All entries A–Z

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• Çatalhöyük RoofsThe flat roofs of Neolithic Çatalhöyük in Turkey, where houses had no streets between them and people entered from the roof.
• ÖNORM B 3419Austrian standard for the design and construction of roof and wall coverings, setting permitted pitches, substrates and wind-load fastening.

A

• A-Frame RoofAn A-frame is a building whose steep roof planes start near the ground and meet at the ridge, so the roof also forms most of the walls.
• Acrylic Roof CoatingA water-based elastomeric coating, usually white, applied to low-slope roofs for reflectivity and weather protection; generally not suited to ponding water.
• Alaskan Yellow CedarA slow-growing Pacific Northwest cypress whose hard, durable wood is used for premium shingles, shakes and heritage roof repairs.
• Algae-Resistant ShingleAn asphalt shingle containing copper- or zinc-coated granules that release ions to inhibit the dark streaks caused by roof algae.
• AlligatoringA pattern of shrinkage cracks resembling alligator skin on aged asphalt, coal-tar or coated roof surfaces exposed to sun and heat.
• Altdeutsche DeckungThe 'Old German' slating method, using hand-dressed slates of graded sizes laid in rising courses; regarded as the most demanding German slate technique.
• Aluminium RoofingAluminium roofing uses light, rust-free aluminium alloy sheet, usually factory-painted, and is favoured near salt water where coated steel corrodes faster.
• Ambohimanga Royal HousesRoyal timber houses on the hill of Ambohimanga, Madagascar, including Andrianampoinimerina's rosewood house with a peaked roof on a 10 m pillar; UNESCO 2001.
• AmrizeAmrize is the North American building-materials company spun off from Holcim in June 2025; its roofing brands include Elevate and Malarkey.
• Ancient Greek Roof TilesHow the Greeks developed interfitting terracotta and marble roof tiles, beginning with the 7th-century BCE Protocorinthian system at Corinth.
• Andean Ichu ThatchGrass thatch of the high Andes, made from ichu bunchgrass and used on Inca buildings, tied to stone gables with pegs and rope.
• Animal and Bird Damage to RoofsDamage by squirrels, raccoons, rats, birds, possums and insects that chew, tear or nest in roofs, vents, soffits and attics.
• ANSI/FM 4473ANSI/FM 4473 rates the hail resistance of rigid roofing such as tile, slate and metal by firing ice balls at it, from Class 1 to Class 4.
• ANSI/FM 4474ANSI/FM 4474 is a US national standard for testing the simulated wind uplift resistance of roof assemblies with static pressure or pull tests.
• AntefixA vertical ornamental block, usually terracotta, that closed the open end of each cover tile along the eaves of Greek, Etruscan and Roman roofs.
• APP Modified BitumenModified bitumen membrane made with atactic polypropylene, giving a stiff, heat-resistant sheet that is normally torch-applied.
• Apron and Headwall FlashingApron flashing is a continuous flashing where the top of a roof slope butts against a wall, or across the downhill face of a chimney.
• AqalPortable Somali dome hut of bent saplings tied to central poles and covered with woven mats, built by women and carried by camel.
• Architectural ShingleA laminated asphalt shingle made of two or more bonded layers, giving a thicker, textured, multi-dimensional appearance.
• Ardennes SlateRoofing slate from the Ardennes uplands of Belgium, France and Luxembourg, quarried from the Middle Ages until the late 20th century.
• Asante Traditional BuildingsEarth-and-timber shrine houses near Kumasi, Ghana, once steeply thatched with palm fronds and now mostly roofed in corrugated iron.
• Asbestos-Cement RoofingRoof sheets and slates made of cement reinforced with asbestos fibres, widely used in the 20th century and now banned in many countries as a health hazard.
• ASHRAE 90.1ASHRAE 90.1 is the US-based energy standard for buildings other than low-rise residential, setting minimum roof insulation and reflectance requirements.
