We often get the question of the price per m2. A simple answer is unfortunately not possible as many different factors determine the final price per m2 as you will read below.

1. The first question we need to answer is the thickness of the A1 panel and the number of Fiber layers we will use. Often a A1panel consists of 4 layers of our A1 Triaxial Glass Fiber resulting in a thickness of 7 mm. This panel will consist of 12,60 kg of A1 and 4 m2 (0,64 kg) of Triaxial Fiber. As said variations do occurs based on the strenght needed.
 

2. In this example we use a price for the A1 of € 4,13 per kg based on the price level 2023 and based on orders of 3.150 kg A1. For large projects often better prices are possible depending on the size of the project and the cost of transportation.
  

3. Calculation of the price per m2 for the raw materials, exclusing the cost of fabrication, moulds etc.  

– 12,6 kg of A1 x € 4,13 per kg = € 52,04
– 4 m2 of Triaxial Glass Fiber x € 3,26 = € 13,04
– A1 Sealer PLUS = € 0,32

Material cost per m2 = € 65,40

4. when adding 25% of Quartz Sand to the A1 the panels not only gets an even higher Fire Classification but also the cost per panel will drop:

– 9,45 kg of A1 x € 4,13 per kg = € 39,02
– 3,15 kg of Quartz Sand x € 0,77 = € 2,43
– 4 m2 of Triaxial Glass Fiber x € 3,26 = € 13,04
– A1 Sealer PLUS = € 0,32

Material cost per m2 = € 54,81

5. Although we do not recommend for an outdoor cladding system for Theming a A1 panel with 2 layers of Triaxial Fiber and a thickness of 4 mm might be strong enough if attached to a wall or support structure. In this case the calculation would be: 

– 5,4 kg of A1 x € 4,13 per kg = € 22,30
– 1,8 kg of Quartz Sand x € 0,77 = € 1,39
– 2 m2 of Triaxial Glass Fiber x € 3,26 = € 6,52
– A1 Sealer PLUS = € 0,32

Material cost per m2 = € 30,53

6. Often A1 is used in combination with moulds (https://a1cladding.com/working-with-moulds/). These moulds come in all kinds of forms, materials and sizes, from straight forward plywood moulds, silicone to 3D printed moulds.

The cost not only depends on the cost to produce the mould but even more on the number of A1 elements which will be produced in that single mould. Something that needs to be considered carefully when creating the project.

We had a project that used CNC milled moulds only once as for another project 10 moulds of 3 m2 were used to produce 5000 m2 of A1 panels.

Also the preparation of the mould before applying the A1 needs consideration. Most materials need a release agent to make sure the A1 does not bound with the mould. That’s one of the reasons why we prefer to use silicone moulds as the A1 will not attach to the silicone.

7. The cost of labour to laminate the A1 elements depends on the cost per man hour but is also determined by the shape of the mould and the thickness of the panel. The short curing times are an advantage of A1 as production can continue to work. After applying the first layer of A1 into the mould you only have to wait for 30 minutes to start working on the glass Fiber reinforced layers. As these are applied wet in wet continuous working is possible. Demoulding can often be done after 60 minutes of curing time which makes efficient use of moulds possible.

Met alle voorbereiding ben ik nooit verder gekomen dan 2x per 8 uur een product maken in een mal. Dat komt mede doordat deze producten vaak groter zijn ( circa 3 m2)

Because of the characteristics of A1 hand laminating is in most cases the most efficient way of working as, not only it is very easy and works fast, but also there is no need for extensive preparation and cleaning afterwards. Although maybe not relevant for the subject of cost calculation, we often get feedback that production staff loves working with A1 compared to other (composite) materials which in this time frame of shortage of labour might create the difference.

4. Cost of Fixing system, or how do you fix the A1 panels to the background. Many different option are available from using screws (https://a1cladding.com/facade-panels-amsterdam/), adding brackets/clamps to the rear of the panel (https://a1cladding.com/zinc-panels-south-africa/) or to work with an Aluminium support structure which is laminated into the A1 element (https://a1cladding.com/fly-over-the-netherlands/).

Next to the cost of the fixing system itselves are the cost of fixing the A1 elements to the background. As the panels are lightweight compared to many other materials we noticed that savings of the cost of fixing the panels are substantial.

5. Finally consider the cost of transportation from the production side to building side. Also in this case the lightweight of the A1 elements compared to materials like bricks, concrete and steel make A1 element cost effective. Wanneer het een volume transport is, dus grote elementen in een 3D vorm, maakt het niet veel uit met bijvoorbeeld beton. Dit omdat een 3D beton element ook niet het maximaal toelaatbare gewicht wat op een vrachtwagen kan gaat halen. Spreek je echter over vlakke elementen van 6 mm dikte in vergelijk met beton, dan neem je veel meer vierkante meters mee dan beton, omdat vergelijkbare beton elementen minimaal 30 mm dik zijn.

Ook het monteren kan vaak goedkoper. Zoals je weet weegt een element met een dikte van 6 mm ongeveer 11 kilo per m2. Dit betekent dat je elementen van 4 m2 (50kilo / 11 kilo per m2) met twee personen handmatig kunt monteren. Een vergelijkbaar beton element van 30 mm dikte weegt dan al ruim 280 kilo. Hiervoor heb je dan een kraan nodig.

Ik heb de laatste jaren al veel calculatie gemaakt die variëren in prijs tussen de €140,00 en €1500,00 per vierkante meter. Het gros van deze prijzen vallen in de range van €300,00 tot €550,00 per vierkante meter en omvatten dan de volgende onderdelen:

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