Building materials

Our multi-disciplinary team of scientists and engineers are equipped with the knowledge and expertise to assess the performance of building materials and components in our extensive laboratory facilities.

The materials we test include plastics, adhesives, sealants, coatings, metals, cement, tapes, membranes, cladding products and engineered timber products.

We are experts in accelerated ageing of materials and products. Our UV ageing and climate ageing chambers allow us to complete accelerated ageing to predict expected performance in service. This speeds up product development and qualification processes while providing evidence for Building Code compliance.

We offer site inspections to evaluate the condition of building materials and establish their maintenance requirements and test both naturally and mechanically ventilated buildings. By measuring natural ventilation and fresh air delivery rates, we assess the overall effectiveness of the ventilation system and advise on the most effective design solutions.

BRANZ is accredited by International Accreditation New Zealand (IANZ) to the ISO/IEC 17025 laboratory standard for both fire resistance and reaction-to-fire testing. We are also a registered testing authority under the provisions of the Building Code of Australia.

Through the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) mutual recognition agreement, BRANZ test reports are recommended as the equivalent of those issued by laboratories accredited by 68 bodies around the world.

BRANZ has achieved and operates to a management system conforming to AS/NZS ISO 9001.

We are a member of the World Federation of Technical Assessment Organisations (WFTAO), a worldwide network for coordinating and facilitating the technical assessment of innovation in the construction field.

We test material durability and performance, moisture performance, thermal performance, ventilation efficiency and corrosion. We specialise in:

• insulated glazing unit performance (EN 1279)
• wet area and roofing membranes (AS 4654.1 & AS/NZS 4858)
• building underlays (AS/NZS 4200.1, NZS 2295)
• insulation testing (AS/NZS 4859.1, ASTM C518)
• weathertightness (AS/NZS 4284, E2/VM1, FV1, V2.2.1)
• water vapour resistance of materials (ASTM E96)
• pipe cement testing (AS/NZS 3879)
• accelerated UV weathering (ASTM G154, ASTM G155)
• thermal and moisture performance simulation
• hygroscopic properties of materials.

Our tests help inform future product development decisions, improve quality control systems, support BRANZ Appraisal and CodeMark certification and demonstrate compliance with New Zealand Building Code requirements.

For more information about on how our tests relate to the NZ Building Code, visit the Building CodeHub portal.

Our team has in-depth knowledge of the requirements of the New Zealand Building Code and associated standards. We can conduct testing on materials for compliance with New Zealand and international standards, including:

• Standards Australia (AS)
• Standards New Zealand (NZS)
• American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
• British Standards (BS)
• European Norms (EN)
• International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

Our multi-disciplinary team of scientists and engineers seek to understand our customers' needs and provide cost-effective testing solutions.

Our testing capabilities include:

• measurement of fundamental material properties such as mechanical strength
• assessment of natural and artificial weathering performance
• lifetime prediction of materials and development of durability test methods
• assisting in the development of new products and systems.

We test the performance of a range of commonly used building materials, including:

• plastics, polymers and composites
• metals and their protective coatings
• cement and cement-like materials
• timber and wood-based materials.

These materials are used in a diverse range of products. We can test the performance of:

• claddings
• flooring
• roof tiles and membranes
• tiling
• sealants and adhesives
• flashing tapes
• coatings
• building underlays.

We can reproduce the damage caused by full-spectrum sunlight, rain and dew that occurs over months or years outdoors in just a few days or weeks.

Our equipment and applicable standards include:

• Q-SUN xenon arc testing chamber (ASTM G155-13 Standard practice for operating xenon arc light apparatus for exposure of non-metallic materials)
• QUV accelerated weathering tester (ASTM G154-16 Standard practice for operating fluorescent ultraviolet (UV) lamp apparatus for exposure of nonmetallic materials).

A material's properties reduce as it ages. We study the impact on durability through accelerated ageing tests at controlled temperatures and humidities and through cycles of heat, cold, wetness and drying.

We can develop other artificial ageing test methods to suit specific materials.

Exposure to environmental elements can contribute to the degradation of paints, coatings and products. Using special environmental chambers, we offer testing services that emulate a variety of conditions, including:

• salt spray corrosion
• heat and rain exposure
• freeze-thaw exposure
• natural weathering exposure.

Our testing assesses building materials for durability over time and weathering/environmental effects

We do this by:

• identifying the information required to demonstrate the durability of a material or component
• checking technical literature
• performing appropriate tests.

We work with individual manufacturers, specifiers, builders and others to provide reliable information on materials durability.

We pass this information on to the industry through:

• BRANZ publications
• Build magazine.

We carry out site inspections to assess the condition of building materials and their likely future maintenance requirements.

We can also investigate building material failures on site to establish the cause of the failure and to identify ways of correcting building defects.

We typically investigate:

• metal coating failures
• timber structure failures
• corrosion
• plastic problems
• composite problems
• tiling problems
• adhesive failures.

We are experienced with a wide range of corrosion issues and testing standards. Our testing lab has state-of-the-art corrosion and electrochemical research equipment to test for salt spray exposure and accelerated weathering.

Our areas of expertise include:

• testing for Building Code and standards compliance
• atmospheric/marine corrosion
• zinc and aluminium alloy corrosion and selection
• materials compatibility
• galvanic effects
• corrosion-resistant protection coatings.

BRANZ can assess the long-term performance and durability of plastics and composite materials.

We use a variety of techniques, including artificial weathering, to evaluate the effect of ageing on mechanical properties, colour and gloss.