• Aspen Ploughshare Shingles (Lemekh)Carved aspen shingles, called lemekh or 'ploughshares', that clad the domes, barrels and tent roofs of wooden churches in the Russian North, as at Kizhi.
• Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA)ARMA is the North American trade association of asphalt shingle and asphalt membrane manufacturers, founded in 1915.
• Asphalt ShingleA flexible roofing unit made of a mat coated in asphalt and surfaced with mineral granules, laid in overlapping courses on pitched roofs.
• Asphalt Shingle Nailing PatternThe nailing pattern sets how many nails each asphalt shingle receives and where: typically four, or six for high-wind and steep-slope work.
• Asphalt Shingle RecyclingReprocessing old and scrap asphalt shingles, mainly by grinding them for use in asphalt road paving.
• ASTM A653ASTM A653 is the North American specification for hot-dip galvanized (zinc-coated) and galvannealed steel sheet used in roofing and construction.
• ASTM A792ASTM A792 is the North American specification for steel sheet hot-dip coated with 55% aluminum-zinc alloy, widely used for metal roofing.
• ASTM B370ASTM B370 is the US specification for copper sheet and strip used in building construction, including roofing, flashing and gutters.
• ASTM C406ASTM C406 is the North American specification for natural roofing slate, grading it S1, S2 or S3 by strength, absorption and weathering tests.
• ASTM D225ASTM D225 was the US specification for organic-felt asphalt shingles; it was withdrawn in 2012 after organic shingles left the North American market.
• ASTM D3161ASTM D3161 is a US laboratory test that rates the wind resistance of asphalt shingles by blowing air across a test deck with a fan.
• ASTM D3462ASTM D3462 is the US product specification for fiberglass-mat asphalt shingles surfaced with mineral granules, referenced by US building codes.
• ASTM D4434ASTM D4434 is the North American material specification for reinforced poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) sheet used as single-ply roofing membrane.
• ASTM D4637ASTM D4637 is the North American material specification for EPDM rubber sheet used as a single-ply roofing membrane, in three types.
• ASTM D6162, D6163 and D6164 (SBS Modified Bitumen)ASTM D6162, D6163 and D6164 are US specifications for SBS-modified bitumen roofing sheets, differing by their reinforcement type.
• ASTM D6878ASTM D6878 is the North American material specification for thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) sheet used as single-ply roofing membrane.
• ASTM D7158ASTM D7158 rates asphalt shingle wind resistance by comparing measured uplift resistance with calculated wind uplift force, giving Classes D, G and H.
• ASTM E108 / UL 790 (Roof Fire Ratings)ASTM E108 and UL 790 are the North American fire tests that rate roof coverings Class A, B or C for resistance to fire from outside the building.
• Asuka-deraJapan's first full Buddhist temple complex, begun in 588 with Baekje craftsmen; the first building in Japan known to have used fired roof tiles.
• Atlas Roofing CorporationAtlas Roofing Corporation is a US maker of asphalt shingles, underlayment and polyiso insulation, founded in 1982 in Meridian, Mississippi.
• Attap RoofAttap is the nipa-palm leaf thatch of the Malay world, once standard on kampong houses in Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Indonesia.
• Attic CondensationMoisture that condenses on the underside of a roof deck or framing, usually from warm indoor air leaking into a cold attic.
• Attic MouldMould growth on attic sheathing and framing, almost always driven by moisture from indoor air leaks, exhaust ducts or roof leaks.
• Australian WHS Roof Work RequirementsAustralian work health and safety codes require roof work fall risks to be controlled through a hierarchy, with edge protection and rules based on roof pitch.
• Aviation SnipsCompound-lever hand shears for cutting sheet metal, colour-coded by cut direction: red for left, green for right, yellow for straight.

