Barn metal roof: 26ga v. 29ga

[Doughknob]

Why is 26 used on commercial buildings?????

 

[hcallaway]

One reason is it is resistant to hail damage and it also has a longer life.

 

[EddieWalker]

I have 26 gauge on my house, but my shed and barn both have 26 gauge. The difference is significant, but I'm only willing to pay the extra for the thicker material for my house. When you walk on it, you'll know the difference really fast!!!

 

[Smokeydog]

Local commercial building company used to be cheap source of 26ga. Longest sheet 12’. Reroofed my barn. Strong stuff. That company is now gone.

When I wanted to do my house cost was several times more than 29ga and could get longer sheets for less seams.

 

[Hay Dude]

Hoping to get some feedback on metal roofing for my barn project.

Visited a local metal roofing manufacturer. They seemed surprised that I would be interested in putting 26ga on a barn, said they typically sold 26ga for commercial buildings, and 29ga for barns and residential.

Had a neighbor tell me he prefers the 26ga, felt that 29ga was too susceptible to damage.

Price difference between the two for my project is about $1K, so it's not a huge upgrade cost. Colors offered in both gauges fall within what my wife wants for the roof color.

Anything else to consider? Weight? Ease of install?

EDITED TO ADD: I may put solar panels on this roof at some point in the future, if that matters.

Every barn I’ve roofed used 26. But we get hail, falling tree litter, etc. here.
If solar is being used, definitely 26

 

[M59]

rbstern,

If you ever intend to walk on roof for any reason ( maintenance, looking for a leak, etc ) you will want 26 ga. The thinner the sheet the metal the more it will flex and possibly wrinkle at the corrugations.
My garage was constructed where the bank was excavated for a flat spot, a black bear jumped from the bank onto the garage roof and as it walked around the roof and its claws popped holes in the 29 ga sheet metal.
Galvanized steel sheet metal 26 ga: 0.02169". 29 ga: 0.0172"
29 ga is almost 25% thinner than 26 ga
Pull out a set of feeler gauges and compare the two thicknesses.

 

[LD1]

MY first question would be is the rib profile the same?

Usually commercial siding has larger ribs, and ribs spaced further apart. How is that gonna effect the appearance of the building and is that acceptable.

If they have the same rib profile....then its really up to you. 29ga works fine for 99.9% of people and 26ga is just overkill.

Weight difference isnt as substantial as some may think. 26ga is .75#/sq ft and 29ga is .56. That translates into a 10' sheet of roofing being 25# for 26ga and 19# for 29ga. And having done alot of metal, it isnt really the weight that gets you....its the awkwardness and the wind catching that big "sail" you are holding.

I agree that the coating/paint/warranty is more important than metal "gauge" for long term. Because lets face it....if the paint and coating is damaged....neither 26ga or 29ga bare metal is gonna last very long in the elements.

PRobably for $1000 more you could use 2x6 purlins, but why? Its overkill and 2x4's work fine.

With regard to solar.....the metal shouldnt make a difference because any attachment of the panels should be to trusses/purlins/frame and not to the metal.

 

[Rustyiron]

Hoping to get some feedback on metal roofing for my barn project.

Visited a local metal roofing manufacturer. They seemed surprised that I would be interested in putting 26ga on a barn, said they typically sold 26ga for commercial buildings, and 29ga for barns and residential.

Had a neighbor tell me he prefers the 26ga, felt that 29ga was too susceptible to damage.

Price difference between the two for my project is about $1K, so it's not a huge upgrade cost. Colors offered in both gauges fall within what my wife wants for the roof color.

Anything else to consider? Weight? Ease of install?

EDITED TO ADD: I may put solar panels on this roof at some point in the future, if that matters.

They have a clever solar mounting system for standing seam roofs that mechanically clamp to the vertical seam, no penetration through the roof.
This would be a deciding factor for me. I like the aesthetics of the standing seam but the low cost of a metal roof kinda goes out the window along with the DIY aspect, not completely as there are "snap down" systems but the installation is not as "out of the box" as an exposed fastener type.

 

[5030]

Hoping to get some feedback on metal roofing for my barn project.

Visited a local metal roofing manufacturer. They seemed surprised that I would be interested in putting 26ga on a barn, said they typically sold 26ga for commercial buildings, and 29ga for barns and residential.

Had a neighbor tell me he prefers the 26ga, felt that 29ga was too susceptible to damage.

Price difference between the two for my project is about $1K, so it's not a huge upgrade cost. Colors offered in both gauges fall within what my wife wants for the roof color.

Anything else to consider? Weight? Ease of install?

EDITED TO ADD: I may put solar panels on this roof at some point in the future, if that matters.

I would go with 26 no matter what. Thicker is always better than thinner and no issue with adding solar, in fact, the standing seams on the metal roof psnels will be ideal for the sub structure to mount to.