EVERY FLOOR OPTION IS A COMPROMISE.
EXCEPT ONE.
WHY ALPHAFLOOR
Here is how solid concrete ALPHAFLOOR stacks up against everything else a builder is weighing up.
THE HEAD-TO-HEADS
Same job, different materials. These are the differences that show up on site, in the acoustic report and in the final cost.
ALPHAFLOOR VS
PARTICLEBOARD
Sound insulation of DnTw + Ctr 55 for the ALPHAFLOOR system against roughly 35 for particleboard. It is the difference your client hears every night.
No protection needed from water, rain or site traffic. Particleboard needs babying the moment the sky turns grey.
Concrete thermal mass typically adds 0.2 to 0.5 NatHERS/BASIX stars, which can save costly glazing upgrades particleboard often forces.
ALPHAFLOOR VS
AAC PANEL
25 MPa solid concrete against 3 MPa aerated concrete. More than eight times the compressive strength.
35mm doing the work of a 75mm AAC panel, with better acoustics (DnTw + Ctr 55 vs 43)
No high water absorption, no documented corrosion risk at fixings, no protection needed from weather.
ALPHAFLOOR VS
FIBRE CEMENT
A solid concrete feel underfoot. FC sheet flooring never stops feeling like sheet flooring.
Silica-free. Fibre cement sheet contains crystalline silica, a severe health hazard when cut.
Significant cost saving compared to compressed fibre cement flooring systems.
ALPHAFLOOR VS
SUSPENDED SLAB
Quieter than a 150mm suspended slab: Rw + Ctr 60 against 52, tested.
A fraction of the cost and the weight. No crane, no propping, no formwork, no cure time on the critical path.
Installed by conventional trades with standard tools, straight onto timber or steel framing.
IMPORTED MGO BOARD
ALPHAFLOOR VS
ALPHAFLOOR is solid concrete. MgO board is magnesium oxide cement. If the Safety Data Sheet reads magnesium oxide plus magnesium sulphate or magnesium chloride, it is not concrete, whatever the marketing says.
No weather exposure window and no finish-timing deadline. Some imported boards limit weather exposure to as little as three months, and require floor finishes within 90 days, in their own installation guides.
BlueScope Technical Bulletin TB-34 lists MgO based building boards as incompatible with TRUECORE steel in all circumstances. ALPHAFLOOR is not on that list.
Australian made in the Southern Highlands NSW, with years of projects behind it. Not a container shipment with a brochure.
SINCE WHEN DID CONCRETE NEED
PROTECTION FROM THE WEATHER?
Some imported boards are now marketed in Australia as concrete-like. Check the documents. In some cases the supplier's own installation guide limits weather exposure to as little as three months, and requires floor finishes to be installed within 90 days of the boards going down, or the warranty is at risk. Most Australian builds run six to eighteen months from structural floor to finishes.
Concrete does not work that way. ALPHAFLOOR is solid concrete, the material dams and bridges are made of. It is designed to be rained on during the build. No weather exposure window. No finish-timing deadline counting down while the build runs its natural course.
Before you specify any floor panel, read the supplier's installation guide and warranty, and check the Safety Data Sheet.
BUILDERS HAVE DOWNGRADED THEIR GLAZING BECAUSE OF ALPHAFLOOR
On recent projects, builders switching the first floor to ALPHAFLOOR have been able to downgrade window glazing because of the thermal mass contribution, saving more than the panels cost. The detailed case studies are in the 2026 brochure.
FLOOR SYSTEM COMPARISON
Comparing 35mm ALPHAFLOOR to 75mm AAC panels, FC sheets, particleboard and imported MgO
board.
Title | 19/22MM PARTICLE BOARD | 19/22MM FC SHEET | 75MM AAC PANEL | 35MM ALPHAFLOOR | Manual sort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NON-COMBUSTIBLE | No | No | Yes | Yes | 1o |
LOW MAINTENANCE | No | No | No | Yes | 1ni |
RISK OF CORROSION | No | No | Yes | No | 1nh |
HIGH WATER ABSORPTION (POROSITY) | Yes | No | Yes | No | 1ng |
SOUND INSULATION FLOOR SYSTEM (DNTW + CTR) | ~32 | N/A | 43 | 55 | 1nc |
REQUIRES PROTECTION FROM WATER | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 1n8 |
DURABILITY – AS/NZS 4456.10 | No | No | No | Yes | 1n4 |
MATERIAL | Particle Board | Fibre Cement | Autoclaved Aerated Concrete | Solid Concrete Panel | 1k |
THICKNESS | 19/22mm | 19/22mm | 75mm | 35mm | 1m |
COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH | N/A | N/A | 3 MPa | 25 MPa | 1mg |
CONTAINS CRYSTALLINE SILICA (SEVERE HEALTH HAZARD) | No | Yes | Yes | No | 1n |
