Although our steel roof tiles are state of the art, metal has been used as a roofing material for millennia, making our roofing systems part of a proud tradition than stretches back a very long way.

Copper

Copper has been used for roofing since at least the 3^rd Century B.C. when it was used to make roof shingles for the Loha Maha Paya Temple in Sri Lanka. It was also popular with the Romans who used it as roof covering to the Pantheon. Copper domed roofs were used extensively throughout the medieval period and the Renaissance and any churches and cathedrals made use of the metal, including Hildersheim Cathedral in Germany which had a copper roof installed in 1280 A.D. that still stands today! It’s resistance to corrosion and the attractive blue-green patina copper develops through exposure to rain makes it a roofing material that is still commonly used today.

Lead

Lead roofing is most commonly associated with churches, but has been widely used for centuries. It is a relatively soft metal, which made it easy to work with, especially for forming gutters and flashings. Lead has declined in popularity as people have become aware of health concerns associated with ingesting even relatively small quantities of the metal and due to its relatively high cost, which makes it both expensive to install and a frequent target for thieves.

Tin

Although people often talk about tin roofs, in reality pure tin is far too soft to use as a roofing material. What people call “tin” roofs actually usually consist of a harder metal, such as steel, coated in tin to prevent corrosion. Tin was also sometimes alloyed with lead to produce a composite metal known as terne. This type of roofing found favour in countries which tended to experience heavy snowfall as the super smooth surface of roofs using tin meant snow was more likely to slide off them, reducing the load on the roof.

Steel

Steel is, of course, prized for its hardness and durability, making it ideal as a roofing material. However, steel does have one weakness – rust! If untreated steel is used on a roof it will gradually corrode resulting in unsightly rust spots and, eventually, holes. For a long time this prevented steels use in roofing, until people realised they could coat the steel with non-corroding materials, giving them all the benefits of steel as a material, but none of the weaknesses.

As previously mentioned, tin was one of the earliest coatings applied to steel for roofing and, although tin-coated steel is still used today, modern technology has offered superior alternatives. Our lightweight steel roof tiles are made from highest quality steel and coated in aluzinc, an alloy of aluminium and zinc, to prevent corrosion. Each tile then receives a further coat made from particles of real stone proving extra protection from the elements as well as great aesthetics.

To find out more about our products or to request, please fill out our online contact form or call us on 01249 658 514.