List of commercially available roofing material
Encyclopedia
Roofing material is the outermost layer on the roof
of a building, sometimes self supporting, but generally supported by an underlying structure. A building's roofing material provides shelter from the natural elements, and insulation
against heat and cold. The outer layer of a roof shows great variation dependent upon availability of material, and the nature of the supporting structure. Those types of roofing material which are commercially available range from natural products such as thatch and slate
to commercially produced products such as tiles and polycarbonate
sheeting.
Roof
A roof is the covering on the uppermost part of a building. A roof protects the building and its contents from the effects of weather. Structures that require roofs range from a letter box to a cathedral or stadium, dwellings being the most numerous....
of a building, sometimes self supporting, but generally supported by an underlying structure. A building's roofing material provides shelter from the natural elements, and insulation
Insulation
Insulation means:* Building insulation, added to buildings for comfort and energy efficiency* Soundproofing, also known as acoustic insulation, any means of reducing the intensity of sound...
against heat and cold. The outer layer of a roof shows great variation dependent upon availability of material, and the nature of the supporting structure. Those types of roofing material which are commercially available range from natural products such as thatch and slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
to commercially produced products such as tiles and polycarbonate
Polycarbonate
PolycarbonatePhysical PropertiesDensity 1.20–1.22 g/cm3Abbe number 34.0Refractive index 1.584–1.586FlammabilityV0-V2Limiting oxygen index25–27%Water absorption – Equilibrium0.16–0.35%Water absorption – over 24 hours0.1%...
sheeting.
Commercially available roofing materials
The weather proofing material is the topmost or outermost layer, exposed to the weather. Many materials have been used as weather proofing material:- Thatch is roofing made of plant stalks in overlapping layers.
- WheatWheatWheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
StrawStrawStraw is an agricultural by-product, the dry stalks of cereal plants, after the grain and chaff have been removed. Straw makes up about half of the yield of cereal crops such as barley, oats, rice, rye and wheat. It has many uses, including fuel, livestock bedding and fodder, thatching and...
, widely used in England, France and other parts of Europe. - SeagrassSeagrassSeagrasses are flowering plants from one of four plant families , all in the order Alismatales , which grow in marine, fully saline environments.-Ecology:...
, used in coastal areas where there are estuariesEstuaryAn estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
such as Scotland. Has a longer life than straw. Claimed to have a life in exccess of 60 years. - RyeRyeRye is a grass grown extensively as a grain and as a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe and is closely related to barley and wheat. Rye grain is used for flour, rye bread, rye beer, some whiskeys, some vodkas, and animal fodder...
StrawStrawStraw is an agricultural by-product, the dry stalks of cereal plants, after the grain and chaff have been removed. Straw makes up about half of the yield of cereal crops such as barley, oats, rice, rye and wheat. It has many uses, including fuel, livestock bedding and fodder, thatching and...
, commonly used in Eastern Europe.
- Wheat
- ShinglesRoof shingleRoof shingles are a roof covering consisting of individual overlapping elements. These elements are typically flat rectangular shapes laid in rows from the bottom edge of the roof up, with each successive higher row overlapping the joints in the row below...
, called shakes in North America. Shingles is the generic term for a roofing material that is in many overlapping sections, regardless of the nature of the material. The word is also used specifically to denote shingles made of wood.- Red cedarThuja plicataThuja plicata, commonly called Western or pacific red cedar, giant or western arborvitae, giant cedar, or shinglewood, is a species of Thuja, an evergreen coniferous tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae native to western North America...
. Life expectancy, up to 30 years. However, young growth redcedar has a short life expectancy. High cost. Should be allowed to breathe. - HardwoodHardwoodHardwood is wood from angiosperm trees . It may also be used for those trees themselves: these are usually broad-leaved; in temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen.Hardwood contrasts with softwood...
