Request a sample

Hardie™ Oblique™ Cladding

Home / Products / James Hardie™ / Hardie™ Oblique™ Cladding

The Only Slanted-Groove Panel in the Range

Every other groove profile in the Hardie™ Exteriors range, Axon™, Stria™, and Matrix™, uses a square or U-shaped groove edge. Oblique™ is the exception. It’s the only Hardie™ exterior cladding product with a slanted groove edge, which changes the entire character of how the panel interacts with light. Where a square groove creates a consistent shadow regardless of the sun’s position, Oblique™’s angled edge produces highlights and shadows that genuinely shift throughout the day; the facade looks different at 9am than it does at 4pm.
Bold proportions; asymmetric groove detailing; one square edge and one angled; and the ability to alternate or combine boards in unique configurations make Oblique™ the deliberate design choice in the range: the product for projects where the facade is meant to be noticed, not just performed.

Request a quote

Technical Specifications

Installation Guide - Vertical

Installation Guide - Horizontal

Material

Fibre cement — non-combustible

Thickness

14mm — the thickest board profile in the Hardie™ Exteriors range

Board widths

200mm · 300mm

Board lengths

3000mm (suits common wall heights, reduces waste) · 4200mm (continuous look on tall walls, minimises horizontal joints)

Groove profile

Asymmetric — one square edge, one slanted (oblique) edge per board

Joint system

Shiplap — multiple installation options for alternation or unique combinations

Orientation

Can be installed vertically or horizontally

Surface

Pre-primed — ready to paint

Fire performance

Non-combustible — suitable for BAL-rated bushfire zones (confirm rating with current documentation)

Fixing

Gun-nail to timber frames · screw to light-gauge steel frames

Applications

Residential and boutique commercial exterior facades · feature elements

Sustainability

GreenRate™ certified where applicable · Australian-made

Light, Shadow and the Oblique™ Difference

Dynamic shadow lines

The slanted groove edge means the depth and character of the shadow line changes with the sun's angle throughout the day, a quality that square-groove products can't replicate. Early morning and late afternoon light in particular create dramatic, elongated shadows across an Oblique™ facade.

Two widths, genuine layout variety

With 200mm and 300mm board widths available and the option to alternate boards or combine them in bespoke patterns, Oblique™ gives architects more compositional control than a single fixed-width groove product; every Oblique™ facade can be genuinely distinct.

14mm - a heavier, more substantial board

At 14mm thick, Oblique™ is noticeably more substantial than the 8–9mm panels used elsewhere in the range. That extra thickness contributes to a more three-dimensional, tactile board profile that reads as a deliberate, premium material choice rather than a standard sheet product.

4200mm lengths for tall, continuous walls

Most Hardie™ Exteriors boards top out around 3000–3050mm. Oblique™'s 4200mm option is specifically engineered to give tall walls a continuous, uninterrupted look, reducing the need for horizontal joints on double-height facades and feature walls.

Where Oblique™ Cladding Belongs

Architecturally designed residential

Oblique™ is positioned as a more deliberate design choice than the standard groove profiles; it suits residential projects where the client and architect have specifically chosen a facade material that expresses design intent, not just a compliant, cost-effective cladding solution.

Boutique commercial and hospitality

Cafes, boutique retail and small-format commercial buildings where the facade needs genuine visual presence on a modest footprint. Oblique™’s dynamic shadow play gives a small building street presence disproportionate to its scale.

Feature entries and focal facade elements

Oblique™ doesn’t need to clad an entire building to earn its place; a feature entry bay, a garage facade or a single accent wall in Oblique™ against a broader facade in Stria™ or Matrix™ creates a genuine focal point using the shadow dynamics that Oblique™ delivers.

Tall, double-height feature walls

The 4200mm board length makes Oblique™ a strong candidate for tall stairwell walls, double-height living area facades and any application where a continuous vertical run without horizontal joints is part of the design brief.

Combining Oblique™ with Other Hardie™ Exteriors Products

Stria™

Oblique™ and Stria™ can be mixed to create bespoke facade patterns using the same installation system, a combination James Hardie explicitly documents as achievable within the shared fixing approach.

View product

Axon™

Two vertical-reading profiles with different groove geometries, Oblique™'s dynamic slanted shadow against Axon™'s cleaner, more consistent line, are used to differentiate feature zones on the same building.

View product

Featured Projects with Hardie™ Oblique™ Cladding

Bacchus Marsh Grammar Woodlea Project

Mernda Ambulance Station Cladding Project

The Wickham Duplex Residential Project

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes Oblique™ different from other Hardie™ Exteriors groove profiles?
Oblique™ is the only Hardie™ exterior cladding product with a slanted (oblique) groove edge; every other groove product in the range (Axon™, Stria™, Matrix™) uses a square or U-shaped groove. The slanted edge means the shadow cast by the groove changes character with the angle of the sun throughout the day, producing a more dynamic, shifting visual effect than the consistent shadow lines of square-groove profiles. Oblique™ boards also have an asymmetric profile, one square edge and one angled edge per board, giving installers the option to alternate boards for varied visual patterns.
Oblique™ is available in 200mm and 300mm board widths at 14mm thickness. Two length options are available: 3000mm boards, which suit common wall heights and reduce waste, and 4200mm boards, which give tall walls a continuous look and reduce the need for horizontal joints. The combination of width and length options gives architects genuine flexibility to tailor the board layout to specific wall dimensions and design intent.
Yes. Oblique™ boards can be installed in either vertical or horizontal orientation, and the shiplap joint system offers multiple installation options that allow for simple alternation of boards or unique bespoke combinations. This orientation flexibility, combined with the two available widths, gives Oblique™ more layout variety than most other products in the Hardie™ Exteriors range.
Oblique™ Cladding is a non-combustible fibre cement product suitable for use in bushfire-prone areas. As with all Hardie™ Exteriors products, the specific BAL rating and installation requirements should be confirmed against the current James Hardie technical documentation for your project’s BAL classification. Contact our team for the relevant BAL-rated installation guide.