FAQs

Stone-coated steel roofing occurred during world war II when tar and sand were used to cover galvanized steel bunkers. After the war, the practice was commercialized and the first roofs were produced. Stone-coated steel roofs have been protecting buildings since then, but the product technology today bears little resemblance to early practices due to advances in the chemistry of coatings.

Yes. Though some care must be exercised while walking on the roof and you should only place your foot on the flat section on the nose of the tile, roofers walk all over the roof during the installation process.

No. The modular tile system and the dead space between the steel roofing panel and the underlay minimize exterior noise even in a rainstorm. The stone-coating also reduces the noise of the rain when it hits the tiles.

A Metrotile roof can withstand decades of abuse from extreme weather conditions including wind, heat, humidity and rain. Metrotile has many international test reports and actual field results confirming their products are earthquake, fire and freeze/thaw resistant and can withstand hurricane-forced winds of up to 193kph. With a minimal amount of periodic maintenance a Metrotile roof will provide decades of lasting performance.

An acrylic primer is applied to the Zincalume coated steel substrate by the steel mill. Graded, non-oiled stone granules are then embedded in a thick UV resistant water base acrylic polymer. A final layer of acrylic over-glaze is applied on top of the stone before the tiles are cured in an oven at a temperature of 120 degrees.

The ZINCALUME coated steel has been formulated to give a significantly longer service life than a galvanized coating. The ZINCALUME steel coating combines the corrosive protection of aluminium with the sacrificial protection of zinc, giving the advantages of both metals. The resulting alloy coating enhances corrosion resistance, making it ideal for such applications as roofing. This is why the Metrotile roof system is referred to as "The final Roofing System", and is backed up with a 50 year limited warranty.

The history of Metrotile products demonstrates that fading is not a problem. Metrotile uses either naturally colored or ceramic coated stone granules on their tiles. The natural stone cannot fade and the ceramic coated stone is manufactured with the highest quality pigments and fired at temperatures above 700 deg Celsius. Over time, a slight change in color may occur due to settling of airborne contaminants, however periodic rain or washing the roof with a garden hose will keep the roof looking new.

At Metrotile we take great pride in providing the highest quality roofing products to people across the globe, but we are even more proud to do it in a way that helps protect our environment. We take our environmental responsibilities seriously and focus on our operation activities to improve energy efficiency and sustainability in the building industry. We also use the latest technology to ensure we reduce our carbon footprint and deliver environmentally preferable products wherever possible to our customers.

Steel is one of the most infinitely recycled materials in the world and is considered a sustainable material by the sustainable building industry. We always believe that our practice of successfully recycling the steel scrap including off-cuts to minimize our impact on the natural environment. We source our steel from New Zealand Steel Limited who have received a “tick” from Environmental Choice New Zealand and are ISO14001 accredited.

Find out more about Metrotile sustainability.

Steel roofing is classified as a non-combustible roofing material (Class A). In new construction and in many re-roofing applications the metal roofing system is a Class A non-combustible roof assembly. That means it has the highest possible fire resistance.

Metrotile roofs are known as “cool roofs”. This means they have the ability to cut building owners’ energy costs because they reduce the need for air conditioning.

Metrotile roofing products are designed to be elevated from the roof deck which creates a natural air flow referred to as “Above Sheathing Ventilation”(ASV). This ventilation prevents heat gain in the summer and heat loss in the winter. In addition to proper attic insulation, this can help lower electric costs associated with heating/cooling.

The combination between our steel panels and ASV have seen customers achieve 30% reductions in the energy bills.

Yes, rainwater collected from Metrotile roofs is safe to consume. After your new roof has been installed you need to wait for two good rainfalls before beginning collection.

Metrotile panels have been tested and meet the World Health Organisation standards for water run off, meaning you can drink water from a Metrotile roof, other petroleum based roofing products, can break down and can become toxic after a few years. 

*Note that the weights for clay and concrete products are for dry weights and that the weight of the these products increases when they are wet.

Steel roofing is no more susceptible to lightning than other roofing materials. It has been demonstrated that lightning strikes most frequently the highest points of terrain. Where concerns exist, lightning rods can be installed on roofs that are the highest point of surrounding terrain.

Yes, when installed to the required standards and with the required maintenance Metrotile roofs can carry a warranty of up to 50 years. A five year installation warranty is also offered by the installers.

Metrotile was founded by the Ross family who have over 75 years experience in roofing. Metrotile is now a leading global brand with roofs now installed in over 80 counties around the world. Metrotile's design focus is on clever, functional products that provide fast install times and an aesthetic look to suit any architecture. Metrotile ensures that their distributors are experienced and trustworthy companies that are able to provide professional advice with a complete back-up sales service so that homeowners are completely satisfied with their new roof.

If you have a decramastic tile roof that was installed as late as the early 1980's there is a high chance it contains asbestos. Other companies used asbestos in their products as late as 1981.

So if your roof predates this a sample will be required to be sent for testing before the roof can be removed.

In some cases we have alternative roofing solution that can be used which will cause less disruption and save you money.

See our decramastic tile roof overlay page.

If your roof is suspected to have asbestos you will be required to get a sample of the roof tested. If that test proves the presence of asbestos, you will need to contract a specialist asbestos removal company that will remove the existing roof before getting your roofing company into install your new roof.

As an indication of costs builderscrack.co.nz estimates that a 130m2 single story house will costs between $11,100 - $18,200 to remove an asbestos roof.

In some cases homeowners can't afford both the removal and new roof costs, so we have developed a more cost effective option.

See our decramastic tile roof overlay page.