What Are the Disadvantages of Aluminum Roofing? An Honest Look
Quick answer
Aluminum roofing's real disadvantages are a higher upfront cost, softness that allows cosmetic denting under a hard enough impact, possible "oil canning" waviness on flat panels, and a heavy dependence on installer skill. None of these shorten the roof's life — an aluminum roof still outlasts asphalt three to four times over.
Is aluminum roofing more expensive than other roofs?
Yes — this is the honest headline disadvantage. An aluminum roof costs more upfront than asphalt shingles and often more than steel, because the raw metal is more expensive and the systems are engineered for a lifetime rather than 15–20 years. The counterpoint is cost of ownership: asphalt is typically replaced two or three times over the life of a single aluminum roof, so the lifetime math usually favors aluminum. If a low upfront number is the only priority, aluminum is not the cheapest option — and we say so plainly.
Does aluminum dent?
Aluminum is softer than steel, so under a hard enough impact — a large hailstone or a heavy falling branch — it can take a cosmetic dent. The important distinction is cosmetic versus functional: because aluminum flexes and absorbs energy rather than shattering, it does not crack, split, or leak the way asphalt or tile can. Interlock's deep, textured profiles and four-sided interlock spread impact energy, which is why every Interlock profile is independently certified to UL 2218 Class 4, the highest hail-impact rating a roof can earn.
What is oil canning, and is it a defect?
Oil canning is the slight waviness that can appear across broad, flat areas of any light-gauge metal panel. It is a cosmetic characteristic of the material, not a structural defect or a warranty failure — the roof performs identically. It is most visible on wide, flat standing seam pans in raking light. Interlock's shingle, slate, shake, and tile profiles are deeply textured and broken into small modules, which is exactly the geometry that hides oil canning, so it is rarely an issue on a textured Interlock roof.
Are there performance disadvantages that shorten an aluminum roof's life?
Effectively no — and this is the point most "disadvantages" lists get wrong. Aluminum cannot rust, its finish is warrantied for decades, and it handles sun, salt, freeze-thaw, and high wind better than almost any alternative. The genuine caveats are practical, not durability-related: it is a specialist product that must be installed by trained crews, and the rain-noise and lightning fears people raise are myths (a solid deck and underlayment make an Interlock roof no louder than any other, and metal does not attract lightning). Choose the installer as carefully as the material.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is aluminum roofing a bad idea near the coast?
The opposite — coastal exposure is where aluminum's advantage is largest. It contains no iron, so it cannot rust, and its self-healing oxide layer shrugs off salt air that voids or restricts many steel-roof warranties. Aluminum is the standard recommendation for oceanfront and lakeside homes.
What is the biggest problem with metal roofs?
For quality aluminum systems, the biggest real issue is upfront cost and finding a qualified installer — not performance. Most "problems" attributed to metal roofs (rust, noise, leaks, denting that causes failure) come from cheap exposed-fastener steel panels, not from engineered aluminum systems like Interlock's.
Do aluminum roofs have more problems than shingles?
No. Asphalt shingles crack, curl, lose granules, grow algae, and blow off over a 15–20 year life, then go to a landfill. A well-installed aluminum roof avoids nearly all of those failure modes and lasts 50+ years. Its disadvantages are concentrated at purchase — cost and installer selection — not across its service life.
Sources
- The Aluminum Association — Properties and corrosion behavior of aluminum
- UL 2218 — Impact Resistance of Prepared Roof Covering Materials
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Last reviewed 2026-07-12 · Reviewed by Scott Plumptree, Director of Marketing