About CSR Hebel Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC)

The light weight and other benefits of AAC blocks and panels are achieved by an infusion of millions of tiny bubbles into the concrete substrate. The bubbles are produced by a chemical reaction between the concretes ingredients upon mixing. When the concrete is partially cured, it is stripped from its mould, cut into blocks or panels and steam cured under high pressure and temperature. The finished product has a density(weight/volume) of 550kg/m^3, approximately equal to that of Douglas Fir pine and about one fifth of the weight of conventional concrete! It has the density and workability of timber yet without the problems of decay, shrinkage, warping or flammability.

Autoclaved aerated concrete was invented in Sweden in the 1920’s with commercial production beginning some 20 years later by Josef Hebel in Germany. Hebel AAC was a revolutionary new building material that quickly became widely used in Europe. It has since spread across ten countries worldwide including Japan and the USA where it now supplies a major share of masonry requirements.

In 1989, CSR, Australia's largest supplier of building materials formed a joint venture with Hebel and in 1990 completed a $34 million manufacturing plant in Sommersby, NSW. NZ began importing CSR Hebel in 1995 and it is now gaining favour as a quality building medium.