Roofing materialsWhat your roof is made of, and what that means.
What's on your roof decides most of what it needs: how often it needs work, what fails first, and what fixing it involves. Start with the material you've got, or the one you're thinking of moving to.
Not sure what you've got?
From the ground, tiles look like rows of overlapping pieces, and metal looks like long sheets with ribs or corrugations. If your house was built before 1990 and the roof is grey cement sheeting, read is my roof asbestos? before anyone works on it.
Weighing up a change? Colorbond vs tile puts the two most common choices side by side.
What matters most when you choose
Three things decide most roofing choices: how long the material lasts where you live, what it needs to keep it sound, and how much work it is to put on and look after. Tiles are heavy and quiet in rain but need the ridge mortar looked after. Metal is light and quick to fix but needs the right grade near salt water. Slate lasts the longest but costs the most and needs a specialist.
Where you live changes the answer. Salt air, bushfire risk, hail and heat all point you towards different materials or grades. Your city's page on our site covers what roofs face there, starting from find a roofer near you.