Commercial Metal Roofing Systems
Typical service life
Fasteners under the seam
Wind-uplift tested systems
Roll-formed panel fabrication
The system that answers back when the weather doesn't quit.
Metal is the roofing system that doesn’t blink at West Texas weather. A straight-line wind event that peels an asphalt shingle roof off a nearby warehouse barely moves a properly installed standing-seam panel. A hail event that totals a modified bitumen roof dents a 24-gauge steel panel without compromising the water-shedding plane. And where a single-ply or built-up roof is asking for a tear-off at year twenty-five, a correctly specified metal system is still in service life four decades in — same panels, same clips, same seams.
That is why metal gets specified for the buildings that have to stay dry: ag storage and grain handling in Plainview, cotton gins and warehouses across the South Plains, oilfield shops in Midland and Hobbs, municipal and institutional work from Roswell to Clovis. It is the system that pays for itself in avoided reroofs — and the one that holds up when the crew that installed it is nowhere to be found.
That last part matters. A metal roof is engineered to outlast most contractors. Roofs Inc has been running commercial metal in Lubbock since the crew that fabricates your panels could still be the crew that maintains them in 2050. Longevity on paper only counts if someone is still around to honor it.
24 ga
Standard-gauge steel we spec for commercial standing seam
UL-90
Wind-uplift tested panel + clip assemblies
- Panel profiles
- Standing seam, R-panel, PBR
- Finishes
- Kynar 500 / PVDF, Galvalume
- Warranties
- 25–40 yr paint, 40+ yr substrate
What we install and why
Metal systems we specify for West Texas & New Mexico buildings.
Standing-seam metal
The commercial-grade system. Concealed clips, no exposed fasteners through the water plane, panels float with thermal movement. The right call for institutional, municipal, and long-horizon commercial work.
R-panel & PBR
Through-fastened exposed-screw panels. Cost-effective for ag, warehouse, and shop buildings where speed of install and budget are the drivers. Still a 30-year system with the right fasteners and gasket schedule.
Architectural standing seam
Curved, tapered, and designer-profile metal for retail, hospitality, medical, and anywhere the roof is part of the elevation. Snap-lock and mechanical-seam options.
Retrofit metal over existing
Sub-framing and new metal installed over a failing low-slope roof — adds slope, drainage, and a 40-year system without full tear-off. See roof replacement for the alternative.
Insulated metal panels (IMPs)
Factory-foamed panel with integral insulation and finish. Single-step install, high R-value, and the right system for cold-storage, food processing, and anywhere thermal envelope performance drives the spec.
Custom flashings & trim
Ridge caps, eave trim, valley flashings, and transition details fabricated on site to match each panel profile. Field-cut details are where metal roofs leak — our shop fabricates them in-house.
From panel spec to signed-off system.
01. Assessment & spec
Slope, deck, wind zone, and target life. We spec gauge, profile, finish, clip spacing, and underlayment together — not in isolation.
02. Fabrication
Panels roll-formed on site or in our Lubbock shop to the exact length of the run — no end-lap seams unless the geometry forces them.
03. Underlayment & clips
High-temp synthetic underlayment, ice-and-water at valleys and penetrations, concealed clips fastened to the structure on the engineered pattern.
04. Install & detail
Panels mechanically seamed where the spec calls for it, custom flashings fabricated to each penetration, final walk with the facility manager.
Specify to the building, not to the brochure.
Metal vs. The four head-to-heads we work through most often.
- vs. TPO
- Slope & design life
- vs. PVC
- Not a chemical/grease answer
- vs. mod bit
- Foot traffic vs. longevity
- vs. coating
- New vs. extended-life
Metal is the right call when the roof has real slope, when the building has to carry a 40-plus-year horizon, and when the owner wants to be done thinking about the roof for a generation. It is not the right call for a dead-flat low-slope building — that is where TPO or PVC single-ply wins, because the water plane needs to be fully bonded, not shed. It is not the right call where restaurant grease, refinery solvents, or oilfield fluids pond on the roof — that is a PVC specification.
Where the roof already has 15 or 20 years of service and the deck is sound, a silicone roof coating often beats new metal on a cost-per-year basis — same water plane, half the capital. Where the roof takes real foot traffic from HVAC crews daily, modified bitumen can shrug off boots that will dent a 24-gauge standing-seam panel.
And after install, metal still needs maintenance — fasteners back out, sealants degrade, flashings move. See roof maintenance for the inspection cadence that keeps a 40-year system actually hitting 40 years. See storm damage for what to do when a hail event lands.
Commercial metal roofing, answered.
A properly installed standing-seam system in 24-gauge steel with a Kynar 500 (PVDF) finish will routinely hit 40–60 years in West Texas and New Mexico service. The paint film carries a 25–40 year warranty, the substrate (Galvalume) carries 40 years or more, and the structural assembly outlasts both. R-panel systems with exposed fasteners typically run 25–35 years before fastener and gasket replacement becomes the decision point.
Standing seam when longevity, uplift performance, and design matter — institutional, municipal, retail, hospitality, long-horizon commercial. R-panel when speed and budget are the drivers — ag storage, shop buildings, warehouse. Both are legitimate 30-year systems installed correctly; the question is what the building is doing and how long it needs to do it.
Often, yes. A metal retrofit uses sub-framing to add slope and drainage over a failing modified bitumen, BUR, or single-ply roof, without the cost or landfill of a full tear-off. It is a 40-year reset at a fraction of the capital. We confirm the existing deck and structure can carry the new load before specifying it.
Metal takes hail better than most people assume. A 24-gauge standing-seam panel will dent in a severe hailstorm, but denting is cosmetic — the water plane stays intact and the roof keeps working. Class 4 impact-rated systems are available where cosmetic insurability is a priority. See storm damage and insurance claims for the documentation we provide after an event.
Our crew. Roofs Inc runs in-house roll-forming for standing-seam panels — we fabricate to the length of the run, not to shipping limits. Flashings and trim are shop-fabricated on site. We do not sub out the metal field or the custom detail work. Subcontracted metal is where leaks start in year three.