Common Questions About Metal Roofing

1. How much do metal roofs cost in comparison to asphalt roofs?

Typically, metal roofs cost from 2 to 2 1/2 times more than an asphalt roof. However, with a metal roof, you are getting a roof that never has to be replaced! With asphalt, the roof will have to be replaced again in the future all over again. Also, asphalt does not give you energy savings of 23% or home appreciation values of approximately 5%!

2. Is the use of metal for roofing something new or recent?

The unique beauty and durability of metal roofing has been known for thousands of years with the earliest example of a metal roof dating to 3000 B. C. Archaeologists have found extensive use of metal roofing on buildings in ancient Babylonia, Greece and the Roman Empire.

In America, metal roofs have lasted well over 200 years on such famous structures as Christ Church in Philadelphia (1737), King’s Chapel in Boston (1754) and Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello (1793).

In times past, metal roofing was just formed into shingles or sheets and left to the elements. Using no other treatment on the metal, these roofs still lasted for hundreds of years exposed to every type of weather condition. Today, using advanced alloys and protective coatings, metal roofing is superior to its predecessors not only in aesthetics, durability and protection, but value as well.

3. What will happen to a metal roof in a lightning storm?

Despite what you might think, a metal roof does NOT attract lightning. Lightning tends to strike the tallest object that is in the area, so you don’t have to worry about your home's safety, even in the fiercest electrical storm.

4. What about hail?

Classic Products meet Underwriters Laboratory’s UL 2218 Impact Resistance Testing at Class IV, UL's most severe test. What’s more, our products are warranted not to leak or chip due to hail impact. In fact, you might even qualify for a discount on your homeowners insurance.

5. What about wind?

Classic Products meet Underwriters Laboratory’s UL 580 specification, UL's most severe test for wind and rain. Classic roofs withstood winds up to 110 mph and 8" of rain per hour with no tear-off and no leaks!

As a matter of fact, Classic roofs in Florida withstood two of the strongest hurricanes of the 20th century - Andrew and Hugo - without any reports of the shingles tearing off or even a water leak!

6. When it rains, will it sound loud on the roof?

No. A benefit of the texture of a Classic roof is that it actually quiets the rain falling on your roof. Classic roofs' deep-textured folds break up the “pinging” effect you might expect from a flat metal roof.

7.  What about fire?

Unlike many other roofing materials, Classic roofs are fire-resistant. Even blown-on embers won’t cause combustion.

8. Can we walk on it?

Sure! Whether it's Classic's sturdy aluminum or tough steel, these high-strength metals don’t lose their strength over time. Classic's deep folds and textures give our roofs even greater strength, so they can handle occasional roof traffic.

9. How much longer will a Classic roof last over common roofing like asphalt or wood shingles?

You can expect a Classic roof to outlast other options because metal roofing will not break down under repeated wet/dry, freeze/thaw cycles like other roofing products.

To put it in context, the average life span of an asphalt roof is 12 to 20 years. That life span can be shorter depending on the pitch of your roof and the climate. Made of oil impregnated paper or fiberglass, asphalt begins to deteriorate as soon as you expose it to normal weather. A metal roof, however, will never decompose.

Other roofing materials like wood shingle, shake and tile have varying degrees of weather-related problems that lead to breakdown. Wood shingle and shake roofs often need replacement before twenty years. Concrete tile roofs can crack and warp in repeated freeze/thaw cycles.