Metal Roofing Materials Key Terms

Learn concepts and terminology related to metal roofing materials

Few things are as durable and reliable as metal. Metal can be shaped and forged into convenient and effective pieces of equipment, buildings and devices. Beneficial in both residential and commercial buildings, metal roofing materials may be used to provide security, reliability and durability in the roofing areas of these structures. However, as with other areas of specialty, there are certain metal roofing key terms and concepts which are vital to the industry.

 

Underlayment

Roofing underlayment offers roofs an important second layer of protection. It is placed on top of the sheathing and used primarily to keep moisture out of an area. While underlayment was once considered a luxury in roofing, it is now often required by cities and governments with respect to fire, wind uplift and puncture resistance.
Try: BobVila.com offers expert advice on how underlayment with roofing materials can offer a tighter, more effective roofing structure for homes and other types of buildings.

Corrugated

Corrugated refers to the shape of a material or the manner in which it was forged and processed. Corrugated metal roofing material, for example, has been shaped into alternating parallel grooves and ridges. Such material may also be marked with parallel folds, ridges or furrows. Folded with ridges, corrugated metal roofing is a popular metal roofing material for both commercial and residential buildings.
Try: Learn more about installing corrugated roofing at eHow.

Standing seam

A standing seam is an overlapping or interlocking seam. It is used in metal roofing systems and occurs at an upturned rib. There are many ways to fold or interlock the seams, but in many instances the standing seam is formed by taking the edges of two adjacent metal roofing panels and turning them up so as to interlock and overlap them.
Try: Various types of standing seams can be explored at Fabral.com, while additional standing seams and illustrations may be viewed at Atas.com.

Butyl tape

Butyl tape is a particular sealant tape. It is sometimes utilized to seal a gap between metal roof panel seams and end laps. In other situations, butyl tape may be used to seal sheet metal joints.
Try: Details about butyl tape may be found at PlusTape.com, while information for sealing metal roofs with the use of butyl tape is explored at ServiceMagicPros.com.

Batten

When the term is used in describing a metal roof or metal roofing materials, a batten is a metal closure. This closure is set over two or more adjacent metal roofing panels and material strips, in order to cover the joints that exist between the panels.
Try: Esperanza Properties provides a glossary of construction terms including several referring to batten. Architectural Building Components provides a description, features, widths, gauges and finishes of the Snaploc brand metal batten they offer.

Roofing square

A roofing square is an important unit of measurement when it comes to roofing and roofing materials. The exact conversion rate for a roofing square is one hundred square feet of metal or other roofing materials to one roofing square.
Try: More details about a roofing square can be found at NewEnglandMetalRoof.com.

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