Are Metal Roofs Noisy?

Knowledge Base /

This is by far one of the most asked questions we get

What does a metal roof sound like in the rain?

Is it loud? Can you hear the rain on a metal roof?

Wouldn’t it be deafening in a rainstorm...?

Metal roofing myth

We’ll just say it. Interlock® metal roofs are not noisy.
However, it’s easy to see why people would think that.
Most people refer to metal roofing with something they’ve seen installed on a barn.
Metal roofing on barns can be boisterous when it rains. But if you asked our customers, most would say …

“It sounds about the same as my old roof.”

No matter if they once had an asphalt, cedar, shake or tile roof, this is an answer we hear in response if they are asked about noise from their new metal roof.

Why do they say this?

Layers

One of the biggest reasons our roofing is not noisy are the layers between you and the rain hitting your roof.
Sure, if you stood outside in the rain, it might sound different.
However, inside, the sound would be alike to what your old roof was like.
Those layers would be:

That’s 3 layers at a minimum that insulate you from any noise from the outside.
Then if you have an attic and multiple floors, then there are more sound dampening layers against any noise.
Conversely, if you recall metal roofing on a barn, you might remember that there are no layers to the roofing. Just the metal panels. When rain hits it, it will be thunderous.

Not noisy. Just beautiful.

We hope this helps answer the question if metal roofing is noisy or not.
It’s not. Well, at least ours aren’t.

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What do our customers say about noise?

"We were pleasantly surprised when we noticed that the noise level was no greater than it had been before."

James and Mary-Anne Reid Langley, BC

"The one concern my wife had in going with a metal roof was noise during a rainstorm, and some severe weather has shown that noise is not a problem."

Jeffrey Belden Portsmouth, RI

"Note that the noise of the rain on the aluminum roof is not much different from that of the asphalt shingles. Perhaps a slightly higher pitch, but the insulation in the attic and the fact that the old shingles were left on the roof under the aluminum perhaps helped to make it almost unnoticeable."

Stephen Ottawa, ON

"I was concerned that the aluminum may be “noisy”, however, with the amount of hard rain we have had, there is no more noise than there was with my old shingle roof."

Iris C. Hillsboro, OR