Standing seam
The clean vertical lines most people picture when they say metal roof. Black, charcoal, bronze, green and galvalume are the common colours. Standing seam suits modern houses, farmhouses and anything with simple rooflines. The render at the top of the page is asphalt shingle to charcoal standing seam.
Corrugated
The wavy panel. Cheaper than standing seam, with exposed fasteners, and traditional on barns, cabins and ranches. It reads as rural on a suburban house, which is either the look you want or not.
Ribbed R-panel
Flat with raised ribs. Common on workshops, commercial buildings and some homes in the South and Southwest. It is the budget metal roof and it looks best in earth tones.
Stone-coated and embossed steel
Steel pressed into the shape of tile, shake or shingle and coated to match. From the street it reads as tile or shake, with the weight and life of metal. This is the metal roof for a house where standing seam would look wrong.
Colour
Metal colour depends on the sun more than any other material. Charcoal at noon is black at dusk. Render your photo in daylight and, if you can, a second photo later in the day.
