Metal Tile Sheet
Metal Roofing Sheets
A tiled look without the tiles
A metal tile sheet is pressed into a tile profile so a finished roof reads as a clay or concrete tile roof from the ground, while behaving like a metal one. It is asked for locally as kavla roof.
The reason to choose it is almost always appearance plus weight. A real tile roof is heavy and needs a structure to match. A metal tile sheet gives a similar look at a fraction of the weight, so the supporting frame can be lighter, and it goes on as sheets rather than as thousands of individual pieces.
Where it is used
Farmhouses, resorts, porches, villa roofs and pitched residential work, plus the visible frontage of commercial buildings where a plain trapezoidal sheet would look industrial. It is a finish product more than a shed product.
It is not the right choice for a long low-pitch industrial span. Tile profiles are shallow, so they do not carry load across wide purlin spacing the way a deep trapezoidal rib does, and they need a reasonable pitch to shed water properly.
Pitch and laps
Because the profile is pressed in steps rather than run as continuous ribs, the sheet relies on pitch to move water off. Too shallow a pitch holds water at the steps, and water that sits is water that eventually finds a fixing.
Sheets are rolled to length, so ordering the correct run length avoids laps altogether where the roof allows it. On a visible roof that also matters aesthetically, since a lap line across a tile profile is obvious in a way it is not on a plain sheet.
Coating and colour
Metal tile sheets are supplied colour coated, and the same rules apply as for any colour coated roof: the paint system decides how the colour ages and the metallic coating underneath decides how the steel lasts. On a roof this visible, a paint system that chalks early is a real problem, because the fading shows.
Accessories should come in the same coating and colour and from the same batch. Ridge and flashings in a slightly different shade are very visible on a tile profile.
What to send us for a quote
The covered area, the pitch, the rafter or purlin spacing, and the colour. A photograph of the building or of an existing roof you want to match is genuinely useful here, more so than on an industrial roof.
Frequently asked questions
Is it as good as a real tile roof?
For weather performance and weight, it is generally better, and it goes up far faster. A clay tile roof has more thermal mass and a different character close up. From normal viewing distance the difference is small.
What roof pitch does it need?
More than a trapezoidal industrial sheet, because the stepped profile relies on pitch to drain. Send us the pitch you have and we will tell you whether it works.
Can I get it in a colour to match my existing roof?
Usually. Send a photograph and, if you have it, the colour name or shade code, and we will tell you what we can match.
Can it be walked on for maintenance?
With care and in the right places, as with any profiled sheet. Foot traffic should be over a purlin line rather than mid-span.
Need specifications or a quote for Metal Tile Sheet?