What does Night Sky look like?
BlueScope pitches it for drama, emphasis and contrast, most at home on urban and ultra-modern designs. It suggests ebony timber and matt finishes for an all-dark scheme, or using Night Sky to sharpen earthier colours. Its palettes put Night Sky trims on a Wallaby roof, or pair it with Dover White for black and white.
How hot is a black roof, really?
BlueScope's thermal bulletin puts the gap between light and dark roof surfaces at as much as 35 degrees C on a hot, sunny day, and Night Sky sits at the far end of that scale. Judged against every threshold BlueScope publishes, NSW BASIX included, it's dark.
For a new home in climate zones 1 to 5, that means the 7 star NatHERS pathway. In the cooler zones 6 to 8, any colour is allowed either way, so a black roof is far less of a compromise there. In a hot climate, it makes the insulation and roof ventilation work much harder.
Getting the look with black trims
One way to get a sharp, dark edge without the heat is to keep Night Sky for the gutters, fascia and downpipes and choose a lighter roof. BlueScope says Colorbond gutters, fascia and downpipes can be mixed and matched with the roof colour.
If you do go black, hold a sample against your trims and walls in daylight. Night Sky isn't on the Ultra list, so it suits homes more than 200 m from breaking surf or exposed water, or at any distance from calm water.
Our honest view
In a hot climate we'd think hard before a black roof. If the house is in a cool zone, or the look matters more to you than summer comfort, Night Sky is a fair choice; just insulate well. Otherwise we'd keep it for the trims and look at Monument for the roof. We're independent of BlueScope, which owns the Colorbond trademark.
Want a roofer to take a look?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match it with a Find My Roofer certified roofer who specialises in that kind of work, and they call you to quote. Your number goes to them alone.