When arranging a roof from a metal tile, it often becomes necessary to calculate the metal tile for the roof. This is quite justified - after all, the cost of this roofing material is quite high, and it is unreasonable to buy it much more than is required for a particular roof.
The calculation of a roof made of metal is somewhat complicated by the fact that, unlike slate or sheet metal, a metal tile is not symmetrical: the sheets of this roofing material have clearly defined upper and lower edges, and they cannot be interchanged.
This fact imposes quite certain restrictions, especially in the case when the installation of metal tiles on a sloping roof is planned.
When laying the roof of such roofs, a large number of valleys (joints between the inclined planes of the roof) are formed - both external and internal.
And if we take into account that when covering with metal tiles in the area of \u200b\u200beach joint, it is necessary to trim the material, then we can imagine how much waste is generated. And not all of these wastes can be used to cover slopes, ridges and hollows.
That is why the exact calculation of the required amount of metal tiles is so important. Also, when performing calculations, it is necessary to take into account the shape and size of the "waves" of the tiles.
Most manufacturers try to adhere to standard parameters (along the vertical slope - 350 mm, across the slope horizontally - 185-190 mm), however, there are also sizes that differ significantly from the above.
So, when calculating the amount of metal tiles required for the purchase, you need to keep in mind the specific model of a certain manufacturer - otherwise you risk facing an unpleasant surprise.
Note! In addition to geometric dimensions (length and width), each sheet of metal is characterized by the so-called effective dimensions. The effective size of a metal tile sheet is the size of the area covered by the sheet, taking into account the overlap of sheets necessary for their efficient installation. The calculation is carried out exactly according to the effective size of the sheet, so pay attention to the marking of the metal tile - most major manufacturers indicate both the nominal and effective dimensions on the packaging.
Cutting metal tiles
Strictly speaking, trimming a metal tile is undesirable, since the sheets of a metal tile, including their ends, have a multilayer protective coating.
Any cut in this way violates the integrity of the protective gable roof coverings, and leads to a reduction in the service life of the metal tile. Any damage to the protective layer is a place where a corrosion process can develop over time.
If you can’t do without cutting, then in order for your tile roof to last longer, follow these rules:
- We cut metal tiles either with a circular saw or with an electric jigsaw using a special metal saw.
- We try to cut in such a way that the place of the cut is not in direct contact with atmospheric moisture in the open air, but is hidden under other sheets of metal. This will reduce the risk of corrosion processes, and even if corrosion starts, it will proceed much more slowly.
- The incision site can be treated with paint or Kuzbasslak. This will protect thin (0.4 - 0.6 mm) metal from oxidation and corrosion.
The complexity of the cutting process is another argument in favor of a more accurate calculation process for metal tiles.
An example of the calculation of metal tiles
To find out how many metal tiles you will need to purchase, you can use the online metal roof tile calculator - fortunately, you can find many similar programs on the Internet.
However, in order to understand how such a calculation is carried out, consider the calculation process using a simple example:
We calculate the volume of purchase of metal tiles to create a roof for a building with dimensions of 15x12 meters, with an adjoining utility block of 3x12 meters.
Let's take a roof configuration such that the dimensions of the slopes will be:
- The house has 8.2X15 and 5X15 meters (low roof)
- The utility block has 8.2X3 and 5X3 meters (the profile of the roof of the utility block repeats the profile of the roof of the house)
Such metal roof configuration allows you to calculate the number of sheets of metal tiles in such a way that the need for trimming is minimal, or trimming would not be needed at all.
Differences in width can be compensated by increasing the roof overhangs - and this will be an additional plus, since a large overhang protects the walls of the house from excessive moisture from precipitation.
Note! The calculation principles outlined below are applicable to almost any roof configuration. However, the closer the shape of one slope to a rectangle, the more accurate the calculation will be. Irregularly shaped slopes require trimming sheets of metal tiles - and therefore certain adjustments must be made to the calculations here.
Before calculating the metal tile for the roof, it is necessary to determine its standard sizes.
In our example, we use tiles of two standard sizes:
- 6 waves - 2220X1160 mm
- 3 waves - 1170 mmX1160 mm
To facilitate calculations, it is easier to count not in millimeters, but in waves (1 wave - 350 mm), and then select the number of sheets.
Let's start the calculations with a smaller structure - from the utility block:
A slope of 8.2x3 m requires 24 waves (8200mm / 350mm). These are 4 sheets of 6 waves, and there are such in our standard size. A slope width of 3 meters gives us 3 sheets wide (1160mmx3 = 3360mm) - at the same time we get an overhang of 360 mm, which is quite acceptable for a utility block.
As a result, for this slope, we need 3x4 = 12 6-wave sheets.
We figured out the big slope, let's move on to the smaller one:
Slope 5x3 meters requires:
In width - the same three sheets of metal tiles. And on the long side, taking into account the overlap, we get 15 waves. Here you already need to select sheets: 2 six-wave and one three-wave will do.
As a result, we will cover this slope using 3X2 = 6 six-wave sheets, and 3 three-wave sheets.
A metal tile for a residential building is calculated exactly according to the same scheme. As a result, we get 84 sheets of metal tiles with a width of 6 waves, and 14 sheets of three-wave tiles.
Summing up the figures obtained and knowing the estimated cost of a tile sheet of each standard size used, it is possible to calculate the cost of a roof made of metal.
The resulting figures are included in the estimate for do-it-yourself metal roofing - now we can control costs, and, if necessary, adjust the budget in one direction or another.
And even if a decision is made to use a metal tile of a different size, these calculations will allow you to select the material very quickly.
Naturally, a small supply of material is also needed - however, in the case of metal tiles, the risk of damage to the roofing material is much less than when using, for example, slate.
Using the above methodology, you can calculate a variety of metal roofs: the manufacture of such a roof requires high accuracy in calculations, but if you do everything right, then you definitely won’t buy extra material.
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