Porous planets

LONDON: When the earliest rocks were formed in the solar system they were porous, more like fairy floss than planet building material.

Crane takeover

FLETCHER Building will immediately move to take control of Crane Group's board after declaring its $700 million takeover offer for the plumbing and building materials group unconditional.

Fletcher makes first moves on Crane board

FLETCHER BUILDING will immediately move to take control of Crane Group's board after it declared its $700 million takeover offer for the plumbing and building materials group unconditional.

James Hardie slashes earnings guidance

THE continued depression in the US housing market has forced building materials manufacturer James Hardie to slash its full-year earnings guidance after reporting a 30 per cent fall in third-quarter operating profit.

Boral gets big on rebuilding

BUILDING materials supplier Boral says its full-year profit will increase by more than 20 per cent after a strong first-half result and an anticipated surge in demand due to rebuilding efforts in Queensland.

Building council out to forge 'green' steel

STEEL has become a little "greener" as a building material under revised, draft Green Star rules announced by the Green Building Council of Australia.

Boral upbeat on 2010 despite US, Australian housing slump

BORAL has expressed hope that the heavily depressed US and Australian housing sectors could stage a recovery into 2010, after the building materials group reported a 42 per cent fall in full-year net profit to $142 million.

Hardie Settles Dispute With Ato

THE building materials company James Hardie has agreed to settle a dispute with the Australian Tax Office for $153 million regarding its tax returns over four years.

Building Company Joins List Of Downturn Victims

NEW Zealand-based Fletcher Building has become another building materials company to shrink its profit guidance as the downturn on both sides of the Tasman has taken its toll on the world's biggest maker of laminated building board.

Hot Stock

What's new? With the focus on volatile resources and financials, the past few weeks and months have been hectic in the markets, so we thought we'd slow things down this week with a look at a relatively staid industry - building materials.

Irritant And Hazard: Union Targets Products With High Formaldehyde Levels

TOM CONNOLLY knows all about the symptoms of sick house syndrome. As a carpenter he comes into regular contact with the formaldehyde-rich building materials that create health problems for residents.

Victorian Company Comes To Town

VICTORIAN-based building materials company Telfords Building Systems is the latest business to choose Wollongong as its state base of operations.

Australian Boss On Nz Building Mission

Like its CEO, Fletcher Building is going global, and has no plans of slowing down, writes Ari Sharp.

Boral Defies Housing Slump Anxieties

BUILDING materials company Boral has defied fears the housing slump in NSW and the US would lead to a sharp fall in its first-half earnings, reporting a surprise lift in the profitability of its Australian operations.

All Hands On Deck

Get into the spirit of summer with a deck that any DIYer can tackle.

Nsw Housing Heading For Wall

BRICKWORKS, one of the country's largest building materials suppliers, has warned that NSW is about to enter its most prolonged housing construction downturn since the Great Depression.

'weak' Concrete May Cost Boral $150,000

THE men behind a West Wollongong development have called on Australia's largest building materials supplier to pay them $150,000 for delays caused by under-strength concrete.

Cemex Keeps Trying To Undermine Rinker

MEXICAN building materials group Cemex is continuing to chip away at the defences of its $15 billion takeover target Rinker.

Rinker Cements Us Deals

AUSTRALIAN-BASED Rinker is continuing to make the most of the downturn in the North American building materials and housing markets by snapping up two more US concrete manufacturers.

Building Suppliers In Trading Pickle

The viability of timber merchants and other businesses supplying the building industry is under threat from credit pressure and the GST, according to the Timber Merchants Association.