Metal roofing comes in more shapes than most people expect. Standing seam is the one you picture, but metal also comes as shingles, shakes, slate and tile lookalikes, stone-coated panels, corrugated and ribbed panels with exposed screws, and old-world flat-lock and batten seam. This page explains each metal roof style in a few sentences, with its strengths and trade-offs, and points you to the full guide.
Standing seam
Long vertical panels joined by raised seams, with every fastener hidden under the metal. It is the most common residential metal roof today, usually 24 or 26 gauge steel or .032 aluminum, in snap-lock or mechanical lock versions. You get clean lines, the widest color choice and the best paint warranties, at a higher price than panels with exposed screws. Read the standing seam guide and snap-lock vs mechanical lock, or find standing seam installers.
Metal shingles
Stamped steel or aluminum pieces, each about the size of a few asphalt shingles, that interlock on all four sides and attach with hidden clips or nails. From the street they read as architectural shingles, they handle complex roofs with many hips and valleys well, and they are lighter than almost any other roofing. Read the metal shingles guide or browse metal shingle installers.
Stone-coated steel
Steel panels pressed into shingle, shake or tile shapes and coated with stone granules set in acrylic. The granules give a matte, textured look that hides oil canning and softens rain noise, and the panels are often installed over battens, which adds an air gap above the deck. Read the stone-coated steel guide or find stone-coated steel installers.
Exposed fastener panels
Ribbed panels screwed straight through the face into the deck or purlins, with a sealing washer under every screw head. This is the lowest-cost metal roof, common on barns, shops, porches and budget homes, usually in 26 or 29 gauge steel. The washers age in the sun, so plan on a fastener check every several years. Read the exposed fastener guide or find exposed fastener installers.
Corrugated
The classic wavy profile, a type of exposed fastener panel that has been on American roofs for well over a century. It is popular for farmhouse and modern-rustic looks, in painted finishes or bare Galvalume, and it shares the strengths and the fastener maintenance of other exposed fastener panels. The panel profiles guide shows how it differs from ribbed panels, and the directory lists corrugated installers.
Metal tile
Panels or shingles stamped to look like clay or concrete barrel tile, usually steel or aluminum, at a small fraction of the weight of real tile. It suits Mediterranean and Southwest designs and houses whose framing was never meant to carry concrete tile. Read the metal tile guide or find metal tile installers.
Metal shake
Stamped panels with the deep shadow lines of hand-split cedar shakes, without the fire risk, rot or upkeep of wood. They come in steel and aluminum with textured finishes and are often chosen where a neighborhood or HOA expects a traditional look. Read the metal shake and slate guide or find metal shake installers.
Metal slate
Thin stamped panels with the flat, layered look of natural slate at a fraction of the weight and cost, and without the breakage. Like metal shake and tile, it installs over a standard deck with no extra framing. The same shake and slate guide covers it, and the directory lists metal slate installers.
Flat-lock
Small flat panels, often copper or zinc, hooked together on all four sides and soldered or sealed. Flat-lock is used on low-slope roofs, domes, curved surfaces and historic buildings, and it is labor-intensive, premium work. Read the flat-lock and batten seam guide or find flat-lock installers.
Batten seam
A cousin of standing seam in which panels wrap over raised wood or metal battens for a wide, bold rib. It is common on churches, civic buildings and historic restorations, often in copper or zinc, and it is sometimes chosen for new homes that want a heavier line than a standard seam. The same guide covers it; find batten seam installers in the directory.
Custom architectural
Curved, tapered, perforated and specialty panels made to order by sheet metal fabricators for one building. This category covers wall panels, dormers, turrets and features that standard profiles cannot do, and the fabricator often works for the installer rather than the homeowner. Find custom architectural fabricators, and read panel profiles explained to learn the vocabulary.
Which style fits your house?
- Tightest budget, simple roof, barn or shop: exposed fastener or corrugated.
- Longest service life and the cleanest modern look: standing seam, ideally mechanical lock on low slopes.
- A neighborhood that expects shingles, shakes, slate or tile: metal shingles, metal shake, metal slate, metal tile or stone-coated steel.
- Many hips, valleys and dormers: metal shingles or stone-coated steel, which waste less material than long panels.
- Near salt water: any style in aluminum; see the metals hub.
- Historic or low-slope roof: flat-lock or batten seam in copper or zinc.
Whatever the style, the price depends on region, pitch, complexity, metal and time of year; the cost guide gives approximate ranges. Get at least three written bids from licensed, insured installers, and read how to choose a contractor before you sign.