The Steel Behind Australia’s Digital Infrastructure
Data centres are among the most technically demanding facilities being constructed in Australia.
Driven by the continued growth of artificial intelligence, cloud computing, digital services and critical data infrastructure, these facilities require far more than the primary building structure.
Behind the walls, floors and roof is an extensive network of cooling, electrical, storage, security, lighting and mechanical systems designed to keep data centres operating reliably around the clock.
Many of these systems begin with steel sheet and coil.
From server racks and equipment cabinets to cooling systems, HVAC ductwork, electrical enclosures, switchboards, cable management systems and internal steel framing, steel provides manufacturers with a versatile material platform for producing many of the components required throughout a modern data centre.
Coil Steels supplies and processes steel sheet and coil for manufacturers, laser cutters, sheet metal shops, roll-formers and fabricators producing components for data centre construction and fit-out projects.
With operations across Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, extensive stockholdings and in-house slitting, shearing and recoiling capability, Coil Steels can support manufacturers with steel tailored to their production requirements.
Where Is Steel Sheet and Coil Used in Data Centres?
The internal infrastructure of a data centre differs significantly from a conventional commercial building.
Facilities need to accommodate large quantities of servers and technology equipment while continuously managing power, temperature, airflow and connectivity.
This creates demand for manufactured steel components throughout virtually every operational area.
Depending on the individual design and specification, steel sheet and coil can be used to manufacture:
- Server racks and equipment racks
- IT and electrical cabinets
- Cooling tower components and enclosures
- HVAC ducting and ventilation systems
- Air-conditioning panels and housings
- Switchboards and electrical enclosures
- Cable trays and cable management systems
- Lighting housings, brackets and supports
- Plant and equipment cabinets
- Cool room and insulated panel systems
- Internal steel framing
- Access panels and service enclosures
- Equipment support and protection components
- Roofing, walling and other building products
While these applications are diverse, they share a common requirement: reliable access to steel in the appropriate grade, coating, thickness, width and format for the manufacturing process.
Rather than simply supplying standard coil, Coil Steels works with customers to understand how the steel will be processed and can supply sheet, slit coil or recoils prepared around specific production requirements.
Steel for Server Racks, Cabinets and Equipment Enclosures
Inside every data hall are extensive rows of server racks, cabinets and equipment enclosures.
These products need to provide strength and rigidity while also allowing manufacturers to create accurate, repeatable components at high volumes.
Cold rolled and coated steel sheet and coil can provide an effective material solution for this type of precision manufacturing.
Coil Steels supplies cold rolled steel sheet and coil for manufacturing, roll-forming and fabrication applications in formats suited to customer requirements.
For manufacturers producing server racks, doors, panels, shelving, brackets and equipment cabinets, consistent material dimensions can help support efficient punching, pressing, forming and fabrication processes.
Metallic-coated steel products can also provide an option where enhanced surface protection is required.
Supplying material in widths or sheet sizes aligned more closely with the finished component can also help manufacturers improve material utilisation and minimise unnecessary in-house processing.
Steel for Data Centre Cooling and HVAC Systems
Keeping Mission-Critical Facilities Cool
Cooling is fundamental to data centre performance.
Servers and electrical equipment generate significant heat, making cooling towers, air-conditioning systems, ventilation equipment and airflow management critical elements of a data centre.
Steel sheet and coil can be used throughout the manufacture of:
- Cooling tower panels and enclosures
- HVAC housings
- Air-conditioning ducts
- Ventilation ductwork
- Air-handling equipment
- Louvres
- Plant cabinets
- Equipment panels
- Support and internal framing
- Insulated and cool room-type panel systems
Coil Steels supplies a broad range of metallic-coated steel products for manufacturing and fabrication applications, including:
GALVABOND® steel, GALVASPAN® steel, ZINCALUME® steel, ZINCANNEAL® steel, ZINC HI-TEN® steel, ZINCFORM® steel, DECKFORM® steel and TRUECORE® steel.
For manufacturers supplying HVAC and cooling equipment into major data centre projects, Coil Steels can work with production teams to determine the sheet or coil format required to support efficient manufacturing.
Cable Management, Electrical and Internal Fit-Out Components
Modern data centres contain large quantities of electrical, communications and fibre infrastructure.
Managing these services requires an extensive range of secondary equipment, including cable trays, supports, brackets, channels, service enclosures and associated hardware.
Steel sheet and coil can also be used to manufacture components for lighting and other internal fit-out applications, including:
- Housings
- Reflectors
- Mounting components
- Brackets
- Channels
- Support systems
For high-volume and repeat manufacturing, material consistency and processing accuracy can be particularly important.
When a manufacturer requires a specific steel width to continuously feed a roll-forming or manufacturing line, Coil Steels can slit master coils into narrower coils aligned with production requirements.
Where individual sheets are required for punching, laser cutting, pressing, folding or fabrication, Coil Steels can also provide sheet packs cut to specified sizes.
The objective is simple: deliver the steel closer to the format required by the manufacturing process.
Steel Processing for Data Centre Component Manufacturers
Manufacturing Efficiency Starts Before the Steel Reaches Production
Supplying the appropriate steel grade is only part of an effective material supply solution.
For manufacturers producing large quantities of data centre equipment and fit-out products, the way steel arrives at the factory can influence material handling, production efficiency, waste and overall productivity.
Coil Steels provides three core in-house processing capabilities.
Steel Coil Slitting
Slitting converts wider master coils into narrower coils manufactured to nominated widths.
