Technical Information

Edge protection lacquer is usually brushed or rolled onto a narrow band along cut steel—typically 50mm to 100mm wide—to seal the bare edge and any overlapping joints. For this reason, measuring coverage in linear metres is generally more useful than using flat square metres.

As a rule of thumb for standard 1-litre tins of cladding edge lacquer:

1. By Linear Meter (Typical Application)

• 50mm (2-inch) wide strip: A 1-litre tin will cover roughly 150 to 200 linear meters of cut edge for a single coat.
• 100mm (4-inch) wide strip: A 1-litre tin will cover roughly 80 to 100 linear meters of cut edge.

2. By Flat Surface Area

• If you are calculating it purely by flat square meters, standard metal cladding edge lacquers have a theoretical coverage rate of 8 to 10 m² per litre per coat. 

A Few Quick Tips for the Best Coverage:

• Profile factor: Keep in mind that profiled sheets (like 32/1000 box profile) have crowns and valleys. If you are running your brush up and down across the profiles rather than a straight flat cut, the actual linear distance will be roughly 10–15% longer than a straight tape measure reading because of the contours.
• Preparation: Ensure the cut edge is fully deburred, clean, and dry before brushing. Debris or oil will cause the lacquer to puddle or reject, thinning out your coverage and leaving micro-gaps where cut-edge corrosion can start.