According to recent statistics, the 17.3 billion global metal roofing market is growing fast. It’s expanding at 5.7% annually, as more people discover the benefits of this roofing material.
Metal roofs include roof panels, shingles, shakes, and tiles. These provide plenty of residential and commercial building design options.
If you’re in the market for a new commercial roof or building a modern, energy-efficient home, roofing panels are a good choice for you, too. Keep reading to find out why.
Design Options
Metal is one of the most versatile construction materials, as it’s easy to mold and shape during the manufacturing process. Building owners have two choices when it comes to metal roof panels:
Corrugated Roof Sheets
Manufacturers craft corrugated metal roofing from cold-rolled, hot-dipped galvanized steel. This gives the roof panels a wavy appearance with small ridges along the surface.
Galvanization improves rust resistance, and corrugation helps enhance the strength of steel. The result is a roof that’s durable as well as attractive.
Standing Seam Metal Roofing
Standing seam metal roofing offers a long life expectancy, sleek looks, and weatherproof properties. In many cases, you can arrange a custom design when you opt for this premium type of roofing.
Color Options for Steel Panels
While steel panels don’t offer the vast range of color options available in shingles, you’ll still find plenty of choices to suit your needs.
Some manufacturers offer dozens of colors along the spectrum, including heat-reflecting white, discreet blues, and elegant grays.
Thanks to this versatility, you can find steel roofing systems to suit both modern and classic architectural designs.
A Metal Roof Is Durable
Metal is well known for its durability across the building industry. You’ll enjoy this benefit when you opt for metal roof panels, too.
When you choose a metal roof that’s undergone extensive third-party testing to ensure the following benefits:
Fire Resistance
All steel building components are inflammable and don’t contribute to combustion. Metal roof panels have a Class A fire rating, placing them in the range of most non-combustible roofing materials that offer supreme fire resistance.
Wind Resistance
Metal roofing panel systems are your first choice if you need a roof that can withstand high winds. Shingle and tile roofs have many small components, which provide more places for the wind to take hold and lift these roofing materials.
The long shape of metal panels greatly reduces the risk of high winds lifting or loosening your roof.
It’s important to note that each area has design specifications in place to match the roof’s wind resistance to local conditions. Accomplished installers always comply with these codes to ensure your roof can stand up to seasonal wind patterns.
Impact Resistance
Metal roofs offer the highest available level of impact resistance. They can withstand hail and are an excellent choice for hurricane-prone areas.
Remember, the thicker the gauge of steel you choose for the roof, the stronger it is. Metal roof panels come in thicknesses of 22, 24, 26, and 29, with 29 being the thinnest.
Most installers use 24 or 26-gauge steel for residential and commercial roofing.
Leak Resistance
When properly installed and insulated, a metal roof offers excellent water and air leak resistance.
Modern standing seam metal roof systems can resist expansion and contraction due to temperature fluctuations. As such, they offer superior resistance to leaks developing around the roof fasteners.
Products like Pac-Clad, ASC, and Butler Roof Panels also have a coating of sealant that ensures extra longevity and leak resistance.
Suppliers Offer Long Warranties on Metal
Thanks to the excellent durability and weather-resistant properties of steel roof panels, manufacturers and installers can afford to offer long warranties on their products and workmanship.
Most roof panel warranties range from 25 to 40 years.
Roofing Panels Are Eco Friendly
Metal is one of the most recycled materials on earth, and is 100% recyclable.
Many new roof installations comprise recycled steel. You can rest assured that your old metal roof will end up at a recycling center when it eventually reaches the end of its lifespan.
Steel naturally reflects radiant heat from outside in summer and inside in winter to help keep the interior of your building at a comfortable temperature.
This means your HVAC system doesn’t need to work as hard, reducing your carbon footprint and corresponding contribution to global warming.
Metal roof panels are the best material for installing solar panels. So, it’s easy to enhance your building’s environmentally-friendly properties even more when you have a metal roof.
These properties make steel roof panels an excellent choice for businesses wanting to take advantage of incentives offered for energy-efficient building design.
Metal Is Cost-Effective
All the above factors add up to make steel roof panels a great choice for budget-conscious building owners. High-end steel panels might cost a little more at the outset, but you’ll save in the following ways:
- Longevity and long warranties
- Little to no maintenance costs
- Electricity savings due to cool roofs
- Federal incentives for cool buildings
- Minimal repairs due to superior weather resistance
Thanks to varying gauges and designs, it’s easy to find a metal roof panel system to suit your budget.
Getting the Best for Your Building
Are you convinced that roofing panels are the best option for you? It’s best to get in touch with a qualified installer to explore your options.
It’s the best way to maximize the benefits of a metal roof and enjoy an ideal roofing solution for your building. Metal roofing is tricky to install, and trying to do it yourself is a dangerous task for the average building owner.
If you’re looking for something else, or not ready for a new roof yet, browse our blog for excellent home and business ideas.