Coil Steels has slitting capability across Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, including the ability to process material up to 6.00 mm thick and 1830 mm wide at its Victorian and Queensland operations.
For roll-formers and manufacturers, receiving material at the required width can help:
- Reduce additional processing
- Improve material utilisation
- Reduce handling
- Support continuous production
- Reduce unnecessary scrap
- Improve consistency between production runs
This can be particularly valuable for repeat-manufactured products such as racking components, duct sections, cable management systems, framing and equipment housings.
Steel Shearing
Coil Steels’ shearing services convert steel coil into sheet packs cut to dimensions required for customer manufacturing processes.
Standard and custom sheet sizes can be prepared for subsequent punching, cutting, pressing, forming or fabrication.
For manufacturers producing cabinets, panels, electrical enclosures and other sheet metal products, supplying sheets closer to the required production dimensions can help streamline downstream operations.
Steel Recoiling
Recoiling allows larger coils to be rewound into smaller coils at desired weights.
Coil Steels places particular emphasis on correctly tensioned recoils and a quality bookend finish, designed to help material feed efficiently through customer manufacturing lines, improve material yield and reduce rework.
For high-volume manufacturers, recoiling can support easier material handling and more efficient utilisation of steel through roll-forming and other continuous production equipment.
Supporting Fast-Track Data Centre Construction Programs
Data centre construction can involve demanding project schedules and significant quantities of repetitive manufactured components.
For equipment manufacturers and building product suppliers, a shortage of steel can quickly become a production bottleneck.
Coil Steels supports customers with more than steel availability.
Its supply and processing services include:
- Project management and forecasting
- Sheet and coil inventory management
- Consignment stock arrangements
- Just-In-Time delivery
- Material traceability
- Product labelling and identification
- Technical product support
- Tailored processing
- Production and delivery coordination
Coil Steels can work with customers to forecast future requirements and align material availability with manufacturing and delivery schedules.
Consignment arrangements can provide stock availability while helping manufacturers manage inventory, while Just-In-Time delivery can help reduce warehouse requirements and keep material moving in line with production demand.
For manufacturers supplying major data centre programs, this approach can provide greater confidence that steel will be available as production volumes increase or project schedules change.
Quality and Material Traceability
Data centres are mission-critical assets, placing high expectations on the supply chains supporting their construction and fit-out.
Manufacturers may require material certification and traceability to satisfy project, customer and compliance requirements.
Coil Steels operates under an ISO 9001 Quality Management System and supplies products certified to comply with applicable Australian specifications and quality standards.
The business can also work with sales, project and procurement teams around specific traceability requirements and provide corresponding test certificates.
This gives manufacturers greater confidence in the steel entering their production processes while helping support documentation requirements on major projects.
Frequently Asked Questions About Steel for Data Centre Construction
What steel products are used in data centre construction?
Steel sheet and coil can be used to manufacture a wide range of data centre components, including server racks, equipment cabinets, HVAC systems, cooling equipment, ductwork, electrical enclosures, switchboards, cable trays, lighting components, internal framing and plant enclosures.
The specific steel product, grade and coating required will depend on the component design, manufacturing process and project specification.
What type of steel is used to manufacture server racks and equipment cabinets?
Cold rolled and coated steel sheet and coil can be used to manufacture server racks, equipment cabinets, panels, doors, shelves, brackets and related components.
The specific material required will depend on the manufacturer’s design, forming requirements, surface finish and applicable specification.
Does Coil Steels supply steel for data centre HVAC and cooling systems?
Yes. Coil Steels supplies steel sheet and coil suitable for manufacturing applications including air-conditioning ductwork and panels, HVAC housings, ventilation systems, cooling equipment, plant cabinets and cool room-type panels.
Can Coil Steels supply custom-width steel coil?
Yes. Coil Steels provides in-house slitting services that allow wider master coils to be processed into narrower coils manufactured to nominated widths.
Supplying coil closer to the width required by the manufacturing line can reduce additional processing, handling and unnecessary scrap.
Can Coil Steels supply steel sheets cut to specific sizes?
Yes. Coil Steels provides shearing services that convert steel coil into sheet packs prepared to specified dimensions.
These sheets can then be used in downstream processes such as punching, cutting, pressing, forming and fabrication.
What is steel recoiling?
Recoiling involves rewinding larger steel coils into smaller coils at desired weights.
For manufacturers using continuous production equipment, recoiling can make material easier to handle while providing coils prepared around the requirements of their manufacturing lines.
Can Coil Steels support high-volume data centre manufacturing programs?
Coil Steels works with manufacturers around forecasting, inventory management, consignment stock, Just-In-Time delivery, processing and production coordination.
These services can be particularly valuable where data centre projects require large volumes of repeat-manufactured components over demanding construction programs.
Does Coil Steels provide material traceability?
Coil Steels can work with customers around specific material traceability requirements and provide corresponding test certificates.
The business operates under an ISO 9001 Quality Management System and supplies products certified to comply with applicable Australian specifications and quality standards.
Talk to Coil Steels About Your Data Centre Manufacturing Requirements
Whether you manufacture server racking, HVAC products, cooling equipment, electrical enclosures, cable management systems, lighting components, steel framing or other products for data centre projects, Coil Steels can support your steel supply requirements.
Our teams can work with you to understand your required steel grade, coating, sheet size, slit width, recoil, processing, forecasting and delivery requirements and develop a supply solution around your manufacturing process.