The materials behind our shelters are chosen for resilience, ensuring long-term protection and reliability.
Materials That Matter
Our UV-stabilised RipStop PVC covers are weather-resistant and light enough to handle easily on site, and they are built to take the worst of the weather year after year.
Other colours are available, but we prefer white. A white cover runs significantly cooler than a dark one under sun, which keeps the material stable and reduces the expansion and contraction that works a cover loose over time.
Hot dip galvanised steel throughout. Not just the portals, but the purlins, the brace tubes and every nut and bolt. See below for why that distinction matters more than it sounds.
THE BIT NOBODY MENTIONS
Everyone says hot dip galvanised. Ask them what they mean.
On a lot of kitset structures, hot dip galvanised describes the portals. The purlins, the brace tubes and the fasteners are a different story, and those are the parts that rust first.
WE FOUND THIS ON OUR OWN GEAR
Our portals were fine. It was the purlins and brace tubes going first, and the electroplated nuts and bolts going before either of them. The sections we were using were too thin to hot dip properly, so the only real fix was to change the steel.
That is what we did. Every purlin and brace tube section was upgraded to a wall thickness that takes a proper hot dip, across the whole range, at substantial cost. Every nut and bolt went up a size and is now hot dip galvanised as well. It made the shelter dearer to build. We did it anyway, because we were the ones getting the calls.
| Component | Container Shelters | Worth asking your supplier |
|---|---|---|
| Portals | 76 × 3.3mm hot dip galvanised | Usually yes. This is the part everyone quotes. |
| Purlins | 2.5mm hot dip galvanised | Ask specifically. Thin sections cannot be hot dipped well. |
| Brace tubes | 2.0 to 2.5mm hot dip galvanised | Ask specifically. Rarely mentioned in a quote. |
| Nuts & bolts | Hot dip galvanised, upsized | If the answer is electroplated or zinc coated, that is a fraction of the coating. |
No rust bleeding down your cover
Rust streaks off a purlin or a bolt head show up on a white cover long before anything structural is at risk, and they do not wash off.
Bolts you can still undo
The day you relocate the shelter or replace a cover, seized rusted fasteners turn a one-day job into a cutting job.
It ages evenly
A structure is only as good as its cheapest component. Matching the coating across every part is what stops one item pulling the rest down.
If you are comparing us against an imported kitset, ask for the coating specification in writing, component by component. Not is it galvanised, but what are the purlins, the brace tubes and the fasteners coated with. It is a fair question and the answer tells you a lot.
Engineered Excellence
Core Features at a Glance
The four things that decide how long a shelter lasts, and how well it works while it does.
UV-Stabilised Covers
610gsm RipStop PVC, built to take harsh UV without cracking or fading.
Hot Dipped Throughout
Portals, purlins, brace tubes and fasteners. Not just the parts you can see.
Engineered for Your Wind Zone
Designed to suit all New Zealand wind zones. Lee zones assessed individually.
Frames And Covers Warranty
10 year full replacement on both. Not structural only.
Technical Specifications
Shelter Specs & Details
From materials to wind ratings, explore the key specifications behind our durable, high-performance shelters.
Built to endure, our shelters feature high-strength frames designed for long-term performance.
- Hot dip galvanised throughout: portals, purlins, brace tubes and every fastener.
- Portals 76 x 3.3mm, purlins 2.5mm, brace tubes 2.0 to 2.5mm.
- Engineered to suit all New Zealand wind zones, up to and including Extra High.
- Rolled structural steel portals and purlins rather than box section.
- Available in spans from 6m to 20m+, with custom sizes engineered to suit.
Engineered for all-weather durability, our covers offer reliable protection year-round.
- 610gsm fire-retardant RipStop PVC, UV-stabilised.
- PVC rather than PE. At the same stated weight the two are not the same material.
- Covered by the warranty, not just the frame.
- Replaceable down the track without touching the frame.
- Available in multiple colour options on request. We recommend white.
