The Metal Roofing Alliance estimates that more than 750,000 U.S. homeowners chose a metal roof to protect their families in 2015. The Metal Roofing Alliance reports that demand for sustainable, eco-friendly and energy-efficient home improvement materials continue to grow in North America.

According to a new study conducted by Dodge Data & Analytics, the residential metal roofing industry saw a big jump in market share last year, moving from approximately 8 percent in 2014, to 11 percent in 2015. The independent survey showed that between 2014 and 2015, the total demand for metal roofing increased from 11.7 million squares to 17.7 million squares. This is the second time residential metal roofing has achieved double-digit market share in the re-roofing segment. Metal roofing is second only to asphalt shingle roofing in the remodeling market. Asphalt market share dropped 2 points overall, and it now makes up 78 percent of the U.S. market.

When the Metal Roofing Alliance began its national consumer awareness campaign in 1998, metal only made up 3.7 percent of the re-roofing market. The organization’s consistent effort to educate consumers about investment-grade metal roofing has helped to build this market.

Survey Data

Dodge Data & Analytics conducts an annual repair and remodeling survey which measures the percent of homeowners who purchased building products in a given year. Questions pertaining to metal roofing types were included in the online survey, which revealed the roofing choices for those households. The study reviewed metal roofing activity across nine U.S. Census regions using a representative sample that can be used to provide accurate data.

 

Metal roofing in the remodeling market shows strong growth overall, and several regions are much higher than the national average. For example, in the East South Central region (Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee), metal roofing reached 22 percent, a gain of 8 points in a year. Other big gains occurred in the South Atlantic region (Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia), where metal now boasts 12 percent market share. Overall, metal roofing gained an average of 3 to 5 percentage points in each region.

Consumer Insights

The top reasons homeowners provided in the study for why they chose a metal roof include:

• Longevity (26%)
• Strength/protection (22%)
• Attractiveness (15%)
• Good investment (15%)

The most popular style of metal roofing is vertical ribbed panel with 71 percent, followed by metal shingle/shake/tiles with 22 percent. Copper roofing now holds a 5-percent market share.

What about coated metal?

Painted metal roofs are the most popular, with 53 percent of homeowners installing painted panels. They are followed by bare metal roofs at 32 percent and stone coated metal roofs at 14 percent, which is up from 8 percent from last year.

The Metal Roofing Alliance has been able to more than triple metal roofing’s residential market share by offering a quality, investment grade product that provides decades of protection for homes.