B

• Badgir (Windcatcher)A rooftop tower that catches wind and vents hot air to cool buildings, typical of Iran and the Persian Gulf, where it is called barjeel.
• Bahay Kubo (Nipa Hut)Traditional Philippine stilt house with a tall, steep roof thatched in nipa, cogon or anahaw leaves, built for heavy rain and heat.
• Bahay na BatoSpanish colonial Philippine house of stone and timber with a steep hipped or gabled roof of clay tile, thatch or, from the late 1800s, galvanised iron.
• Ballasted Roof SystemA low-slope roof in which the membrane and insulation are loose-laid and held down by the weight of stone or concrete pavers.
• Bamboo RoofingRoofs built with bamboo, either as split culms laid like interlocking half-pipes or as a frame for thatch and other coverings, common in tropical Asia and Latin America.
• Bamileke Conical RoofBamileke buildings of Cameroon's West Region pair square bamboo-panel walls with tall conical roofs; chiefdom great huts reach about 17 m.
• Bangla RoofThe bangla roof is a curved, drooping-eave roof form from Bengal, copied from thatched village huts into brick temples and later Mughal and Rajput buildings.
• Banpo HousesSemi-subterranean round houses with steep, overhanging thatched roofs at Banpo, a Yangshao culture village near Xi'an, China, about 4700-3600 BCE.
• BarastiGulf houses and shelters built of date-palm fronds (arish), once common along the coasts of the UAE and its neighbours.
• BargeboardA bargeboard is a board fixed along the sloping edge of a gable roof, covering the ends of the roof structure, often decoratively carved.
• Barrel Roof (Barrel Vault)A barrel roof is a continuously curved roof shaped like half a cylinder, the roof form of a barrel (tunnel or wagon) vault.
• Basel Green Roof PolicyBasel, Switzerland, has required green roofs on new and renovated flat roofs since a 2002 law change, with rules aimed at biodiversity.
• Batak House (Jabu)Traditional houses of the Batak of North Sumatra: the Toba jabu with a huge saddleback roof and projecting gables, and tiered Karo houses with hip roofs of ijuk.
• Batammariba Takienta (Tower-House)Earthen tower-house of the Batammariba of northern Togo and Benin, with livestock below and granaries standing on the roof terrace.
• Batten Seam RoofingBatten seam roofing lays metal pans between raised wooden or metal battens running down the slope, with a metal cap locked over each batten.
• BAU (Munich)BAU is a large biennial trade fair in Munich, Germany, for architecture, building materials and systems, organised by Messe München.
• BBA Agrément CertificateA BBA Agrément Certificate is a UK document from the British Board of Agrément assessing a construction product's fitness for purpose and building regulations compliance.
• Beaver-Tail TileA flat clay roof tile with a rounded or shaped tail, known in German as Biberschwanz; traditional in southern and eastern Germany and central Europe.
• Beijing National StadiumThe 'Bird's Nest' stadium for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, whose roof and facade form a single lattice of about 121,000 tons of steel.
• Bhutanese Shingle RoofThe traditional Bhutanese roof is a gently pitched roof of loose pine shingles held down by stones on laths, raised above an open, ventilated loft.
• Birch-Bark RoofingLayers of birch bark used as a waterproof roof membrane under turf, poles or wooden shingles in Scandinavia, Finland, Russia and the Baltic region.
• Bitumen ShingleThe usual European name for an asphalt shingle: a glass-fibre mat coated with bitumen and granules, nailed to a continuous deck.
• Blue RoofA flat or low-slope roof designed to store rainwater temporarily and release it slowly, reducing peak flows to storm sewers.
• BlueScopeBlueScope is a Melbourne-based steel company, demerged from BHP in 2002, whose brands include COLORBOND, ZINCALUME and LYSAGHT roofing steel.
• BMI GroupBMI Group is Standard Industries' European-based roofing and waterproofing group, formed in 2017 from Braas Monier and Icopal.
• BohíoPalm-thatched house of the Taíno of the Greater Antilles, still built in rural Cuba and recorded in Dominican census roof categories.
• Bonnet RoofA bonnet roof is a double-pitched roof whose lower slope is shallower than the upper slope, the reverse of a mansard or gambrel, often forming porch eaves.
• Border CaveRock shelter in South Africa's Lebombo Mountains with grass bedding about 200,000 years old, among the earliest evidence of prepared resting places.
• BraasBraas is a German concrete and clay roof tile brand founded by Rudolf Braas, part of BMI Group, known for the Frankfurter Pfanne tile.
• BRANZ (Building Research Association of New Zealand)BRANZ is New Zealand's independent building research organisation, established in 1970 and funded by a levy on building consents.
• Brazilian SlateSlate from Minas Gerais, Brazil; widely used for flooring and cladding but generally considered less suited to roofing in freezing climates.
• BREEAMBREEAM is a sustainability assessment and certification method for buildings, first published by the UK's Building Research Establishment in 1990.
• Bronze Age and Iron Age RoundhouseThe circular house with a conical thatched roof that was standard in Britain and Ireland from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age.
• BS 5534BS 5534 is the British code of practice for slating and tiling pitched roofs and vertical cladding, including wind loading and mechanical fixing rules.
• BS 5534 Fixing SpecificationBS 5534 is the British code of practice for slating and tiling; its fixing specification sets how every tile, ridge and verge is mechanically secured.
• Buckminster FullerAmerican designer and inventor (1895-1983) who popularised the geodesic dome, patented in 1954, and designed the US Pavilion at Expo 67.
• Budj Bim Stone HousesRemains of Gunditjmara domed houses with basalt walls in the Budj Bim World Heritage landscape of south-west Victoria, Australia.
• Building-Integrated PhotovoltaicsPhotovoltaic products that replace conventional building materials in the roof or facade, generating electricity while forming part of the building envelope.
• BuildwiseBuildwise, formerly the Belgian Building Research Institute, is the research and technical-advice centre of the Belgian construction industry.
• Built-Up Roofing (BUR)A low-slope roof membrane made of several plies of reinforcing felt laminated with hot or cold bitumen, usually finished with gravel or a cap sheet.
• Burza Pash Roof (Kashmiri Birch-Bark Roof)Burza pash was the traditional Kashmiri roof of timber boards, birch bark and a layer of earth, which in spring flowered with tulips and irises.
• Bushfire Attack Level (BAL)Australia's rating of a building site's bushfire exposure, from BAL-LOW to BAL-FZ, which sets construction requirements including roofing.
• Butterfly RoofA butterfly roof is an inverted gable: two roof planes slope down from the outer walls to a central valley, like a pair of raised wings.

