colour range and durability two of the principal reasons. On this, Lindsay Andrews, Marketing Manager – Colorcoat^®, from Tata Steel, said: “The Colorcoat^® brand has long been synonymous with high-quality pre-finished steel that delivers on both long-term performance and superior aesthetics. Whether it’s our Colorcoat Prisma^® or Colorcoat HPS200 Ultra^®, we’ve found that for architects and developers it is crucial that the product they specify not only performs but also looks good for years to come. It’s interesting to see this come across in this research, highlighting the importance of both aesthetics and functionality.

“Additionally, as our products offer enhanced durability, they can play a key role in reducing the embodied carbon within the use stage of a building. With a longer lifespan, architects can be sure that they won’t need to replace the cladding as often, effectively minimising the embodied carbon of a building, as well as promoting circularity with end-of-life benefits.”