. Very durable roofing found in Colonial Australian architecture, its use now limited to restorationsBuilding restorationBuilding restoration describes a particular treatment approach and philosophy within the field of architectural conservation. According the U.S...
.
- Red cedar
- SlateSlateSlate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
. High cost with a life expectancy of up to 200 years. Slate cleaves into thin sheets, making it much lighter than concrete tiles, though heavier than sheet steel and other light roof coverings. - Stone slab. Heavy stone slabs (not to be confused with slate) 1"-2" thick were formerly used as roofing tiles in some regions in England, the AlpsAlpsThe Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
, and ScandinaviaScandinaviaScandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
. Stone slabs require a very heavyweight roof structure, but their weight makes them stormproof. An obsolete roofing material, now used commercially only for building restoration. - Ceramic tileTileA tile is a manufactured piece of hard-wearing material such as ceramic, stone, metal, or even glass. Tiles are generally used for covering roofs, floors, walls, showers, or other objects such as tabletops...
. High cost, life of more than 100 years.- Imbrex and tegulaImbrex and tegulaThe imbrex and tegula were overlapping roof tiles used in ancient Greek and Roman architecture as a waterproof and durable roof covering. They were made predominantly of fired clay, but also sometimes of marble, bronze or gilt...
, style dating back to ancient Greece and Rome. - Monk and NunMonk and NunMonk and Nun is a style of roof similar to Imbrex and tegula, but instead of using a flat tile and an arched tile , two arched ibrex tiles are used.The top linking tiles are the monk tiles and the lower layer are the nun tiles...
, a style similar to Imbrex and tegula, but basically using two Imbrex tiles.
- Imbrex and tegula
- Metal shakes or shingles. Long life. High cost, suitable for roofs of 3/12 pitch or greater. Because of the flexibility of metal, they can be manufactured to lock together, giving durability and reducing assembly time.
- Mechanically seamed metal. Long life. High cost, suitable for roofs of low pitch such as 0.5/12 to 3/12 pitch.
- ConcreteConcreteConcrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
, usually reinforced with fibres of some sort. Concrete tiles require a stronger roof structure than slate, as some owners have found to their cost. - Asphalt shingleAsphalt shingleAn asphalt shingle is a type of roof shingle. They are one of the most widely used roofing covers because they are relatively inexpensive and fairly simple to install.-Types:...
, made of bitumen embedded in an organic or fiberglass mat, usually covered with colored, man-made ceramic grit. Cheaper than slate or tiles. Various life span expectancies. - AsbestosAsbestosAsbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
shingles. Very long lifespan, fireproof and low cost but now rarely used because of health concerns. - Membrane RoofingMembrane roofingMembrane roofing is a type of roofing system for buildings. It is used on flat or nearly flat roofs to prevent leaks and move water off the roof. Membrane roofs are most commonly made from synthetic rubber, thermoplastic , or modified bitumen...
. Membrane roofing is in large sheets, generally fused in some way at the joints to form a continuous surface.- Thermoset membrane (e.g. EPDM rubberEPDM rubberEPDM rubber , a type of synthetic rubber, is an elastomer which is characterized by a wide range of applications. The E refers to ethylene, P to propylene, D to diene and M refers to its classification in ASTM standard D-1418. The M class includes rubbers having a saturated chain of the...
). Synthetic rubber sheets adhered together with contact adhesive or tape. Primary application is big box store with large open areas. - ThermoplasticThermoplasticThermoplastic, also known as a thermosoftening plastic, is a polymer that turns to a liquid when heated and freezes to a very glassy state when cooled sufficiently...
(e.g. PVCPolyvinyl chloridePolyvinyl chloride, commonly abbreviated PVC, is a thermoplastic polymer. It is a vinyl polymer constructed of repeating vinyl groups having one hydrogen replaced by chloride. Polyvinyl chloride is the third most widely produced plastic, after polyethylene and polypropylene. PVC is widely used in...