C

• California Title 24 Cool Roof RequirementsCalifornia's Title 24 Part 6 Energy Code includes requirements for roof solar reflectance and thermal emittance, updated every three years.
• Canadian Roofing Contractors Association (CRCA)CRCA is Canada's national roofing contractors' association, active since 1960 and based in Ottawa, Ontario.
• Cape Dutch ThatchThatched roofs over whitewashed walls and ornate gables, the signature of Cape Dutch architecture in South Africa's Western Cape.
• Carlisle CompaniesCarlisle Companies is a US manufacturer, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, focused on commercial roofing and building envelope products.
• Carlisle SynTec SystemsCarlisle SynTec Systems is a commercial single-ply roofing brand of Carlisle Construction Materials, based in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
• Catalan VaultA shallow vault of thin flat tiles laid in layers without formwork, from Catalonia and Valencia; brought to the US by Rafael Guastavino.
• CE Marking and Declaration of Performance (Construction Products)In the EU, roofing products covered by a harmonised standard must carry CE marking and a Declaration of Performance under the Construction Products Regulation.
• Cedar Shake & Shingle Bureau (CSSB)The Cedar Shake & Shingle Bureau is a North American trade body for cedar roofing, founded in 1915, known for its Certi-label quality marks.
• Cellular Glass InsulationRigid, closed-cell insulation made by foaming crushed glass, impermeable to water and vapour and able to carry heavy loads on roofs.
• CEN/TS 1187CEN/TS 1187 is the European technical specification with four test methods for how roofs behave when exposed to fire from outside.
• CertainTeedCertainTeed is a North American building-products maker founded in 1904, now a wholly owned subsidiary of France's Saint-Gobain, producing roofing, siding and insulation.
• Chaitya VaultThe chaitya vault is the ribbed barrel-vaulted ceiling of ancient Indian Buddhist prayer halls, carved in rock to copy lost roofs of timber and thatch.
• Chalk LineA reel of string coated in powdered chalk that is stretched and snapped to mark long straight lines for laying shingle courses, battens and panels.
• Chandal RoofTraditional Gulf flat roof of imported mangrove poles (chandal, danshil) overlaid with bamboo, palm or reed mats and clay.
• Chattel HouseSmall, movable timber house of Barbados with a steep roof, set on loose coral-stone blocks; a symbol of post-emancipation Caribbean housing.
• ChhatriA chhatri is a small domed pavilion raised on pillars, used in Rajput and Mughal architecture as a rooftop ornament and as a memorial canopy.
• Chimney Cricket (Saddle)A chimney cricket, or saddle, is a small ridged structure built on the uphill side of a chimney to divert water and debris around it.
• Chimney FlashingChimney flashing is the combination of apron, step or soaker, counter and back flashings, sometimes with a cricket, that seals a chimney where it passes through a roof.
• Chimney Flashing InstallationChimney flashing combines apron, step, cricket and counterflashing to seal the gap between a masonry chimney and the roof.
• China Roofing Codes (GB 50345 and GB 55030)China's main roofing codes are GB 50345-2012, the technical code for roof engineering, and GB 55030-2022, a mandatory general code for building waterproofing.
• Chinese Glazed Roof TilesGlazed ceramic roof tiles in imperial yellow, green, blue and other colours, used on Chinese palaces and temples to signal rank.
• Chinese Imperial Roof FiguresGlazed ceramic statuettes marching along the ridges of Chinese imperial buildings; their number signalled the building's rank.
• ChiwenChiwen are dragon-like ornaments at the ends of Chinese roof ridges, descended from the Han-period chiwei and believed to protect buildings from fire.
• ChogaChoga is the Korean thatched house and its rice-straw roof, renewed every one to three years and once the home of most Korean working people.
• Church of the Nativity RoofThe timber-trussed, lead-covered roof of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, restored from 2013 after centuries of leaks.
• Churches of ChiloéWooden churches of Chile's Chiloé archipelago, clad in timber shingles; 16 are UNESCO World Heritage Sites inscribed in 2000.
• Class A Fire RatingThe highest fire classification for roof coverings under ASTM E108 and UL 790, for roofs effective against severe external fire exposure.
• Clay and Concrete Tile InstallationTile installation hangs or fastens clay or concrete tiles over battens or decking, fixing them mechanically and, traditionally, bedding ridges and edges in mortar.
• Clay Roof TileA roofing unit moulded or extruded from clay and fired in a kiln; one of the oldest and most widespread roof coverings in the world.
• Climate Change and RoofingHow a warming climate is expected to change the hazards roofs face, from stronger storms and heavier rain to heat, wildfire and shifting snow.
• Coal-Tar Pitch RoofingBuilt-up roofing that uses coal-tar pitch, a by-product of coking coal, as the bitumen, valued for slow ageing and limited to very low slopes.
• Coastal Salt CorrosionAccelerated corrosion of metal roofing, fasteners and flashings caused by salt spray and humidity near the sea.
• Coil CoatingCoil coating is the continuous factory process that cleans, pretreats, primes, paints and bakes metal strip before it is formed into roofing.
• Cold RoofA cold roof is a pitched roof insulated at ceiling level, leaving a ventilated, unheated loft or attic space between the insulation and the roof covering.
• Cold Weather RoofingCold weather roofing covers the extra precautions needed below normal application temperatures, from warming materials to hand-sealing shingles.
