What are the different types of metal roofing called?
Short answer. People often call any metal roof a tin roof, but the names you will see on bids are standing seam (concealed fasteners under raised seams), exposed-fastener panels such as R-panel, PBR and 5V crimp, corrugated panels, and metal shingles or stone-coated steel. The names describe the panel shape and how it is fastened, which drives cost and upkeep more than the metal itself.
A plain-language glossary
- Standing seam. Flat panels with tall vertical seams that are snapped or mechanically folded together. Clips under the seams hold the panel, so no fasteners show. Usually the most expensive panel style.
- Snap-lock and mechanical lock. Two kinds of standing seam. Snap-lock seams press together. Mechanical lock seams are folded with a seaming tool and hold better on low slopes and in high wind.
- R-panel and PBR. Exposed-fastener panels with trapezoid ribs, common on barns, shops and some homes. Screws with rubber washers go through the face of the panel.
- 5V crimp. An exposed-fastener panel with five V-shaped ribs, traditional on older Southern farmhouses and coastal homes.
- Corrugated. The classic wavy profile. Often what people mean by tin roof.
- Metal shingles. Stamped panels made to look like asphalt shingles, slate or shakes.
- Stone-coated steel. Steel panels coated with stone granules, shaped like shakes, tile or shingles.
Words for the metal and the parts
- Galvalume and galvanized. Coatings on steel that resist corrosion.
- Gauge. Thickness, where a lower number is thicker.
- Trim. Formed pieces at the ridge, eaves, rakes, walls and valleys.
- Closures. Foam strips that fill the ribs at the eaves and ridge.
Tin roof is a holdover: true tin plate roofs were common in the 1800s, but modern panels are coated steel or aluminum.
Compare these options against shingles in metal roofing in Georgia.