Know Your Measurements: What Is The Difference Between BMT and TCT Cladding?
If you’ve been researching farm sheds, then chances are you’ve been confronted with a fair bit of shed industry jargon. And it can seem quite complicated. Total Coated Thickness and Base Metal Thickness are the two terms we get questioned about. So we thought we’d use this space to explain it to you.
Total Coated Thickness (TCT)
This is the measurement of the steel and the coat of paint; hence the name total coated thickness.
Base Metal Thickness (BMT)
This is the most important measurement, as this is the measurement of the steel alone, and doesn’t include the paint. This is important as it is the steel that is the strongest material, and thus the thickness of the base metal will give you a sign of the strength of your building.
Many of our customers get confused between the two, and you can see how it is easy to. Though, your shed quote should refer to the Base Metal Thickness, as we mentioned above, it is this material that you should be most concerned about. Having said that, the Total Coated Thickness is important because it will give you a sign of how much space the steel is likely to take up.
Australian legislation requires that all steel building companies state the Base Metal Thickness on all their quotes. If they only provide the TCT, then they are misleading, and we would advise you to question the integrity of the company – as they are more than likely trying to pass of the TMT, so you are lead to believe that your farm shed will be made with thicker steel, when in fact, a part of the TMT measurement is painted. Sheds that uses coatings labelled as BMT is Colorbond sheds and Zincalume sheds.
Garage Wholesalers provides the correct measurement on all our quotes, and if you are looking for a quality steel rural building, then we will be happy to discuss your requirements and further explain some of the terminologies you may come across when searching for a farm shed.
Call us today on 1300 994 522