• Cold-Applied RoofingRoofing installed without heat, using adhesives, cold-process bitumen or liquid resins instead of torches or hot kettles.
• Collar Tie and Collar BeamA collar is a horizontal member joining opposite rafters above their base; depending on position it either resists sag (collar beam) or spreading (collar tie).
• Collyweston Stone SlateA frost-split limestone roofing slate from Collyweston, Northamptonshire, England, traditionally exposed to winter frosts to make it split.
• Colorbond SteelColorbond is an Australian prepainted steel product line made by BlueScope, first produced in 1966 and ubiquitous on Australian roofs.
• Combed Wheat ReedWheat straw combed to remove leaf and grain and laid butt-end down, giving a neat finish; traditional in south-west England, where it is called Devon reed.
• Concrete Roof TileA roof tile moulded from sand, cement and pigment; a heavy, economical alternative to clay made in many profiles worldwide.
• Confederation of Roofing Contractors (CORC)CORC is a UK roofing trade association established in 1985 that offers members insurance-backed warranties and business support.
• Conical Roof (Turret Roof)A conical roof is a roof shaped like a cone, rising to a point over a circular plan; it typically crowns towers, turrets and round huts.
• Construction Industry Training Board (CITB)CITB is the statutory, levy-funded training board for the construction industry in Great Britain, established in 1964.
• Cool Metal RoofingCool metal roofs use reflective, highly emissive finishes that bounce sunlight and shed absorbed heat, lowering roof temperatures and cooling loads.
• Cool RoofA roof with high solar reflectance and high thermal emittance that stays cooler in sunlight, reducing cooling loads and urban heat.
• Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC)The Cool Roof Rating Council is a US non-profit that rates and lists the solar reflectance and thermal emittance of roofing and wall products.
• Copenhagen Green Roof PolicySince 2010, Copenhagen has required green roofs on new buildings with roofs sloped under 30 degrees, as part of climate adaptation.
• CopingThe capping on top of a parapet or wall that sheds water and protects the wall and the roof membrane termination beneath it.
• Copper Development Association (CDA)The Copper Development Association is the North American market development and technical information body of the copper industry.
• Copper PatinaCopper patina is the stable green or blue-green film of copper salts that forms on copper roofs over years of weathering and protects the metal.
• Copper RoofingCopper roofing uses soft cold-rolled copper sheet, typically 16 or 20 oz per square foot, which weathers from bright salmon to brown and eventually green.
• Copper Run-Off and StainingRainwater flowing off copper carries dissolved copper that can stain masonry green and corrode aluminium, zinc and zinc-coated steel downstream.
• Coppo (Italian Curved Tile)The coppo is the traditional Italian curved clay roof tile, laid as alternating channels and covers or over flat embrici, descended from Roman roofing.
• Corrugated Bitumen SheetA lightweight corrugated roofing sheet of plant fibres saturated with bitumen, used on sheds, outbuildings and agricultural roofs.
• Corrugated Fibre-Cement SheetA large corrugated roofing sheet of fibre-reinforced cement, used mainly on agricultural, industrial and utility buildings.
• Corrugated Iron (Corrugated Galvanised Iron)Corrugated iron is sheet metal rolled into parallel waves for stiffness; patented in 1829, it became a defining roofing material of farms, colonies and industry.
• Cotswold Stone SlateLimestone roofing slates from the Cotswolds of England, laid in diminishing courses on steep roofs and fixed with oak pegs.
• Counter-FlashingCounter-flashing is a cap of metal fixed into or onto a wall or chimney that covers the top edge of the base or step flashing beneath it.
• Couvreur-ZingueurThe Parisian roofer who works zinc and slate; the skills of Paris roofers and ornamentalists joined UNESCO's intangible heritage list in 2024.
• Cover BoardA thin, firm board laid over roof insulation, or over an old roof, to protect it and provide a solid, compatible surface for the membrane.
• CrannogAn artificial island dwelling in a lake, bog or estuary in Scotland and Ireland, typically topped by a roundhouse with a conical roof.
• CreatonCreaton is a German clay roof tile manufacturer based in Wertingen, Bavaria, dating to 1884 and owned by Wienerberger since 2024.
• Creep in Lead and Zinc RoofingCreep is the slow, permanent stretching of soft metals such as lead and zinc under their own weight and repeated thermal movement, causing thinning and tears.
• Cricket (Saddle)A small raised ridge built on a roof to divert water around a chimney, curb or other obstruction, or between drains on a low-slope roof.
• Cross-Gabled RoofA cross-gabled roof combines two or more gable roofs that intersect, usually at right angles, over an L-, T- or cross-shaped plan.
• Crystal PalaceJoseph Paxton's iron-and-glass hall for the Great Exhibition of 1851, with a ridge-and-furrow glass roof of about 293,000 panes.
• CSA A123.21CSA A123.21 is a Canadian test method that measures the wind uplift resistance of membrane roofing systems under dynamic, gust-like loading.
• CSPE (Hypalon) RoofingSingle-ply roofing made from chlorosulfonated polyethylene, sold mainly as DuPont Hypalon; production for the Americas ended in 2010.
• Cupa PizarrasCupa Pizarras is a Spanish producer of natural roofing slate operating since 1892, part of Cupa Group, with quarries in Galicia and exports to over 60 countries.
• Cycladic Flat RoofWhitewashed flat masonry roof of the Greek Cyclades, built for a dry, windy climate and used to collect rainwater; often paired with domed churches.

