composite / Fibre-Reinforced / Polymer-Based FRP
Glass fibre reinforced polymer (GRP) panel (3mm, 4.5mm, 6mm, 8mm, 10mm)
Glass-fibre reinforced plastic (GRP) flat panels with manufacturer-reported tensile strength >50 MPa, bending strength 80-90 MPa and modulus 6-7 GPa; properties vary by resin/fibre content.
Atlas code
COM-FRC-PFR-001
At-a-glance signals
Glass-fibre reinforced plastic (GRP) flat panels with manufacturer-reported tensile strength >50 MPa, bending strength 80-90 MPa and modulus 6-7 GPa; properties vary by resin/fibre content.
Overview
Executive summary
GRP (glass-fibre reinforced plastic) flat panels are produced by continuous lamination using polyester resin and glass fibre reinforcement. Manufacturer data for flat GRP panels indicates tensile strength >50 MPa, bending strength 80-90 MPa, and modulus of elasticity 6-7 GPa; properties vary with fibre content, resin type and panel thickness.
Best when…
- Excellent corrosion resistance (pH 2-12)
- High strength-to-weight ratio
- 25-50 year service life
- Low maintenance requirements (0.5-1% annual cost)
- Non-conductive electrical properties
- UV stable with proper gel coat
- Versatile manufacturing methods
- Design flexibility for complex shapes
- Impact resistant
- Chemical resistant
- Non-magnetic properties
- Lightweight (35-50% of steel weight)
Top advantages
- 01 Excellent corrosion resistance (pH 2-12)
- 02 High strength-to-weight ratio
- 03 25-50 year service life
- 04 Low maintenance requirements (0.5-1% annual cost)
- 05 Non-conductive electrical properties
Top limitations
- 01 Higher embodied carbon than traditional materials (2.5-4.5 kgCO2e/kg)
- 02 Limited fire resistance without additives
- 03 Anisotropic properties requiring design consideration
- 04 Specialised installation skills required
- 05 Higher initial cost than some alternatives
Technical
Physical ·9
- Density
- Not specified (varies by glass/resin content) kg/m³
- Specific gravity
- 1.6-2.0
- Porosity
- 0.5-2.0% %
- Water absorption
- 0.15-0.3% (24-hour immersion) %
- Hardness
- 40-60 Barcol (typical 50-55)
- UV resistance
- Excellent with UV-stabilised gel coat (<5% degradation over 10 years)
- Chemical resistance
- Excellent (pH 2-12 tolerance)
- pH tolerance
- 2-12
- Surface roughness
- Ra 0.5-2.0 μm (smooth gel coat), Ra 10-50 μm (textured) µm
Mechanical ·7
- Tensile strength
- >= 50 MPa (Lariver GRP flat panels) MPa
- Compressive strength
- 200-400 MPa (typical commercial panels) MPa
- Flexural strength
- 80-90 MPa (bending strength) MPa
- Shear strength
- 50-70 MPa (in-plane), 25-35 MPa (interlaminar) MPa
- Poisson's ratio
- 0.25-0.35 (major), 0.02-0.08 (minor)
- Impact resistance
- 3mm: 400-600 J/m, 6mm: 850-1,200 J/m, 10mm: 1,300-2,000 J/m (Izod)
- Creep resistance
- Excellent (<0.1% strain at 25% ultimate stress over 50 years)
Sustainability & Health
Embodied carbon & energy ·7
- Embodied carbon
- Glass fibre: 1.2-1.7 kgCO2e/kg, Resin: 2.0-3.5 kgCO2e/kg
- Carbon footprint
- 2.5-4.5 kgCO2e/kg (complete panels)
- Embodied energy
- 45-85 MJ/kg (fibre: 28-54, resin: 85-120) MJ/kg
- Water footprint
- 25-40 L/kg L/kg
- Recycled content
- 0-15% (potential for glass filler) %
- Renewable content
- 0-5% (bio-based resins emerging) %
- Circular score
- 35/100 (improving with recycling technology)
Compliance & Fire
Fire performance ·6
- Combustibility class
- Combustible (fails AS 1530.1), Group 4 (AS/NZS 3837)
- Fire resistance level
- Non-rated (standard), up to 60 minutes (fire-retardant grades)
- Ignition temp
- 400-500°C °C
- Flame spread index
- 200-500 (standard), 25-200 (fire-retardant)
- Smoke dev. index
- 300-800 (standard), 50-450 (fire-retardant)
- Heat release rate
- >500 kW/m² (standard), <300 kW/m² (fire-retardant)
Cost & Lifecycle
Capex & lead time ·6
- Material cost (range)
- AUD $25-75/m² (varies by grade and thickness)
- Material cost (per unit)
- 3mm: $25-35, 6mm: $35-55, 10mm: $55-75 per m²
- Lead time
- Standard: 2-4 weeks, Custom: 8-16 weeks
- Lifecycle cost
- AUD $40-120/m² over 25 years
- Annual maintenance
- 0.5-1% of initial cost
- Market availability
- Good (domestic production + imports)
Service life & durability ·3
- Expected lifespan
- 25-50 years (properly maintained)
- Maintenance interval
- Inspection: Annual, Cleaning: Biannual
- Warranty period
- 3-10 years (manufacturer dependent)
Layer D
Where it's used
Architectural cladding and facades
Industrial wall and roof panels
Chemical plant infrastructure
Food processing facilities (FDA-approved grades)
Marine and coastal structures
Transport infrastructure (walkways, platforms)
Mining sector applications (non-sparking)
Agricultural buildings
Water storage tanks
Sound barriers
Translucent roofing (40-74% light transmission)
Cooling tower components