The Federal Government’s lead-free ban has left several businesses and plumbers searching for answers. Casey McGuire explores some of the solutions.

Picture this. John Doe is a plumber who runs his own business and works for himself, and since he’s his own boss, John made the decision to purchase a whole bunch of plumbing products when his business was rolling.

Unbeknownst to him, the Federal Government would later introduce the lead-free plumbing products mandate, rendering his plumbing product supply that he had built up over the years nearly useless after a certain date, throwing off all his cost projections.

So, what does John do? He has all of these products sitting in a warehouse or back of his van, and the lead-free deadline is going to make them dead weight. What’s the answer?

This is an issue that has been impacting plumbing professionals and manufacturers since the news broke.

What is the ban?

Under changes to the National Construction Code (NCC), copper alloy (i.e. brass and bronze) plumbing products containing more than 0.25% lead will no longer be authorised for installation in plumbing systems used to convey drinking water.

These changes have been introduced under Clause A5G4 of the NCC 2022 Volume Three – Plumbing Code of Australia (PCA), apply nationally and are supported by WaterMark certification protocols.

The ABCB says it’s providing information to plumbers about the new NCC lead-free requirements that come into force on 1 May 2026.

These new requirements represent a significant shift in compliance. While copper alloy (brass) products have long been required to be dezincification resistant (DR Brass), the new regulations now mandate that these materials must also be lead-free. In other words, products must be both DR Brass and lead-free going forward.

It’s also important to note that compliance is based on the commencement date of plumbing installation, not the date of project design, approval or contractual agreement.

Any plumbing work that commences on or after 1 May 2026 must utilise lead-free products, where required. Non-compliance may result in enforcement and/or disciplinary action by the Building Plumbing Commission (BPC), mandatory and costly removal and replacement of non-compliant products and delays to project completion, including the issuing of occupancy permits or certificates.

“The lead-free transition is a positive step towards a more advanced and globally aligned plumbing industry,” says Plumbing Products Industry Group (PPI Group) executive director Nick Tripp.

“The science around lead is clear, and international markets such as the US have already adopted lead-free standards. For our industry, this is about progression. Just as technology evolves, so too must product standards. We’ve supported this transition to ensure Australia and New Zealand remain at the forefront of best practice. At the same time, we strongly support the allowance for existing stock to be sold through. Plumbing products in Australia and New Zealand are already among the safest in the world, and this pragmatic approach avoids unnecessary waste and prevents adverse economic impacts on our industry, while still moving standards forward.”

It was eventually better to be safe than sorry, but this ban impacts only the products that haven’t been installed.

What should plumbers do?

“Plumbers should note that the lead-free requirements are not retrospective, so existing spare parts are, and will remain, suitable for use in existing products,” an ABCB spokesperson says.

“Likewise, spare parts used in the maintenance of Lead Free WaterMark Certified products must also be suitable for use without compromising the lead-free status of these products.”

All the products must be taken out of its packaging, which must go into either recycling or landfill. The product must then be sent to landfill as well, meaning it’s all going in the ground so creating a viral environmental shock. On the other hand, the ban is meant to reduce water contamination, lower environmental footprint, promote recycling and a circular economy and future-proof infrastructure.

“The environmental impact of that is substantial, just putting products in the ground, not to mention all the costs of getting a truck in, or 1,000s of trucks into all of these various different distribution facilities around the country, getting the people and the labour to strip apart all these products, throwing all of this now would be deemed now as rubbish into the bin,” Nick says.

Under any circumstances, the product cannot be used. It must be scrapped or some even sold overseas. But, companies overseas might not purchase the products because of the Australian price due to the WaterMark scheme.

“The hard deadline creates a big problem that needs to be fixed, and it can only be fixed by grandfathering,” Nick says.

“Retailers have said, ‘Hey, we’re not going to take any non-lead-free stock after June of 2025’ so that means that the timeline of transition has also now been reduced by one year because the retailers aren’t accepting any stock now.”