D

• DACH+HOLZ InternationalDACH+HOLZ International is a German trade fair for roofing, timber construction and building envelope trades, held in Cologne or Stuttgart.
• Dalmatian Stone Slab RoofTraditional roofs of thin limestone slabs (kamene ploče) on houses and dry-stone huts (bunje) of the Croatian Adriatic coast and islands.
• DarbaziTraditional Georgian house with a stepped, corbelled timber roof (gvirgvini) rising to a central smoke and light opening.
• DaVinci RoofscapesDaVinci Roofscapes is a US maker of composite (synthetic) slate and shake roofing tiles made from virgin resins, owned by Westlake.
• DECRA Roofing SystemsDECRA is a stone-coated steel roofing brand with roots in New Zealand in 1957, manufactured in the US at Corona, California.
• Delabole SlateRoofing slate from the Delabole quarry in north Cornwall, worked continuously since the 15th century and one of England's largest slate quarries.
• Designer ShingleA heavy, multi-layer asphalt shingle shaped and coloured to imitate slate, wood shake or other premium roofing.
• Dinorwic QuarryA vast former slate quarry above Llanberis, Gwynedd, which employed over 3,000 men in the late 19th century and closed in 1969.
• Diola Impluvium HouseRound earth house of the Diola (Jola) of Casamance, Senegal, whose thatched roof slopes inward to collect rain in a central basin.
• Djenné Earthen ArchitectureMud-brick houses and the Great Mosque of Djenné, Mali, with earth-covered palm-timber roofs maintained by an annual community replastering.
• Dogon ArchitectureEarthen houses, thatched granaries and low toguna shelters of the Dogon on the Bandiagara cliffs of Mali.
• DomeA dome is a curved roof shaped like the hollow upper part of a sphere or similar surface, spanning a circular, polygonal or square space.
• Dome of St Peter's BasilicaThe double-shelled brick dome of St Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, designed by Michelangelo and completed in 1590 by della Porta and Fontana.
• DormerA dormer is a roofed structure, usually holding a window, that projects vertically from a pitched roof to add headroom and light to the space below.
• DougongDougong are interlocking timber bracket sets of blocks and arms that carry the roof and deep eaves of traditional Chinese and East Asian halls.
• Downspout (Downpipe)A downspout, or downpipe, is a vertical pipe that carries rainwater from a roof gutter down to the ground, a drain or a storage tank.
• Drip EdgeA drip edge is a formed metal flashing fixed along the eaves and rakes that carries water clear of the fascia and protects the edge of the roof deck.
• Drone Roof InspectionUse of small unmanned aircraft with cameras to photograph, measure and map roofs without climbing onto them.
• Dry-Fix Ridge SystemA dry-fix system secures ridge, hip or verge tiles with mechanical fixings, seals and ventilated rolls instead of mortar.
• DTU 40 Series (France)The French NF DTU 40 series are the technical rules for pitched roof coverings in France, covering slate, clay and concrete tiles, metal sheet and roof drainage.
• Duro-LastDuro-Last is a Saginaw, Michigan maker of custom-prefabricated PVC single-ply roofing, founded in 1978 and part of Amrize since 2025.
• Dutch and Danish Reed ThatchWater-reed thatched roofs of the Netherlands, Denmark and northern Germany, used on farmhouses, cottages and modern architect-designed houses.
• Dutch Gable Roof (Gablet Roof)A Dutch gable roof is a hip roof topped with a small gable (gablet) at the ridge ends; in Britain the term also means a curved, shaped gable parapet.

