About Metal Roofing Materials

Metal roofs were once made out of corrugated galvanized steel. This metal is wrought iron-steel sheet coated with zinc and rolled into sheets.

People tend to mix up the terminology when they speak of metal roofs. Aluminum, tin, metal, tend to be used interchangeably and not necessarily correctly. A number of metals are commonly used for making roof materials, each with a different characteristic.

The aluminum roof is one of the common choices for metal roofing materials. It is similar to the more expensive copper and zinc roofing materials.

Aluminum Roofing

Aluminum roofing is popular in coastal areas because it is extremely resistant to corrosion.
It is usually the lightest metal for roofing, but is very strong for its weight. In fact, a thinner piece of aluminum can take on more than a thicker piece of other metals.
Aluminum stores the least amount of heat.
It is affordable. The price ranges between finished steels and copper and zinc.
Aluminum is finished with a painted surface since it isn’t pleasing to look at when it ages.

Tin Roofing

Everyone’s heard of the old tin roof, however tin roofs are very rare now and for a while it was plated onto steel. In this configuration, it is much stronger yet still thin enough.

Tin is corrosion resistant as well. Tin was mostly used in roofing applications for about 50 years during the early 20^th century. Today, the material is replaced with galvanized steel roofing, where instead of tin plated onto steel, zinc is plated to steel to provide the corrosion resistance.

This resulting metal has become one of the most popular types of roofing metals.

Steel Roofing

Steel is the most common material being used in the construction field for metal roofing applications. The term, steel roofing, refers to one of the zinc-coated steels such as:

Galvanized
Galvalume
Zincalume

A colored finish is usually applied to the steel roofing materials. Generally, the steel roof is appropriate for just about any area of the country. Extra insulation can always be applied as another layer for the roof in colder or hotter climates.

You may have already heard that there are questions out there about metal roofs being loud, noisy, dangerous for conducting lightning, and all sorts of other issues people are genuinely concerned about.

The old tin roofs were loud and noisy, this is true, however today’s materials and methods of combining materials have alleviated that concern. You can hear no more from your metal roof on your home than from your asphalt shingled rooftop. Metal does conduct electricity, but metal roofs are not the target to lightning that people fear they are. If the roof is struck, the charge is disbursed as it should be just as if an asphalt roof is struck by lightning. All around, the metal roof is a cool, new modern choice for your home’s rooftop.

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_roof