Dongkuk Steel Develops Korea's First Color Steel Sheet That Blocks COVID-19

Exterior view of Pohang 'Joeun Seonrin Hospital' respiratory specialty clinic made using Luxsteel Bio Color Steel Plate.

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] Dongkuk Steel has succeeded in developing the first color steel sheet in Korea that blocks COVID-19. Dongkuk Steel improved the performance of Korea's first antibacterial color steel sheet, 'Luxteel Bio,' securing antiviral performance that eliminates 99.9% of COVID-19 within 30 minutes.

Until now, antibacterial color steel sheets have been certified for resistance against bacteria and mold, but their virus elimination effects, such as against COVID-19, had not been verified. Accordingly, Dongkuk Steel began development in September last year and has been researching antiviral color steel sheets in collaboration with domestic virus-specialized verification institutions. They succeeded in product development in February and are currently conducting final tests with paint companies for mass production as of March.

In particular, Dongkuk Steel decided to fully share the antiviral additives of the newly developed 'Luxteel Bio' with paint companies to enable rapid application to various products. Considering the pandemic situation, this decision aims to strengthen public health and expand the distribution of antiviral color steel sheets.

In fact, Dongkuk Steel expects that the antiviral technology of color steel sheets will significantly expand their demand as interior and exterior materials in spaces closely related to daily life and sensitive to viruses and bacteria, such as screening clinics, operating rooms, food companies, semiconductor factories, pharmaceutical companies, and biosimilar factories.

Dongkuk Steel plans to extend the bio technology applied to Luxteel, a brand specializing in architectural interior and exterior materials, to Appsteel, a brand specializing in home appliances, thereby contributing to improving health safety in all our living environments.

Dongkuk Steel holds exclusive certification from Macroban, the world's number one antibacterial solution company, and in December last year, obtained hygiene processing certification and the SF product mark from FITI Testing & Research Institute, a domestic antibacterial specialized certification institution.