The impact on manufacturers

Manufacturers have largely transitioned to lead-free products already. Galvin Engineering launched its first lead-free product back in early 2018, and since then, its teams have been systematically reviewing and updating our offerings with a clear objective to move away from non-compliant materials well ahead of the deadline.

Nick Tripp says that debts are coming out of nowhere, with companies forced to remove a significant portion of their stock.

“The retailers and distributors have been left holding the bag with all the stock that’s not lead-free, that can’t be installed after 1 May 2026, under the current arrangements, so bang, you have a $250 million balloon of stock that can’t be installed,” Nick says.

“We support allowing existing stock in the market to be sold down over a defined period of time. This provides the retail sector with the flexibility to manage existing inventory responsibly, avoids unnecessary financial strain on businesses, and ensures the transition is delivered in a fair and balanced way for the whole industry.”

Galvin Engineering’s small amount of remaining inventory is being carefully managed through controlled sell-through strategies, along with a focus on compliance and communication with its partners and customers to ensure a smooth and responsible transition.

“We expect our exposure to be minimal, thanks to the extensive work undertaken across our business to produce lead-free products and subsequently, in preparation for this change,” Galvin Engineering head of sales and marketing – commercial plumbing Nick Siddle says.

The team at GWA Group decided on a phased approach, which provides their customers and supply channels with a softer transition. Michael Collins, head of category, says it resulted in less disruption to everyday business while addressing the environmental challenge from changes to product compliance.

“Industry awareness and urgency were a major hurdle in the early stages of the lead-free transition. There was a sense GWA was acting too quickly,” he says.

“As we move closer to the deadline, we are comforted by the level of focus across our business to ensure our customers and brands can continue beyond May 2026. The risk of not taking a methodical approach would be met with high financial consequences.”

Plumbers have been encouraged to continue installing existing products until the new NCC requirements are implemented. They’ve also been encouraged to speak with their state and territory plumbing administration about any plumbing work and projects that will be underway, but not completed, on 1 May 2026.

Approaching this in an exam format, GWA has taken the ban as an opportunity to grow and expand their product range to best suit all parties while promoting health and safety.

“Industry changes are always a great way to pressure test an organisation,” Michael says.

“The expertise and efficiency of GWA’s engineering and supply chain have proven that knowledge and control of the manufacturing process matters, particularly when faced with a technical challenge such as the lead-free transition.”

While it’s frustrating for manufacturers, Galvin Engineering welcomes the change, citing the health benefits in a step towards mandating low-lead materials for products in contact with drinking water, and they’ve been anticipating and actively supporting the shift since 2017.

There are some companies that have coped with the transition into lead-free products, but Nick believes that there needs to be more support throughout the change, especially from the ABCB.

“We believe there’s an opportunity for the ABCB to play a stronger role in driving awareness and education across the broader construction and plumbing sectors,” he says.

“At present, there are still significant portions of the industry that are either unaware of, or not actively engaged with, the implications of the lead-free transition.”

Galvin Engineering welcomes further initiatives to promote change, particularly to builders, project managers and procurement teams, so they can make informed decisions, manage project timelines and avoid unnecessary costs or compliance risks.

“The ABCB has provided a range of resources to support industry through the three-year transition to lead-free plumbing products,” an ABCB spokesperson says.

“State and territory plumbing administrations and plumbing industry groups are helping to promote this information to their respective memberships and licence holders.”

Companies are having to adapt to the ban, but it’s a frustrating matter, and people aren’t happy with what they’ve been dealt with. Everyone’s searching for help from the ABCB and answers as to what to do next.

“We would like to see grandfathering arrangements, so we still transition to lead-free, that’s not changing, we don’t want to change that date, but we want to make allowances for that dead stock to be sold down through a period of several years,” Nick says.

“That allows the retail sector to sell through that stock that they have and not be such a huge financial impost on their business, which would result in lost jobs, negative wage growth and mass economic impact to these organisations.”