Concrete garage panels
We supply concrete garage panels as a product in their own right, not just as part of a building. Here's how they're made and how to get a price.
A concrete garage panel is a steel-reinforced, machine-vibrated concrete section that forms part of the wall of a sectional garage. The panels stand vertically and bolt together on site onto your base, which is why a concrete garage goes up in hours rather than weeks.
Nucrete makes its panels in its own Bradford factory and supplies them two ways: as part of a complete building, or on their own if you need panels for a repair, an extension or a design of your own. Every panel is reinforced with steel and machine-vibrated, which drives the air out of the wet concrete and is the single biggest factor in how long it lasts.
Why does machine vibration matter?
Air trapped in a concrete panel becomes a void, and voids are where water gets in, freezes and takes a chunk of the panel with it. Vibrating the mould as the concrete goes in forces that air out and closes the mix up tight around the steel.
It's an unglamorous detail that never appears in a brochure, and it is most of the reason a well-made concrete garage is still sound after fifty years while a poorly made one spalls at the corners after fifteen. If you are comparing quotes, ask each manufacturer whether their panels are vibrated. It's a fair question and you'll learn something from the answer.
How do the panels go together?
The panels stand vertically on your concrete base and bolt to each other and to the roof structure. There is no mortar and no curing time on site — the building is structurally complete the day it's installed.
That's why most single garages are up in half a day and most doubles in a day. It also means a Nucrete garage can be dismantled and moved if you ever need it to be, which is not something you can say about a brick one.
Can I buy concrete garage panels on their own?
Yes. We supply concrete garage panels as a product in their own right, not only as part of a complete building. Plenty of our panel customers are repairing a damaged garage, extending one, or building something to their own design and want the panels made properly rather than cast on site.
Tell us what you need and we'll quote it. The useful things to have ready are the height and width of the panels, how many you want, and whether they're going into an existing structure or a new one. Call free on 0800 849 9036 or send us the details and you'll normally have a price the same day or the next.
Will your panels fit my existing garage?
If it's a Nucrete garage, almost certainly — give us the order reference or the rough age of the building and we can usually identify the panel. We've been making them for over 45 years and we keep the older profiles on record.
If the garage came from another manufacturer, it's a question of dimensions rather than a flat no. Panel heights, thicknesses and fixing details vary between makers, so send us measurements and a photograph of how the existing panels join and we'll tell you honestly whether ours will work. We'd rather say no than sell you a panel that nearly fits, because on a structural component that's worse than no panel at all.
What if the garage is past repairing?
Sometimes the honest answer is that panels won't save it. If a building is failing across several bays, or the base has gone, replacing it usually costs less than patching it and lasts fifty years rather than five.
We remove old buildings — including licensed asbestos removal — lay the new base and install the replacement as one job, with one company responsible for the lot. If we lay the base, the building is guaranteed to fit it.
What sizes do the panels come in?
Nucrete panels come in three standard heights and three standard widths. That's how we build so many different building sizes from one proven system, and it's what you're choosing from if you're buying panels on their own.
| Heights | 1.98m (6'6″) · 2.13m (7′) · 2.13m (7′) plus timber skirt, giving roughly 2.3m (7'6″) overall |
|---|---|
| Widths | 0.3m (1′) · 0.45m (1'6″) · 0.6m (2′) |
| Thickness | Around 75mm (3″) at the footprint and rib, around 40mm (1.5″) across the panel body |
| Weight | A 0.3m × 1.98m panel is roughly 40kg; a 0.6m × 1.98m panel is roughly 95kg |
| Exterior face | Derbyshire aggregate multi-spa chippings |
Those weights are worth noting if you're planning to handle panels yourself — a 2ft panel at around 95kg is a two-person lift, and awkward with it. Full specifications for the rest of the building, including roofs, doors, heights and base requirements, are on our technical specifications page.
If you need the figures in writing for a planning application, a structural check or a builder, ask and we'll send them.
Do concrete panels need maintaining?
Very little. Steel-reinforced concrete doesn't rot and doesn't rust through, so annual maintenance is essentially keeping the guttering clear and having a look at the timber fascias. There's nothing to paint unless you want to.
If you'd like a finished look, panels can be rendered or painted — we've written separately about rendering a concrete garage and what to use.
Panel questions, answered
What are concrete garage panels made of?
Steel-reinforced concrete, machine-vibrated in a mould to drive out trapped air. Nucrete makes its panels in its own factory in Bradford.
Can you buy individual concrete garage panels?
Yes — we supply panels on their own as well as complete buildings, whether you're repairing a garage, extending one or building to your own design. Tell us the panel size and quantity and we'll quote, usually the same day or the next.
How much do concrete garage panels cost?
Panels are quoted per job, because it depends on the size, the quantity and where they're going. Send us the measurements and how many you need and you'll have a price back quickly — call free on 0800 849 9036.
How long do concrete garage panels last?
50 years or more with basic annual maintenance. The steel reinforcement doesn't rust through and the concrete doesn't rot. The structure carries our 10-year factory guarantee from the day it's installed.
Are concrete garage panels the same as asbestos?
No. Modern concrete panels contain no asbestos. Some garages built before the 1980s used asbestos cement sheeting, usually in the roof rather than the walls — if you have one of those, don't disturb it. We remove them under licence.
Can a panel be replaced if it gets damaged?
Often, yes. Because the building is bolted rather than mortared, an individual panel can usually be taken out and replaced without dismantling the whole garage. Call us and describe the damage.
More options: apex or pent roof · guttering and fascias · all garage options
Written and reviewed by the Nucrete team. Nucrete has manufactured concrete garages in its Bradford factory for over 45 years, installing more than 1,100 buildings a year with its own teams. Call free on 0800 849 9036.