Metal Roof Life Verified at Over 60 Years

Metal roofing systems can last over 60 years, says a new study, which can reduce lifecycle costs and impacts to the environment. With a service life as long as most facilities, the research means many roofs wouldn’t need to be replaced during the average commercial building’s service life.

The study was conducted over 14 buildings in five U.S. climate regions, examining the performance of low-slope, unpainted 55% Al-Zn coated steel standing seam roofing. Using the LEED standard of 60 years as the assumed building service life, the three independent consulting firms determined that by using best practices, roofs in most environments can be expected to stay in service longer than the buildings are expected to last. Also noteworthy is that the steel roofs even resist corrosion in weak spots such as sheared edges.

While the study’s authors admit that some ancillary parts such as fasteners may need to be replaced as part of best practices, they argue that these costs represent less than 20% of what it costs to replace an entire roof.