BlueScope Steel: Replacing Metal Samples with a Smarter, 70% Cheaper Solution

Challenge

BlueScope Steel, a leading manufacturer of pre-painted steel coils used in roofing and fabricated metal products, relied heavily on metal samples for color selection.
However, this traditional approach came with significant challenges:

High production and material costs
Heavy samples leading to expensive shipping and difficult warehouse logistics
Time-consuming production and fulfillment
Customer skepticism toward paper-based alternatives, particularly around color accuracy

BlueScope needed a more efficient, scalable, and cost-effective sampling solution—without compromising the accuracy or quality their customers expected.

Solution

BlueScope partnered with Color Communications Inc. Australasia (CCIA) to design a modern alternative to metal samples.

CCIA developed a lightweight, highly accurate paper-based sampling system that met BlueScope’s production color standards while offering durability that exceeded expectations.

Key solution elements included:

Precisely color-matched paper samples engineered to meet strict steel production tolerances
Durable, lightweight substrates that eliminated previous handling and storage issues
A flexible product range including individual swatches, mini fan decks, and brochures with mounted color chips

Once BlueScope’s team validated the outstanding color accuracy, they fully embraced the transition away from metal samples.

Results

The new paper sampling solution delivered benefits far beyond initial expectations:

70% cost reduction compared to metal sampling
30% lower shipping costs due to drastically reduced weight
Improved logistics, eliminating warehouse strain
Ability for samples to pass through airport security, enabling easier travel and sales usage
Proven color accuracy that resolved end-user concerns

Today, CCIA manufactures all BlueScope Steel’s color samples across retail, commercial, and custom color collections—supporting a modern, efficient, and scalable sampling program.