--- title: "Laminex vs Steel & Tube: Which is more popular in New Zealand?" description: "Is Laminex or Steel & Tube more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Building product brands set in New Zealand. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/laminex-vs-steel-and-tube" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Laminex vs Steel & Tube: Which is more popular in New Zealand? Is Laminex or Steel & Tube more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Building product brands set in New Zealand. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Compared**: Laminex and Steel & Tube - **Competitive set**: Building product brands - **Market**: New Zealand - **Month measured**: Oct 2026 - **Laminex Share of Search**: 9.1% - **Steel & Tube Share of Search**: 27.7% ## Is Laminex or Steel & Tube more popular in search? - In October 2026, Steel & Tube had more branded searches than Laminex among building product brands in New Zealand. Steel & Tube had about 8,820 branded searches, while Laminex had 2,890. Steel & Tube made up 27.7% of all building product brand searches we track, and Laminex accounted for 9.1%. - Steel & Tube was ahead of Laminex in every measured month of the 12 months ending October 2026. - Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Laminex’s share of searches among building product brands in New Zealand moved from 8.8% to 9.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 2.9K. - Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Steel & Tube’s share of searches among building product brands in New Zealand moved from 32.3% to 27.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 10.6K to 8.8K. ## Top building product brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Laminex and Steel & Tube were each mentioned in one out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | James Hardie | 1st | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Colorsteel | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | GIB | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Pink Batts | 4th | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Vantage | 5th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Resene Construction Systems | 6th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Laminex | 7th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Abodo | 8th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Carter Holt Harvey | 9th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Nelson Pine | 10th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Steel & Tube | 11th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about building product brands - Asked ChatGPT "Which building product brand should I buy in New Zealand?": 1. GIB, 2. James Hardie, 3. Colorsteel, 4. Pink Batts, 5. Resene Construction Systems - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best building product brands in New Zealand?": 1. GIB, 2. James Hardie, 3. Colorsteel, 4. Pink Batts, 5. Resene Construction Systems, 6. Laminex, 7. Abodo, 8. Vantage, 9. Carter Holt Harvey, 10. Nelson Pine, 11. Steel & Tube - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best building product brand in New Zealand for new builds?": 1. James Hardie, 2. Colorsteel, 3. Vantage, 4. Pink Batts, 5. GIB - Searched Google, AI Overview "building supplies nz": 1. GIB - Searched Google, AI Overview "plasterboard brands": 1. GIB Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in New Zealand on October 20, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for New Zealand building product brands in October 2026? - In October 2026, Steel & Tube lost share of searches among building product brands in New Zealand, from 31.7% to 27.7%. - In October 2026, Laminex lost share of searches among building product brands in New Zealand, from 10% to 9.1%. ## How has branded search for Laminex and Steel & Tube changed in New Zealand over the last 12 months? | Month | Laminex estimated searches | Laminex Share of Search | Laminex rank | Steel & Tube estimated searches | Steel & Tube Share of Search | Steel & Tube rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Nov 2025 | 2.9K | 8.8% | 5 | 10.6K | 32.3% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | 1.9K | 7.5% | 5 | 8.7K | 34.3% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | 2.2K | 7.8% | 5 | 8.7K | 30.1% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | 2.8K | 9.2% | 5 | 8.8K | 28.6% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | 3.4K | 9.1% | 5 | 10.8K | 28.8% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | 2.9K | 8.9% | 5 | 8.8K | 27.6% | 1 | | May 2026 | 3.4K | 9.6% | 5 | 10.6K | 29.9% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | 3.4K | 9.6% | 5 | 10.6K | 29.7% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | 3.4K | 9.8% | 5 | 10.6K | 30.8% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | 3.4K | 9% | 5 | 13K | 34.1% | 1 | | Sep 2026 | 3.4K | 10% | 5 | 10.8K | 31.7% | 1 | | Oct 2026 | 2.9K | 9.1% | 5 | 8.8K | 27.7% | 1 | ## How are Laminex’s and Steel & Tube’s branded searches counted? Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Laminex’s and Steel & Tube’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading. - **Laminex**: Measured on the search terms “formica laminex”, “laminex”, “laminex benchtops”, “laminex board”, “laminex cladding”, “laminex hpl”, “laminex laminate”, “laminex melteca” and “laminex strandfloor”, summed into one figure. - **Steel & Tube**: Measured on the search terms “steel & tube”, “steel and tube” and “steel and tube holdings”, summed into one figure. - [Laminex profile](/demand/nz/brands/laminex) - [Steel & Tube profile](/demand/nz/brands/steel-and-tube) - [All building product brands in New Zealand](/demand/nz/categories/nz-building-product-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 11 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Laminex or Steel & Tube more popular in search? In October 2026, Steel & Tube had more branded searches than Laminex among building product brands in New Zealand. Steel & Tube had about 8,820 branded searches, while Laminex had 2,890. Steel & Tube made up 27.7% of all building product brand searches we track, and Laminex accounted for 9.1%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Laminex vs Steel & Tube: Which is more popular in New Zealand?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/laminex-vs-steel-and-tube This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/laminex-vs-steel-and-tube. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.