Frequently asked questions: LGS/CFS steel profiles, panels, and kits
NewCon Steel® manufactures LGS/CFS steel in thicknesses from 0.85 to 2.5 mm (0.033–0.098 in) to a ±0.5 mm (±0.02 in) tolerance. Its Zn-Al-Mg coating is 275 g/m² total, both sides (0.90 oz/ft²; the same coating mass as G90). The questions structural engineers, procurement managers, and contractors ask most cover minimum order, behavior in marine environments, applicable standards, and shipping terms from Panama City.
NewCon Steel answers 18 technical and commercial questions here, with figures and the standard that applies in each case. When a figure depends on the project, we say so and confirm it in writing in the quote.
Steel, profiles, and coating
What is cold-formed steel (LGS/CFS), and how is it different from hot-rolled steel?
Cold-formed steel (CFS), also called light-gauge steel (LGS), is thin steel sheet formed at room temperature into structural members: studs, tracks, and hat channels. Hot-rolled steel is formed at high temperature into heavy sections such as W-beams and columns. The two are different structural systems with different design specifications: cold-formed steel is governed by AISI S100-16 (R2020) w/S3-22 and AISI S240-20. NewCon Steel manufactures cold-formed steel in thicknesses from 0.85 to 2.5 mm. See LGS/CFS profiles.
What thicknesses does NewCon Steel manufacture, and to what tolerance?
NewCon Steel manufactures LGS/CFS profiles in sheet thicknesses from 0.85 mm to 2.5 mm, with a manufacturing dimensional tolerance of ±0.5 mm. At the plant in Centro Industrial PEB, Las Mañanitas, Panama City, CNC equipment on the same forming line cuts each profile to length, then punches, marks, and labels it. The exact thickness of each profile family on your project is confirmed on the data sheet we issue with the quote.
What coating does NewCon Steel use, and how should I write it into my specification?
NewCon Steel supplies zinc-aluminum-magnesium (Zn-Al-Mg) coated steel at 275 g/m²: class ZM275 per EN 10346 and ZMM275 per ASTM A1046/A1046M Type 1. Write those two designations into your specification. They are standard classes, not trade names, so any compliant mill can be measured against them. The 275 g/m² is the total mass across both sides of the sheet (≈137.5 g/m² per side). A spec that reads it as "per side" asks for a product that does not exist. Full detail in engineering and standards. A note on the name: you may see zinc-aluminum-magnesium steel sold as ZAM®. ZAM® is a registered trademark of Nippon Steel Corporation, not a standard, so we do not use it for our product. Specify the coating by its designation (ZM275 / ZMM275) and its coating mass (275 g/m² total, both sides).
Is 275 g/m² a heavy coating compared with ordinary galvanized steel?
NewCon Steel's 275 g/m² Zn-Al-Mg coating has exactly the same mass as a high-grade Z275 / G90 galvanized coating, and it sits more than 50% above the G60 structural minimum (180 g/m²) required by ASTM A1003 for cold-formed structural framing members. The coating quantity is identical; the advantage of Zn-Al-Mg over galvanizing is its alloy chemistry. If an offer claims "more coating" than G90 at the same mass, ask for the coating class and the mill certificate before you compare.
Does the steel corrode in a Caribbean coastal or marine environment?
Yes: all steel corrodes, so the useful question is how fast and where corrosion starts. On a cold-formed member, it starts at the cut edge, the punch-out, and the screw. NewCon Steel's Zn-Al-Mg coating works at exactly those points: the magnesium and aluminum migrate across the exposed edge and form a protective film. Nippon Steel reports that Zn-Al-Mg coatings outperform galvanized coatings by 10 to 20 times in accelerated salt spray testing (JIS Z 2371). Peer-reviewed literature also records mass loss 2 to 4 times lower than conventional hot-dip galvanized steel in real atmospheric exposure after 4 to 6 years, including marine sites. Salt spray does not predict real service life linearly, which is why we cite both tests.
Do profiles arrive cut and punched to size, or do I have to cut them on site?
NewCon Steel profiles arrive cut to length, punched, marked, and labeled from the plant, to a ±0.5 mm tolerance and numbered against the structural model. Your crew does not measure, cut, or drill in the field: it locates each piece by its mark and screws it in place. Material waste stays at the plant. If you also order structural panels, the wall, floor cassette, or truss is assembled in the plant as well.
How steel is quoted, ordered, and shipped
What is the minimum order to buy profiles from NewCon Steel?
NewCon Steel imposes no full-container MOQ, the usual constraint when buying steel from Asia: you do not have to fill a container to place an order. The actual operational minimum depends on the production run, the profile family, and the destination, and we confirm it in writing in the quote. We do not publish a generic MOQ figure because it depends on those three variables. Ask about it in your RFQ and we will answer against your actual scope.
How is steel quoted: by linear meter, by m², or by metric ton (1,000 kg)?
NewCon Steel quotes according to scope: by the linear meter (3.28 ft) when you buy loose profiles, by the m² of panel when you buy pre-assembled panels, and by metric tons of structure when you buy a complete structural kit or bolted structural steel. Price is driven by section, thickness, quantity, level of pre-assembly, and destination. NewCon Steel publishes no prices. It publishes what determines them and how fast it responds: acknowledgment within 24 business hours and a formal quote in 48 hours.
