# Metal Shingles and Shakes

> Metal shingles are small locking units of steel, aluminium, copper or stainless steel stamped to resemble slate, wood shake or asphalt shingles.

- URL: https://roof.wiki/metal-shingles/
- Topic: Roofing Materials
- Also known as: metal shakes; metal slate; slate-look metal roofing; locking metal shingles; stamped metal shingles
- Regions: Global
- First published: 2026-11-02 · Last reviewed: 2026-11-02
- Cite as: "Metal Shingles and Shakes." roof.wiki. https://roof.wiki/metal-shingles/

## Key facts

- **Materials:** Coated steel, aluminium, copper, stainless steel, zinc
- **Typical styles:** Slate, shake, tile and shingle look
- **Early example:** Tin shingles, Arch Street Meetinghouse (1804)

Metal shingles divide a roof into small, overlapping or locking units rather than long panels. They are pressed or stamped from coated steel, aluminium, copper, stainless steel or zinc, and many are embossed to imitate slate, cedar shakes, clay tile or asphalt shingles. Stone-coated steel shingles are a related group with a granular surface.

## History

Metal shingles are not new. The Arch Street Meetinghouse in Philadelphia (1804) had tin shingles laid in a herringbone pattern, and embossed tin shingles were popular across the United States in the late nineteenth century. Pressed metal shingles and tiles were also made in Britain, Australia and elsewhere.

## Construction

- Units typically lock together on all four sides, or on top and side edges, so water is shed and wind uplift is resisted.
- Fasteners are generally concealed in the locking joint or covered by the next course.
- Some systems are fixed to battens, others directly to a solid deck over underlayment.
- Ridge, hip, valley and edge trims are supplied to match.

## Advantages and trade-offs

- Small units suit complex roofs with many hips, valleys and dormers, and steep slopes.
- The broken surface makes oil canning invisible and hides minor dents.
- Light weight allows installation over some existing roofs where codes permit.
- More joints mean more reliance on correct locking and flashing than a long standing seam panel.
- Allowance for thermal movement is distributed across many small joints.

## Naming

In North America, slate-look, shake-look and shingle-look metal products are often grouped under "metal shingles". In Australia, New Zealand and the UK, locking pressed steel units shaped like tile are more often called metal tiles or pressed metal tiles.

## Sources

1. Preservation Brief 4: Roofing for Historic Buildings — U.S. National Park Service, Technical Preservation Services. https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1739/upload/preservation-brief-04-roofing.pdf
2. Metal roof — Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_roof
3. DECRA Metal Roofing — DECRA Roofing Systems. https://www.decra.com/
4. Metal Shingles: Styles, Materials & Costs — Interlock Roofing. https://www.interlockroofing.com/metal-roofing/metal-shingles/
5. What Is Oil Canning? Metal Roof Waviness Explained — Interlock Roofing. https://www.interlockroofing.com/glossary/oil-canning/