White, sandstone and... cardinal red? All cool roof rated.

By Drexel Metals.  

Explore the characteristics, benefits and color variations of Drexel Metal’s cool roof products. 

For 40 years, Drexel Metals has been a leader in the distribution of painted metal for the roofing, architectural sheet metal and crop storage industries. Our team is dedicated to listening to each customer’s concepts and requirements and providing inspiring products and artisan skills.  

One area of our services that continues to grow is the interest and demand for cool roofs in various colors for various designs and styles. To meet this need, we currently have over 35 cool roof rated products that each boast strong retention in their solar reflectance and thermal emittance. 

What is a cool roof? 

A cool roof is one that strongly reflects sunlight (solar energy) and cools itself by efficiently emitting any heat that was absorbed. This reduces the amount of heat conducted into the building below. If a building does not have air conditioning, this keeps the building cooler and at a more constant temperature. If a building has air conditioning, the equipment does not have to work as hard. Imagine the difference between wearing a white or a black T-shirt on a hot day. By wearing the white T-shirt you will remain cooler because it reflects more sunlight and absorbs less heat. Cool roofs, like a white T-shirt, keep the internal temperature of the building lower.  

However, a cool roof does not need to be white. There are many “cool color” products which use darker-colored pigments that are highly reflective in the near infrared (non-visible) portion of the solar spectrum. 

Drexel Metals cool roof rated products include colors ranging from white, sandstone, silver and champagne to teal, dark bronze, charcoal and cardinal red. While some of these shades may be surprising, they are equally effective, if not sometimes better, solar reflection and thermal emittance. 

Benefits of a cool roof 

• Increase occupants’ comfort by keeping the building cooler during hot summer months. 
• Cut costs by reducing the need for air conditioning and extending the life of cooling equipment. Individual results may vary based on a variety of factors related to the climate and installation. 
• Decrease roof temperature, which may extend the roof’s service life.  
• Address air pollution and global warming concerns by lowering carbon dioxide and other emissions associated with fossil fuel-generated electricity used for air conditioning.  
• Reduce the urban heat island effect by reflecting heat back into the atmosphere. An urban heat island occurs when a city is hotter than the surrounding rural areas due to having more dark surfaces (like roofs and roads) that absorb heat from the sun and having fewer shade trees and less vegetation. 

What does the Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC) measure? 

There are two basic characteristics that determine the “coolness” of a roof. These characteristics are solar reflectance and thermal emittance. Both properties are measured on a scale from zero to one, where one is 100% reflective or emissive. 

The CRRC measures these two properties for roofing products, both for the product’s initial values and after three years of outdoor exposure. The CRRC publishes the results on the Rated Roof Products Directory. The directory enables you to compare the rated values of various product types and brands. 

A majority of Drexel Metals cool roof rated products — in various shades and colors — retain their initial solar reflectance and thermal emittance after three years, with others reducing slightly in that time period. Check out our list of cool roof rated products and their CRRC measured solar reflectance and thermal emittance. 

Original article and photo source: Drexel Metals