Visual identification of composite panels draws on profiling, fixing patterns, joint details and manufacturer markings. Each indicator narrows the field - but rarely provides certainty on its own. This guide explains what to look for and when laboratory testing is the only reliable answer.
Back to Knowledge BaseIdentifying composite panels can be a complex process due to the variety of manufacturers, external face materials, finishes and profiles used across the UK industrial building stock. Panels can also have remedial works carried out over their lifetime that change their original external appearance – overcladding, replacement of flashings, or surface treatments applied after installation.
It is Panel Check’s decades of direct experience working with composite insulated panels – including products from manufacturers who ceased trading thirty years ago – that enables our team to carry out panel surveys quickly, accurately and efficiently, with minimum interruption to client operations.
The main visual indicators used in panel identification are external profile (the geometry of the panel face – trapezoidal, micro-ribbed, flat, sinusoidal), fixing method and pattern, joint and junction details, and any visible manufacturer markings or labels. Each indicator narrows the field of possible panel types, but no single indicator provides definitive identification on its own.
Exposed edges at doors, windows and penetrations are particularly valuable – the edge of a panel often allows direct visual assessment of the core material and facing bond, which cannot be seen from the face alone.
Panel Check maintains a reference database of panel profiles, manufacturer details and product specifications covering every significant product in the UK market since the 1970s. This reference knowledge is what allows our assessors to make confident identifications that a general building surveyor cannot.
In a building with a limited number of panel types in reasonable condition, with accessible junction details and some surviving manufacturer information, a significant proportion of panels may be identifiable without intrusive investigation. This is the most efficient outcome for the client and Panel Check aims to maximise visual identification on every survey.
However, intrusive investigation is required where: there is no accessible exposed edge to allow visual core inspection; overcladding obscures the original panel; the profile matches multiple products from different manufacturers with different cores; or the client’s insurer requires laboratory test evidence rather than visual identification alone.
Where intrusive works are required, Panel Check carries out controlled opening of the construction – typically by removing flashings or junction details – to expose the core without causing unnecessary damage to the building fabric. Making-good is carried out to client specification as a standard part of our service.
A typical Panel Check identification survey begins with an initial walkover that allows us to understand the site – panel types likely to be present, access arrangements, client activities that may be affected – and plan the detailed survey accordingly. The detailed survey involves our team working through agreed areas systematically, assigning a unique identifier to each panel type, photographing representative examples, and recording locations on site drawings. Panel core samples are taken where required and dispatched to an accredited laboratory for testing.
The final report includes all panel types identified with their locations, classification and condition, photographs, and recommendations for any issues found.
The output of a Panel Check identification survey is not just a list of panel types. It is a comprehensive record of the building’s panel population that provides the foundation for all subsequent risk management, insurance and remediation activities.
For each panel type identified, the report records: the manufacturer and product reference where established; the core material type and fire classification; the approximate age range and installation date where determinable; the locations of all panels of that type on site drawings; a condition assessment with any areas of deterioration or damage noted; and photographic records of representative examples and any areas of concern.
Where site drawings do not exist or are inaccurate, Panel Check produces accurate drawings as part of the assessment. These drawings become a permanent asset for the building owner – referenced in all subsequent insurer correspondence, fire risk assessments, hot works permits and contractor method statements.
The report is structured to meet the evidence requirements of major UK composite panel underwriters. Panel Check has worked with insurers across the sector to understand what they need to see and how the information should be presented. A Panel Check report can be submitted directly to an insurer or broker in support of a coverage application or renewal – it does not require translation or reinterpretation.
Panel Check also provides an ongoing relationship with clients following an initial assessment – advising on re-assessment frequency, monitoring any remediation works and updating reports following significant building changes or periodic re-inspection.