The Most Popular Type of Metal Roofing
Good Day! Nathan Allen your metal specialist here with this months Mid-Monthly Metal. In this installment we will be going over our rib panel product commonly known as Ag Panel, what options we have for this style of roofing, and the benefits.
Ag Panel is a slang term for the most popular exposed fastener roofing panel and siding profiles in the construction world today. Post frame, also called pole barn, buildings and residential roofing make the two biggest construction segments for Rib Panel. The distinguishing feature of this popular rib panel is that it is ¾” tall main ribs that are spaced 9” on-center. Sheet metal roofing is available in many different profiles, going by different names. “5V” Crimp, “R” Panel, corrugated roofing, face-fastened panels, through-fastened panels, or screw down panels are some of the names for the style of metal roofing that we will call “rib” panel. Metal sheet roofing is manufactured primarily from galvalume or galvanized steel in thicknesses that can vary between 24 and 30 gauge. The noticeable characteristic of all sheet roofing is large panels that overlap and have exposed fasteners. The fasteners are driven through portions of the panels, as well as in other strategic locations and into the roof decking, purlin, or spaced substrate below. A neoprene washer is located beneath the head of the fastener to ensure water tightness.
There are hundreds of manufacturers that form rib panels across the country. While a few of rib panel manufacturers are nation wide companies, the majority of manufacturers roll form on a regional area basis that service a small radius around their facility.
Due to this many people are under the impression that all rib panels are the same. But, that is far from correct. Rib panels come in a wide variety of substrate and coating combinations, the panel performance is linked to the quality of the rib panel substrate and coating.
What exactly should a homeowner or post-frame building owner do? Please ask the following questions before you purchase a rib panel project. These will help you decide which is best for you to purchase.
1. What is the substrate made of?
The substrate, a base or backbone of a metal panel. The most popular substrates for rib panels are Galvalume and galvanized. Since the performance of these two substrates differ, please be sure to research the performance differences.
As a general rule galvanized is harder to scratch however rusts quickly.
Galvalume, our substrate, can scratch easier however takes much longer to rust through in comparison to galvanized.
2. What is the coating or paint?
The paint, or coating, is the part that provides the curb appeal for your project. Popular rib panel coatings are Polyester (good), Silicone Modified Polyester (better), and PVDF (best). These paints should be chosen with your long-term performance expectations in mind.
We use Ceram-a-Star 1050 coating on our smooth rib panels. These are a SMP coating that provide the best coating on 29ga to 28ga roofing panels. On 24ga rib panel we use the Kynar-500 as this is better suited to a more rigid panel.
3. What is the warranty period of the panel?
Performance and testing are the best indicators of quality rather than warranties. Many rib panel warranties have liability limitations that cap out at the cost of material at the time of purchase. Look for a warranty that at least offers product replacement.
We offer lifetime product replacement under both our paint and substrate warranties.
While most rib panel roofing is of higher quality than a lot of traditional roofing materials, it can contrast with the more advanced metal roofing options available to homeowners that want to make long-term investments in their homes or other projects. Though rib panel roofing is the most economical form of metal roofing. It is also one of the easier-to-install types of metal roofing. The disadvantage of rib panel roofing is that it does not have the longevity, both functionally and aesthetically, compared to some other types of metal roof systems such as standing seam roofing.
Please ask if you have any other questions you may have that are not covered here about rib panel roofing/siding that you may have. Let me know how I may help!
Looking forward to helping you!
Nathan Allen
Metal Specialist