, TPOThermoPlastic OlefinThermoplastic PolyOlefin is a trade name that refers to polymer/filler blends usually consisting of some fraction of PP , PE , BCPP , rubber, and a reinforcing filler. Common fillers include, though are not restricted to talc, fiberglass, carbon fiber, wollastonite, and MOS...
, CSPEHypalonHypalon is a trademark for chlorosulfonated polyethylene synthetic rubber noted for its resistance to chemicals, temperature extremes, and ultraviolet light. It was a product of DuPont Performance Elastomers, a subsidiary of DuPont....
). Plastic sheets welded together with hot air creating one continuous sheet membrane. Can be rewelded with the exception of CSPE. Lends itself well to both big box and small roof application because of its hot air weldability. This membrane is installed by two methods: 1.) Rolls of membrane are attached to the ridged insulation using a bonding adhesive. 2.) The edge of each roll is fastened through ridged insulation into structural deck, and the proceeding roll is lapped over the fasteners. The overlap is then heat-welded with hot air to create a mechanically-fastened thermoplastic roof. - Modified bitumen - heat welded, asphalt adhered or installed with adhesive. Asphalt is mixed with polymers such as APP or SBS, then applied to fiberglass and/or polyester mat, seams sealed by locally melting the asphalt with heat, hot mopping of asphalt, or adhesive. Lends itself well to most applications.
- Built-Up Roof - Multiple plies of salt saturated organic felt or coated fiberglass felts. Plies of felt are adhered with hot asphalt, coal tar pitch or adhesive. Although the roof membrane can be left bare, it is typically covered with a thick coat of the water-proofing material and covered with gravel. The gravel provides protection from ultra-violet degradation, stabilizes the temperature changes, protects surface of the roof and increases the weight of the roof system to resist wind blow-off.
- Thermoset membrane (e.g. EPDM rubber
- FabricTextileA textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
- polyesterPolyesterPolyester is a category of polymers which contain the ester functional group in their main chain. Although there are many polyesters, the term "polyester" as a specific material most commonly refers to polyethylene terephthalate...
. - PTFE, (synthetic fluoropolymer) embedded in fibreglass.
- polyester
- Metal roofMetal roofA metal roof, often referred to as a tin roof, is a roofing system made from metal pieces or tiles. It is a component of the building envelope.-History:...
ing. Generally a relatively inexpensive building material, unless copperCopperCopper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
is used.- Galvanised steelHot-dip galvanizingHot-dip galvanizing is a form of galvanization. It is the process of coating iron, steel, or aluminum with a thin zinc layer, by passing the metal through a molten bath of zinc at a temperature of around 860 °F...
frequently manufactured with wavy corrugations to resist lateral flexing and fitted with exposed fasteners. Widely used for low cost and durability. Sheds are normally roofed with this material. Known as Gal iron or Corro, it was the most extensively used roofing material of 20th century Australia, now replaced in popularity by steel roofing coated with an alloy of zinc and aluminium, claimed to have up to four times the life of galvanized steel. - Standing-seam metal with concealed fasteners.
- Mechanically seamed metal with concealed fasteners contains sealant in seams for use on very low sloped roofs.
- Flat-seam metal with soldered seams.
- Galvanised steel
See also
- RoofRoofA roof is the covering on the uppermost part of a building. A roof protects the building and its contents from the effects of weather. Structures that require roofs range from a letter box to a cathedral or stadium, dwellings being the most numerous....
- Domestic roof construction
- List of roof shapes
- Building construction
- Building insulationBuilding insulationbuilding insulation refers broadly to any object in a building used as insulation for any purpose. While the majority of insulation in buildings is for thermal purposes, the term also applies to acoustic insulation, fire insulation, and impact insulation...
- Building envelopeBuilding envelopeThe building envelope is the physical separator between the interior and the exterior environments of a building. Another emerging term is "Building Enclosure". It serves as the outer shell to help maintain the indoor environment and facilitate its climate control...