Which metal roof profile is right for your building?
If you’re replacing a roof in Cape Town, or building something new, you’ll quickly hear four names: IBR, corrugated, Klip-Lok and standing seam. They’re all steel roof sheeting, and they can all make a long-lasting, watertight roof. The difference is in the shape of the sheet, how it’s fixed down, how it looks, and which roofs it suits.
There’s no single best choice. A factory with a long, low-pitched roof has different needs from a Victorian cottage in Observatory or a modern home on the Atlantic Seaboard. This guide explains each profile in plain terms, so you can have a better conversation with whoever quotes for your roof.
IBR: the practical all-rounder
IBR has tall, flat-topped ribs at regular spacing, with flat pans between them. The strong ribs mean it can span further between the purlins underneath than corrugated sheeting, which makes it popular on factories, warehouses, schools, carports and modern homes.
It’s fixed with screws through the sheet into the structure below. Done properly, with the right screws and washers, that’s reliable, but every fixing is a small potential leak point, so the quality of installation matters. IBR generally copes with lower roof pitches than corrugated, and it gives a clean, contemporary look.
Corrugated: the traditional look
Corrugated sheeting has the familiar rounded wave. It’s the classic profile on older Cape Town homes, outbuildings and verandas, and it’s still a good choice where you want to keep a building’s character, for example when re-roofing a period home.
Like IBR, it’s through-fixed. Its shallower profile is best suited to steeper roofs, where water runs off quickly. On low-pitched roofs, a deeper profile is usually the safer choice.
Klip-Lok: hidden fixings, fewer leak points
Klip-Lok is a concealed-fix profile. Instead of screws going through the sheet, the sheets clip onto brackets fixed to the structure, and each sheet locks onto the next. With no holes through the roof surface, there are far fewer places for water to get in.
That makes it well suited to long, low-pitched roofs, such as large industrial and commercial buildings, where a leak through a fixing could damage stock or stop work. It also gives a clean look, with no rows of screw heads.
Standing seam: the architectural choice
Standing seam roofs have tall, narrow seams where the sheets join, with the fixings hidden inside the seams. The result is a smooth, crisp roof with strong vertical lines, often chosen for modern homes, extensions and feature roofs.
Like Klip-Lok, the concealed fixings mean fewer leak points, and standing seam can handle low pitches and more complicated roof shapes. It’s usually the most expensive of the four, because of the material and the more specialised installation.
How the four profiles compare
| IBR | Corrugated | Klip-Lok | Standing seam | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Look | Crisp ribs, modern | Rounded waves, traditional | Clean ribs, no visible screws | Smooth, strong seam lines |
| Fixing | Screws through the sheet | Screws through the sheet | Concealed clips | Concealed in the seams |
| Typical use | Factories, schools, carports, homes | Older homes, outbuildings, verandas | Large commercial and industrial roofs | Modern homes, feature roofs |
| Leak points | At each fixing, if poorly installed | At each fixing, if poorly installed | Very few | Very few |
Choosing a roof near the sea
Salt air is hard on steel. If your building is on the Atlantic Seaboard, in Blouberg or Table View, on the Southern Peninsula or up the West Coast towards Langebaan, the profile matters less than what the sheeting is coated with and what it’s fixed with. Ask about:
- The coating. Sheeting comes with different metallic coatings and paint systems, and some are made for coastal exposure.
- The fixings. Screws and clips need to suit the coast too, or they rust before the roof does.
- The manufacturer’s guarantee. Material guarantees can depend on how close the building is to the sea, so check what applies at your address.
We choose coastal-appropriate sheeting and fixings for buildings near the sea, and explain the options in your quote.
Other things to weigh up
- Pitch and structure. Your roof’s pitch and the spacing of the purlins or battens limit which profiles will work. If the structure needs replacing, we use Pryde trusses.
- Solar plans. All four profiles can carry solar panels with the right mounting. Plan the roof and the solar together. See solar on asbestos roofs if your current roof is asbestos cement.
- Noise and heat. Metal roofs can be noisy in heavy rain and hot in summer. The insulation and ceiling under the roof make a big difference.
- Colour. Lighter colours reflect more of the summer sun, and in a sectional title complex the scheme’s rules may set the colour.
- Gutters. A new roof is a good time to replace tired gutters too. See gutters and fascias.
What about tiles?
Concrete and clay tiles are the other main option for pitched roofs, especially on homes and sectional title complexes. They’re heavier than metal, so the structure has to be able to carry them, but they’re quiet in the rain and don’t rust. See roofing in Cape Town for the roofs we work on, or tiled roof painting if your tiles just need refreshing.
How we can help
We install IBR, corrugated, Klip-Lok and standing seam roofs, with sheeting from Youngman Roofing and Safintra. Every new roof comes with a two-year workmanship guarantee from Roof Direct, and the roofing material carries the manufacturer’s own guarantee of up to 15 years, depending on the product. If your current roof is asbestos cement, we manage the whole job, with removal by our registered sister company. See asbestos roof replacement.
To see the options side by side for your building, read about roof replacement or book a free inspection. We’ll look at the pitch, the structure and the location, and give you an itemised quote for the profiles that suit.