TECHNICAL 24 · DURABILITY
What actually expires first: not the steel.
The frame usually outlives the cover, the clips, the vent hardware and the paint on the doors. Knowing the order of expiry is how a maintenance budget gets built instead of discovered.
| Item | Typical life | What ends it |
|---|---|---|
| Film cover | 3–5 seasons | UV degradation, tears at fixings |
| Clips and springs | 3–6 years | Corrosion, fatigue, loss |
| Vent hardware | 5–10 years | Gear wear, cable stretch |
| Door hardware | 5–10 years | Hinges, rollers |
| Coating (Z275) | 10–20 years inland | Cut ends first, then edges |
| Coating (hot-dip) | 20–40 years | Damage, not thickness |
| Steel frame | 25–40 years | Coating failure, then section loss |
Ranges depend on climate, exposure and maintenance; coastal sites sit at the low end.
Cut ends are the clock
On a pre-galvanised frame the clock starts at the cut end, not at the mill. Every cut end is bare steel, and in a humid climate it starts rusting in weeks. Touching in cut ends at installation is the cheapest life extension available.
A maintenance list that fits on one page
- Annually: walk the frame, look at cut ends, welds and rub points; touch in.
- Annually: check anchors, especially after a storm season.
- Every cover change: inspect the fixing line and replace clips, not just film.
- Every 5 years: check vent gear and door rollers.
- After any storm: photograph, then inspect before re-covering.
What we will not promise
We do not quote a service life for a coating in your climate. We quote the standard and the thickness; the life depends on exposure, and on whether anyone touches in the cut ends.
Read next
Pages that answer the question this page raises.
- 08.05Galvanising methodsPre-galvanised (Z275) versus hot-dip galvanising for greenhouse frames: process, protectio→
- 04.06.07Tape, sealants & repairTape, sealants & repair for greenhouse frames — repair tape, overlap tape, sealants and zi→
- 08.23InstallationGreenhouse frame installation sequence: setting out, anchors, posts, gutters, arches, purl→
- 09.04Quality controlGreenhouse frame quality control: incoming coil, dimensional checks, coating inspection, b→
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