Cemintel in focus: products and EPD coverage
Cemintel sits inside CSR’s building portfolio and focuses on fibre‑cement cladding and facade systems. If you sell into education, healthcare or mixed‑use projects, the question is simple. How much of that range is covered by product‑specific EPDs today, and where are the quick wins to close any gaps and win more specs without endless back‑and‑forth?
Who Cemintel is
Cemintel is CSR’s fibre‑cement brand, supplying exterior cladding, panels and integrated facade systems across Australia and New Zealand. Think rainscreen facades for mid‑rise, weatherboards for residential, and panelised looks for commercial streetscapes. It is a focused player rather than a sprawling materials conglomerate.
What they sell, at a glance
The portfolio centers on fibre‑cement cladding and accessories. Branded lines include prefinished architectural panels and paint‑on‑site boards suited to coastal, suburban, and urban applications. In practical terms, they cover core envelopes work: facades, feature walls, soffits, and trims. The range runs across several product families with dozens of SKUs, and if we include color and size permutations the total pushes into the hundreds.
Current EPD signal
Cemintel has product‑specific EPDs in market for selected fibre‑cement ranges, including Barestone Original and SimpleLine Cladding, published to EN 15804 A2 through a recognized program operator. That is a strong start. Coverage appears selective across the broader portfolio rather than blanket, which means specifiers still need to hunt for the SKUs with declarations.
Where coverage feels thin
Premium prefinished lines and certain painted board formats look less consistently covered by EPDs. If those lines carry the bulk of day‑to‑day demand, that gap risks slowing down submittals on projects where owners or GCs ask for product‑specific declarations as a default. In those settings, teams often pick the path of least resistance and move on to a product with a ready declaration.
Competitive set manufacturers
Two rival names come up in the same drawer of the spec cabinet. James Hardie publishes product‑specific EPDs for fibre‑cement cladding, including Hardie Plank in European markets. Etex operates facade brands in the same space and has multiple EPDs across its group for exterior boards and systems. Timber cladding suppliers also compete on certain facades and some of them carry verified EPDs, which can sway early design choices toward a different material class entirely.
What this means commercially
On projects that prefer product‑specific EPDs, a product without one often takes a scoring hit in carbon accounting models. That pushes it down the shortlist even if performance is identical. Teams then face a tricky trade: discount harder or risk the line being swapped late in design. A current, product‑specific EPD reduces that friction, shortens the submittal loop, and protects margin because the conversation stays on performance, not on paperwork.
Quick, credible moves to close the gap
If coverage is partial, prioritize the top‑volume SKUs first, then the hero aesthetic lines that shape brochure shots and mood boards. Match the PCR used by the most frequently compared competitors so decision‑makers can see apples‑to‑apples results. Keep data collection simple for plants with standard recipes, and use a prospective approach for new lines that have already started production. We see teams regain weeks in the bid cycle when the data wrangling is handled by specialists rather than pulled off the shop floor by already‑stretched ops staff.
Sustainability signal on site
Cemintel is part of CSR, which communicates broader sustainability targets and reporting here: CSR Sustainability. For project teams, a brand‑level narrative helps, but product‑level declarations still do the heavy lifting in procurement. They are the document that unblocks the submittal and wins trust with carbon‑aware specifers.
Where to focus next
Keep the current EPDs visible in datasheets and submittal packs. Expand coverage to the most‑specified cladding formats and colors. Track competitor updates twice a year so your PCR choices remain aligned with the market. Do this and the brand’s distinctive look keeps winning, with less admin and fewer last‑minute swaps that cost time and credibility.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Cemintel product families currently have product-specific EPDs?
Cemintel has product-specific EPDs covering selected fibre‑cement ranges, including Barestone Original and SimpleLine Cladding, verified to EN 15804 A2 via a recognized program operator.
How broad is Cemintel’s product portfolio and SKU count?
Cemintel focuses on fibre‑cement facade systems with several families and dozens of SKUs. Including size and color permutations, the total likely reaches into the hundreds.
Who are Cemintel’s main competitors on EPD-covered fibre cement cladding?
James Hardie and Etex are frequent comparators and both publish product‑specific EPDs for various exterior boards. Timber cladding suppliers with EPDs can also compete on certain facade concepts.
What is the fastest way to improve EPD coverage for specification wins?
Prioritize top-volume SKUs and high-visibility aesthetic lines, align PCR choices with the most common competitor references, and streamline plant data collection so declarations can be published quickly and consistently.
About the Author
With a passion for sustainability and a love for complex data, Toby helps manufacturers efficiently collect data from across their organization and get their EPDs done right. He’s especially interested in how AI can support human expertise, helping R&D and factory teams work faster, smarter, and with less friction.