How long does NewCon Steel take to fabricate and ship an order to my country?
NewCon Steel's Las Mañanitas plant has a production capacity of 20,000 m² per month (about 215,000 sq ft per month) of cold-formed steel structure. Published monthly plant capacity is not a delivery promise for an individual order. The lead time of each order is confirmed against that order, because it depends on the production mix, the scope, and the season. What does not change with the order: we manufacture in Panama City, so transit to Central America and the Caribbean is measured in days, not weeks, with no transpacific crossing. The lead time for your order goes in writing in the formal quote, within 48 hours.
Do I pay import duty on Panamanian steel entering my country?
It depends on your country, and it is not something NewCon Steel can decide: the destination customs authority charges duty based on its national tariff schedule, the applicable trade agreement, and the classification of the goods. Our profiles are cold-formed in Panama; that processing changes the tariff heading and supports Panamanian origin. We therefore issue a certificate of origin so you can claim whatever preference applies to you. Panama has an FTA with Central America (with a bilateral protocol per country) and, with Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Trinidad and Tobago, only Partial Scope Agreements that cover closed lists of products. Nobody who promises you 0% duty can guarantee it. See coverage by country.
Should I buy from NewCon Steel in Panama or import from Asia?
Compare the whole supply chain, not just the price per metric ton. Buying from NewCon Steel in Panama means no transpacific crossing, regional transit in days rather than weeks, and no full-container MOQ. Engineering support works Panama City business hours (UTC−5), in English and Spanish, and you have a counterpart you can reach if there is a claim. When you import from Asia, the container has already sailed by the time you catch an error, standard equivalence is yours to prove, and your counterpart is twelve time zones away. NewCon Steel members are designed to AISI S100-16 and AISI S240-20 and verified against your country's code.
What documentation comes with the order?
With a NewCon Steel order you receive the mill certificate (mill test report, MTR) for the supplied lot, the data sheet for the profiles, the take-off and cut list, the shop drawings for the fabricated pieces, and, for export, the Panamanian certificate of origin. When the contracted scope is a structural kit, the order also includes the structural calculations sealed by an engineer licensed in the project's jurisdiction. You can request all of these documents in advance from technical documentation.
Standards, calculations, and each group company's role
Which standards does NewCon Steel comply with, and who seals the calculations?
NewCon Steel members are designed to AISI S100-16 (R2020) with Supplement 3 (S3-22) and AISI S240-20, with seismic design to AISI S400-20 when the project's seismic design category requires it, and loads per ASCE/SEI 7-22. The base material complies with ASTM A1003 and the coated coil with ASTM A1046 Type 1 / EN 10346 (ZM class). Verification is against the code of the destination country: REP-2021 in Panama, NSR-10 in Colombia, or the IBC edition adopted by each Caribbean jurisdiction. PEB Corp Group engineering develops the calculations, and an engineer licensed in the project's jurisdiction seals them. Detail in engineering and standards.
What is the difference between buying profiles, buying pre-assembled panels, and buying a complete structural kit?
NewCon Steel offers three distinct scopes. Profiles: loose members, cut, punched, and labeled; your crew frames on site. Structural panels: walls, floor cassettes, and trusses already assembled in the plant, numbered and sequenced against the model; your crew lifts and fastens them. Structural kit: the building's entire structure (profiles, panels, connections, and accessories) on a single purchase order, with sealed structural calculations included. The more that is pre-assembled in the plant, the less labor and the less room for error are left on site. See structural kits.
Does NewCon Steel build the building, or only supply the steel?
What is the difference between NewCon Steel, SmartBrix Construction, and PEB Corp?
They are the three brands of the PEB Corp Group, and they sell different things. NewCon Steel® supplies the steel: it is the manufacturing brand, with its plant at Centro Industrial PEB, Las Mañanitas, Panama City. SmartBrix Construction executes the construction: turnkey and modular. PEB Corp provides the engineering and the institutional relationship: it is the group's parent. If you are buying material, you buy it from NewCon Steel; if you are buying a finished building, talk to SmartBrix Construction.
Can I buy just the structure and erect it with my own crew?
Yes. That is the normal NewCon Steel case: you buy the material, and your own crew or your general contractor erects it. The steel arrives cut, punched, marked, and labeled, with the connections made in the plant, so erection is done with screws and bolts: no field welding and no site galvanizing. You therefore do not need certified welders on site; on a Caribbean island, that often affects whether the schedule holds. We issue an erection guide on request from technical documentation.
How many stories can be built with LGS profiles?
NewCon Steel does not publish a story count, because it is not set by a supplier's catalog: it is set by the project's structural calculations. Viable height depends on the loads, the site's seismic design category and wind exposure, the structural system adopted, and the local code (REP-2021, NSR-10, or the applicable IBC), calculated to AISI S100-16 (R2020) w/S3-22, AISI S240-20, and AISI S400-20. In hybrid systems, bolted structural steel extends the range. Send us the building type and location, and we will answer based on your project's calculations.
Send us your technical question or quote request
Reply within 24 business hours · technical proposal / quote in 48 h. To get a quote, send quantities (lm, m², or metric tons), profile thickness, and destination country.