mineral / Cementitious / Autoclaved Aerated Concrete
Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) panels - CSR Hebel PowerPanel Range
Lightweight AAC wall panels (e.g., 50 mm PowerPanel) with reinforced mesh, designed for fast installation and good thermal and fire performance.
Atlas code
MIN-CEM-AAC-001
At-a-glance signals
Lightweight AAC wall panels (e.g., 50 mm PowerPanel) with reinforced mesh, designed for fast installation and good thermal and fire performance.
Overview
Executive summary
Autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) panels are lightweight, steel-reinforced wall systems manufactured by CSR Hebel. PowerPanel 50 is a 50 mm-thick AAC panel designed for non-loadbearing external or internal walls, offering low weight and good thermal performance.
Best when…
- Non-combustible - meets all BAL categories
- 75% lighter than precast concrete
- 3x better thermal resistance than double brick
- 60% faster installation than traditional masonry
- Excellent acoustic performance (Rw 42-65 dB)
- Termite and vermin resistant
- 50+ year service life
- NCC deemed-to-satisfy material (AS 5146:2015)
- Can be cut with standard power tools
- No toxic emissions or VOCs
Top advantages
- 01 Non-combustible - meets all BAL categories
- 02 75% lighter than precast concrete
- 03 3x better thermal resistance than double brick
- 04 60% faster installation than traditional masonry
- 05 Excellent acoustic performance (Rw 42-65 dB)
Top limitations
- 01 Moisture sensitive - requires vapour-permeable coating
- 02 Limited impact resistance compared to traditional masonry
- 03 Cannot be field modified once installed
- 04 Requires skilled trades familiar with AAC techniques
- 05 Single Australian manufacturer (CSR Hebel)
Technical
Physical ·9
- Density
- 640 kg/m3 Derived from 50 mm panel weight 32 kg/m2 (32 / 0.05 m).
- Specific gravity
- 0.51-0.58
- Porosity
- 75-85 %
- Water absorption
- 20.9-32.7 %
- Hardness
- 2-3
- UV resistance
- Good with coating // LinkedIn technical articles
- Chemical resistance
- Alkaline resistant // pH 10-12
- pH tolerance
- 10-12
- Surface roughness
- Wire-cut smooth µm
Mechanical ·7
- Tensile strength
- 0.44-0.60 MPa
- Compressive strength
- >4.0 MPa PowerPanel 50 specification.
- Flexural strength
- 0.44-0.60 MPa
- Shear strength
- 0.30 MPa
- Poisson's ratio
- 0.20-0.25
- Impact resistance
- Limited // Qualitative - requires protection
- Creep resistance
- Good // Low long-term deformation
Sustainability & Health
Embodied carbon & energy ·6
- Embodied carbon
- 0.37 // kg CO₂e/kg (CSR Hebel EPD 2024)
- Carbon footprint
- 14.6 // kg CO₂e/m² (CSR Hebel EPD 2024)
- Embodied energy
- 3.5 MJ/kg // MJ/kg (CSR Hebel EPD 2024)
- Recycled content
- <1 % // % (CSR Hebel EPD 2024)
- Renewable content
- 0 % // % (mineral-based product)
- Circular score
- Moderate // Recyclable as aggregate
Compliance & Fire
Fire performance ·6
- Combustibility class
- Non-combustible // AS 1530.1
- Fire resistance level
- up to 60 minutes System-dependent fire rating for PowerPanel 50.
- Ignition temp
- >1200 °C // °C (does not ignite)
- Flame spread index
- 0
- Smoke dev. index
- 0-1
- Heat release rate
- 0 // kW/m² (non-combustible)
Cost & Lifecycle
Capex & lead time ·6
- Material cost (range)
- $70-170 // per m² (2025 Sydney prices)
- Material cost (per unit)
- $105-135 // per m² floor panels (Empower Construction)
- Lead time
- Project dependent // Typically 2-4 weeks
- Lifecycle cost
- $120-260 // per m² over 50 years
- Annual maintenance
- $0.50-1.50 // per m² (coating refresh)
- Market availability
- Good - single manufacturer // CSR Hebel nationwide
Service life & durability ·3
- Expected lifespan
- 50+ // years (CSR Hebel EPD)
- Maintenance interval
- 5-10 // years for coating refresh
- Warranty period
- 25 // years (CSR standard)
Layer D
Where it's used
External wall cladding (50-75mm)
Internal partition walls
Fire-rated walls (FRL up to 240/240/240)
Acoustic barriers and intertenancy walls
Flooring systems over joists (75mm)
Commercial load-bearing walls (100-250mm)
Balcony blade walls in high-rise buildings
Shaft and service walls
Bushfire-resistant construction (all BAL ratings)