Steel Roofs And Lightning

Metal roofs do not attract lightning strikes.

Steel roofs and lightning. Should your metal roof be struck by lightning the electricity will be spread out across a larger area which diminishes the immediate impact. 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. Fractured materials can generate dangerous shrapnel and it s not uncommon to find fragments embedded in walls after a lightning strike. However even if metal is a great conductor of electricity it isn t a lightning magnet.

The only way to protect a building is with a properly designed and installed lightning protection system lps. Then the metal s fire resistant properties will protect your building even further. 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 has been observed that installing a metal roof makes building owners think more about lightning and the dangers of lightning strikes.

Steel roofing materials are no more attractive to lightning than any other type of roofing material according to the metal roofing wholesalers website. 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. While a building s structural steel will conduct lightning it is the bonding interconnection and grounding provided by a lightning protection system lps that will dissipate lightning s harmful electricity safely to the ground. Lightning is a powerful destructive force of nature and will strike a building regardless of its type of roofing.

Nor do metal roofs protect a building against lightning. Metal roofs are no more attractive to lightning than any other type of roofing material. 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. In this regard metal building materials far exceed traditional wood framed buildings due to metal s non combustible nature.

In truth high or thin points or structures that cover wide ground regardless whether they contain metal or not attract lightning. It s understandable many homeowners believe metal roofing s steel tin or aluminum body can attract lightning.