E

• Eagle Roofing ProductsEagle Roofing Products is a family-owned US maker of concrete roof tile, founded in Rialto, California in 1989.
• Earliest Fired Clay Roof TilesThe oldest known fired clay roof tiles: Neolithic pan and cover tiles from Qiaocun, China, and early flat tiles from mainland Greece.
• Earth LodgeA large, dome-shaped dwelling of the Great Plains, built of a heavy timber frame covered with willow, grass and thick sod over a shallow circular pit.
• Earthquakes and RoofsHow roof weight, attachment and bracing affect building performance in earthquakes, and why heavy tile roofs on weak frames are a known risk.
• Eave Protection (Canada)Eave protection is the Canadian building code requirement for a waterproof membrane at the lower edge of shingle, shake and tile roofs to resist ice-dam leaks.
• EavesThe eaves are the lower, horizontal edges of a roof that overhang the walls, shedding rainwater clear of the building.
• EcoStarEcoStar is a family-run US maker of synthetic slate and shake roofing made largely from recycled rubber and plastics, based in Holland, New York.
• Electronic Leak Detection (ELD)Methods that use low or high voltage and a conductive layer under a membrane to pinpoint breaches in roofing and waterproofing.
• Elevate (formerly Firestone Building Products)Elevate is a North American commercial roofing manufacturer, formerly Firestone Building Products, owned by Holcim from 2021 and part of Amrize since 2025.
• Ember-Resistant Roof DetailsRoof vents, gutters, closures and edges designed to keep wind-blown embers from igniting debris or entering the building during a wildfire.
• Embodied Carbon of RoofingThe greenhouse gas emissions from making, transporting, installing, maintaining and disposing of roofing materials, as opposed to operating the building.
• Emergency Roof TarpingCovering a damaged roof temporarily with a tarp or plastic sheeting to keep water out until permanent repairs can be made.
• EN 10346EN 10346 is the European standard for continuously hot-dip coated steel sheet, covering zinc, zinc-magnesium, aluminium-zinc and other coatings used in roofing.
• EN 12326EN 12326 is the European standard for natural roofing slate, setting requirements for slate and carbonate slate used on roofs and walls.
• EN 1304EN 1304 is the European product standard defining requirements for clay roofing tiles and fittings for pitched roofs and wall cladding.
• EN 13501-5EN 13501-5 is the European system for classifying how roofs perform when exposed to external fire, giving classes such as BROOF(t1) to FROOF(t4).
• EN 14437EN 14437 is the European test method for measuring the wind uplift resistance of installed clay and concrete roof tiles on a test roof.
• EN 1991-1-3 (Eurocode 1 Snow Loads)EN 1991-1-3 is the part of Eurocode 1 that sets out how to calculate snow loads on roofs and structures in Europe.
• EN 1991-1-4 (Eurocode 1 Wind Actions)EN 1991-1-4 is the part of Eurocode 1 that sets out how to calculate wind loads on buildings, roofs and cladding in Europe.
• EN 490 and EN 491EN 490 sets product requirements for concrete roof tiles and fittings in Europe, and EN 491 gives the matching test methods.
• EN 544EN 544 is the European product standard for bitumen shingles with mineral and/or synthetic reinforcement, used for pitched roofs and wall cladding.
• EN 988EN 988 is the European specification for rolled zinc-copper-titanium sheet and strip used for roofing, cladding and rainwater goods.
• ENERGY STAR Roof Products (discontinued)ENERGY STAR Roof Products was a US EPA label for reflective roofing; the specification was sunset on June 1, 2022.
• EnglertEnglert is a US maker of metal roofing, gutter systems and roll-forming machines with more than 50 years in business; it joined Great Day Improvements in 2024.
• English ThatchThatched roofs of England in long straw, combed wheat reed or water reed, with regional styles and a 12-15 year ridge maintenance cycle.
• Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)A verified document reporting the life cycle environmental impacts of a product, such as a roofing material, using standard rules.
• EPDM RoofingSynthetic rubber single-ply membrane, usually black, joined with seam tapes or adhesives, and installed ballasted, mechanically attached or fully adhered.
• EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) Roof InsulationLightweight closed-cell insulation board made by steam-expanding polystyrene beads, widely used in flat and tapered form on low-slope roofs.
• EternitEternit is a fibre-cement trademark from Ludwig Hatschek's process patented in 1900, held in many markets by Belgium's Etex; other firms use it elsewhere.
• Etruscan Terracotta RoofsEtruscan temples of central Italy, from about 600 BC, had timber roofs edged with brightly painted terracotta antefixes, revetments and ridge statues.
• European Federation of Green Roof and Green Wall Associations (EFB)The EFB is a federation of national green roof and green wall associations in Europe, founded in 1997 by Austrian, German and Swiss groups.
• Everest IndustriesEverest Industries is an Indian maker of fibre-cement roofing sheets, boards and pre-engineered steel buildings, founded in 1934 as Asbestos Cement Ltd.

