Copper Sheet & Coil

Copper is soft, highly ductile and easily worked cold, which is why it has been the traditional material for hand-formed roofing, flashing and ornamental metalwork. It solders readily, and it takes and holds a fold.

Left exposed it weathers through a well-known sequence: bright salmon when new, darkening through browns over the first years, and eventually to the green patina that gives old copper roofs their appearance. The patina is protective, and the material has a service life measured in generations.

That weathering is not uniform, and it is not fast. Sheltered areas darken at a different rate from exposed ones, and full green takes decades in most climates.

Copper runoff can stain adjacent materials and can accelerate galvanic corrosion of aluminum, zinc, and galvanized steel where moisture and electrical contact are present. Drainage paths and interfaces with dissimilar metals should therefore be carefully detailed.