Steel Roofs And Lightning

Lightning is a powerful destructive force of nature and will strike a building regardless of its type of roofing.

Steel roofs and lightning.

Decra stone coated steel is the only roofing material that adds shear strength to the roof to endure the forces of lightning shock waves as well as the high winds and hail which accompany thunderstorms. A metal building system with a conductive metal roof and a conductive metal structural frame gives lightning a low resistance path to the earth. It s understandable many homeowners believe metal roofing s steel tin or aluminum body can attract lightning. Fire is the most destructive element of a lightning strike because most roofs will immediately combust.

In this regard metal building materials far exceed traditional wood framed buildings due to metal s non combustible nature. In reality when lightning strikes it is seeking a path to ground and almost always will strike whatever object is highest in the area that also has a direct path to ground. Fractured materials can generate dangerous shrapnel and it s not uncommon to find fragments embedded in walls after a lightning strike. Steel roofing materials are no more attractive to lightning than any other type of roofing material according to the metal roofing wholesalers website.

Metal roofs do not attract lightning strikes. The misconception that metal roofs attract lightning is probably because metal itself is known as a good conductor of electricity and people therefore assume that a metal roof must attract lightning. Then the metal s fire resistant properties will protect your building even further. However even if metal is a great conductor of electricity it isn t a lightning magnet.

In truth high or thin points or structures that cover wide ground regardless whether they contain metal or not attract lightning. The metal construction association notes that metal roofs do not attract lightning. Metal roofing materials are non combustible so if a metal roof does get struck by lightning it is less likely to result in a fire than some other types of roofing materials such as cedar shakes. Should your metal roof be struck by lightning the electricity will be spread out across a larger area which diminishes the immediate impact.

Metal roofs are no more attractive to lightning than any other type of roofing material. The only way to protect a building is with a properly designed and installed lightning protection system lps.