A lintel is an essential part of a building’s infrastructure and, therefore, using steel lintels in masonry construction that does not comply with the Australian standards invites more than just a handful of problems in your newly constructed home.

Why Compliance Matters

For most consumers, their home is their single biggest investment they will ever make and represents more than just bricks and mortar. It’s safety, security, and a haven that should last a lifetime, so what goes into a building should matter to all of us.Steel lintels are an important structural load bearing support for a new home build. If you have a non-compliant lintel installed in your new home the potential to rust is increased. This starts with the surface which progressively deteriorates; eventually expanding and impacting the structural integrity of what it is supporting. Structural failures are problematic and costly to repair.It is a requisite that manufacturers who supply steel lintels must comply with Australian standards. It involves everything from manufacturing and rigorous testing to labelling steel lintels. However, many manufacturers do not follow these requirements, putting consumers in unfortunate and unnecessary situations.

How Does It Happen?

As you can see, these are situations that occur due to building material failures. What contributes to potential building material failures? Using non-compliant materials.High demand from the residential building market coupled with the pressure from the supply chain and high steel pricing have created an environment where possible structural elements failure could occur due to non-compliance.For many of us, building and owning a house is the biggest financial commitment that we will make in our lives. And we expect this process to go as smooth and not a financially and mentally draining process. We put our trust in the builder to ensure they purchase compliant products, however, temptation from suppliers and builders to reduce their costs could compromise the build.

Here’s the Solution

The Australian standards related to steel lintels was updated s in 2020. It specifies the requirements for testing the durability classification of steel lintel’s protective coatings. The team at Galintel takes this matter seriously with dedicated inhouse experts to review compliance.Many steel lintels sold at retail do not meet these requirements, and the category continues to have a heavy import volume that does not meet these Australian standards. So, despite these regulations, some builders could be using non-compliant steel lintels.When investing your hard-earned money into building a house or any project, pay attention to the quality and product compliance of the building materials being used, as they play a crucial role in maintaining its structural integrity. Most importantly, it should be worth the amount of money you spend on it.

What Makes Galintel Different?

With Galintel, you only get the best of industry steel lintel products.Our team is passionate about innovation and quality, so we use only industry best practices to ensure our products meet the highest standards and compliance requirements. All our steel lintel products are hot-dip galvanised complying with AS/NZS 4680:2006.As per the standard, Galintel steel lintels, including Solid Base Angle and Traditional T-Bar manufactured in Coffs Harbour, are built, tested, labelled, and stamped permanently with our brand, R3 durability rating followed by the Australian standard number AS 2699.3 to ensure clear visibility post-installation. When building your dream home, be sure to check with the materials selected for the build to make sure your builder is using a quality, compliant, and Australian made product like that offered from Galintel. Get in touch with the Galintel team to find out about our product range.