glossary Glossary 3 min read

Custom Orb corrugated roofing

Custom Orb is Lysaght's 16 mm corrugated steel roofing profile: 762 mm cover, 5 degree minimum pitch. The heritage AU default for federation roofs.

Ask Chalkline about this →

Custom Orb is Lysaght’s brand name for traditional corrugated steel roofing, the heritage default profile across Australian residential building. The rounded corrugations sit on a 76 mm pitch with a 16 mm nominal rib height in the COLORBOND-finished Custom Orb (17 mm in the galvanised Custom Blue Orb variant). Effective cover width is 762 mm. Minimum roof slope is 5 degrees (verified 2026-05-16, Lysaght Custom Orb profile page).

Specifications

ItemCustom OrbCustom Blue Orb
Rib height16 mm nominal17 mm nominal
Cover width762 mm762 mm
Minimum pitch5 degrees (1 in 12)5 degrees
MaterialCOLORBOND-finished steelHot-dip galvanised steel
Common BMT0.42 mm, 0.48 mm0.48 mm, 0.60 mm
Side lap1.5 corrugations1.5 corrugations
FixingPierce-fix into rib crests with hex screw + EPDM washerSame

Where it’s used

  • Federation and heritage homes: the visual default; a Trimdek roof on a federation house is jarring.
  • Roof replacements on existing corrugated roofs: matching the original profile.
  • Verandahs and outbuildings: traditional aesthetic, cheaper than premium profiles.
  • Class 1a residential where the client’s design preference is the traditional look.

Why it has lost market share to Trimdek

Custom Orb dominated Australian roofs for a century but has been displaced for most new builds:

  • Minimum pitch is 5 degrees versus 2 degrees for Trimdek. Modern low-pitch architecture pushes the design under Custom Orb’s threshold.
  • Below 5 degrees water tracks back along the rounded valley of the corrugation against the lap and leaks through. The anti-capillary geometry of square-rib profiles doesn’t exist on Custom Orb.
  • Aesthetic preference has shifted toward the cleaner contemporary look of square-rib profiles in new builds.
  • Wider profiles cover faster: Custom Orb 762 mm versus 700-900 mm options on newer profiles.

Custom Orb remains specified for heritage matching and federation revival builds.

On-site checks

  • Fasteners through every second corrugation rib at supports (typical pattern; check the Lysaght install guide for the specific BMT).
  • 1.5 corrugation side lap with the upper sheet’s lap-side oriented away from prevailing wind.
  • Driven to EPDM washer compression (just below the flange bend); over- and under-driven both leak.
  • Roof pitch confirmed 5 degrees or steeper. Below 5 degrees switch profile, do not install Custom Orb.

Also known as: CUSTOM ORB, Lysaght Custom Orb, corrugated iron, corrugated roofing.

Category: Metal roofing / cladding profiles.

See also


Last updated: 2026-05-16. Verified: 2026-05-16.