A shelter can sit on more than one thing. What it sits on changes the height, the cost and the groundwork.
- Shipping containers, which double as side walls and secure storage.
- Concrete or block walls, for a permanent installation at a set height.
- Timber or steel posts, where containers are not wanted on site.
- Custom and structural mounting onto existing buildings and structures.
Not every model mounts every way. The Bertha range mounts to the outside edges of shipping containers only. Compare the mounting methods.
Every shelter is engineered for the wind zone its site sits in, not to a single generic rating.
- Engineered to suit all New Zealand wind zones under NZS 3604: Low, Medium, High, Very High and Extra High.
- Lee zones and other specific-engineering sites are assessed individually.
- Hold-down and ballast requirements are set by the zone, not by the shelter.
- PS1 documentation is available on request.
Tailored solutions to meet your specific space and coverage needs.
- Standard shelter spans from 6m to 20m+, with varying heights.
- Depth built in 20ft and 40ft bays, or any combination of the two.
- Custom dimensions engineered to meet specific site needs.
- Optional end walls, doors and gutters for added protection.
Ten years, full replacement, on the frame and the cover.
- 10 year full replacement warranty covering frames and covers.
- Worth checking what you are being offered elsewhere. A structural warranty covers the frame only, and the cover is usually the part that needs replacing first.
- Designed and manufactured to New Zealand engineering standards.
- PS1 documentation available for consent and compliance.
Warranty covers manufacturing and material defects. Normal maintenance, re-tensioning and damage from misuse or modification are excluded. Ask us for the full terms before you buy.
NEW ZEALAND WIND ZONES
Which wind zone are you in?
Every shelter we supply is engineered for the wind zone its site sits in. That figure drives the frame, the connections and the hold-downs, so it is one of the first things we ask about.
Low
Sheltered inland sites, with surrounding terrain or buildings taking the edge off the wind.
Medium
The most common zone for general rural and industrial sites around the country.
High
More exposed sites, open country, or ground that sits above what is around it.
Very High
Coastal, hilltop and fully exposed sites with nothing upwind to slow the wind down.
Extra High
The most severe zone in the standard classification under NZS 3604.
SED
Lee zones and other sites outside the standard are assessed individually by our engineers.
What sets your zone
Wind zone is not just where you are on a map. It comes from the wind region, the terrain around you, whether the ground rises into the wind, and how much shielding you get from nearby buildings and trees. Two sites in the same town can land in different zones.
What it changes
A higher zone means more hold-down. That can mean more ballast, more or larger anchors, or a change to how the shelter fixes to what it sits on. It does not usually change which shelter suits you. It changes what holds it down.
Engineered to suit all New Zealand wind zones. Lee zones and other specific-engineering sites are assessed individually. PS1 documentation is available on request. See how hold-downs work →
WHY WE BUILD THEM THIS WAY
Two choices that cost us more.
THE COVER
610gsm is a number, not a spec
Plenty of suppliers now quote 610gsm, so the weight on its own tells you very little. What matters is what the fabric actually is, and what happens when it fails.
- PVC, not PE. At the same weight they are not the same material
- RipStop weave, so a tear stops rather than runs
- Fire-retardant coated
- Covered by our warranty, not just the frame
- Replaceable without touching the frame
Worth asking: at 610gsm, is it PVC, is it ripstop, and is the cover itself under warranty.
THE STEEL
Rolled, not box section
High-pressure gas cylinders are round for a reason. Round distributes stress evenly. We use heavy-gauge rolled structural steel portals and purlins rather than the box steel used in cheaper kitsets.
- Handles higher loads before it deforms
- Each portal mounts to a pre-welded spigot and galvanised base plate
- Better tensioning, so the cover sits tighter for longer
- Even stress distribution across the whole structure
Worth asking: what section the portals and purlins are, and what wall thickness.
SPECIFIED TO YOUR SITE
Tell us the site and we will tell you the spec.
Give us the location, the span you are after and what the shelter is for. We will come back with the wind zone, the hold-down method and a price.