F

• FasciaA fascia is the vertical board fixed along the ends of the rafters at the eaves, closing the roof edge and usually supporting the gutter.
• Fastener Back-OutGradual loosening of screws or nails so their heads rise above the roof surface, breaking the seal and creating leak points.
• Fibre-Cement SlateA thin, flat roofing slate made of cement reinforced with fibres; a uniform, lower-cost manufactured alternative to natural slate.
• Fibreglass ShingleAn asphalt shingle built on a glass-fibre mat; the dominant form of asphalt shingle sold today.
• Fijian BureTraditional thatched Fijian house on a raised rock base with a steep hipped roof; once a men’s house, now also a resort bungalow.
• Filippo BrunelleschiFlorentine architect and engineer (1377-1446) who designed and built the dome of Florence Cathedral without timber centring.
• Flashing FailureBreakdown of the metal or membrane pieces that seal a roof at walls, chimneys, valleys and penetrations; a leading cause of roof leaks.
• Flat RoofA flat roof is a roof that is almost level, laid to a slight fall for drainage and covered with a continuous waterproof membrane rather than overlapping units.
• Flat Seam (Flat-Lock) RoofingFlat seam roofing covers a roof with small rectangular metal pans whose folded edges lock together flat; seams are soldered on low slopes.
• Fletcher BuildingFletcher Building is an Auckland-based building-materials group formed in 2001, which owns the Australian steel roofing maker Stramit.
• FLL (Landscape Research, Development and Construction Society)FLL is a German research society, founded in 1975 and based in Bonn, whose green roof guidelines are a widely used technical reference.
• Florence Cathedral DomeBrunelleschi's brick double-shell dome over Florence Cathedral, built 1420-1436 and the first octagonal dome raised without temporary timber centring.
• Florida Building CodeFlorida's statewide building code, in force since 2002 after Hurricane Andrew, with strict wind, roofing and product-approval rules.
• Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB)The CILB licenses and regulates construction contractors in Florida, including certified (state-wide) and registered (local) roofing contractors.
• Florida Product ApprovalFlorida Product Approval is the state system, under Statute 553.842 and Rule 61G20-3, for approving roofing and other envelope products.
• Florida Roofing and Sheet Metal Contractors Association (FRSA)FRSA is Florida's statewide roofing contractors' association, founded in 1922 and based in Orlando.
• FM (FM Global)FM, formerly FM Global, is a U.S.-based mutual commercial property insurer whose research, FM Approvals and data sheets strongly influence low-slope roof design.
• FM 4470FM 4470 is the FM Approvals standard for membrane and liquid-applied roof assemblies, covering fire, wind uplift, hail, leakage and other hazards.
• FM ApprovedFM Approved is a certification mark from FM Approvals showing a product or roof assembly has passed FM's loss-prevention testing and factory audits.
• Foguang Temple East HallThe East Hall of Foguang Temple, Shanxi, completed in 857, is one of China's oldest timber halls, with a hipped tiled roof on Tang bracket sets.
• FORTIFIED RoofA voluntary US construction standard from IBHS that upgrades roof edges, deck sealing and attachment to reduce hurricane and high-wind damage.
• Fouta Djallon Thatched ArchitectureRound earth houses and mosques of the Fulbe (Peul) of Guinea's Fouta Djallon highlands, crowned with heavy conical thatched roofs.
• Fragile RoofA roof or roof element, such as old fibre-cement sheeting or a rooflight, that will not safely carry a person's weight; a leading cause of roof-work deaths.
• François MansartFrench Baroque architect (1598-1666) whose frequent use of the double-sloped roof gave the mansard its name.
• Freeze-Thaw DamageCracking, spalling and flaking of porous roofing materials caused by water freezing and thawing repeatedly inside pores and cracks.
• Frei OttoGerman architect and engineer (1925-2015), a pioneer of lightweight tensile and membrane roofs, including the Munich Olympic roofs.
• French Green Roof and Solar Law (2015)A 2015 French law requiring roofs of new buildings in commercial zones to be partly covered with plants or solar panels.
• Fujian Tulou RoofsTiled roofs with wide overhanging eaves that crown the circular and square earthen tulou of Fujian, China; a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• Fully Adhered Roof SystemA low-slope roof in which the entire underside of the membrane is bonded to the substrate with adhesive or by heat, with no loose areas.
• Fully Adhered vs Mechanically AttachedLow-slope membranes are attached by gluing the whole sheet to the substrate (fully adhered), fastening it at laps (mechanically attached) or holding it with ballast.
• Funco (Cabo Verde Round House)Traditional round stone house of Cabo Verde with a conical roof thatched with palm fronds, found mainly on Fogo, Santiago and Maio.

G

• Gable RoofA gable roof has two sloping planes meeting at a central ridge, leaving a triangular wall section, the gable, at each end.
• GAFGAF is a US manufacturer of residential and commercial roofing, founded in 1886 and owned by Standard Industries.
• Galvalume (55% Aluminium-Zinc Coated Steel)Galvalume is steel sheet hot-dip coated with an alloy of about 55% aluminium, 43% zinc and 1.5% silicon; it is the most common substrate for coated-steel roofs.
• Galvanic Corrosion and Metal CompatibilityGalvanic corrosion is accelerated attack on one metal when it touches, or is wetted by run-off from, a more noble metal; it governs which roof metals can be combined.
• Galvanized Steel RoofingGalvanized steel roofing is sheet steel coated with zinc, usually by hot-dipping, so the zinc corrodes sacrificially and protects the steel underneath.
• Gambrel RoofA gambrel roof is a two-sided roof with two slopes on each side, a steep lower slope and a shallow upper one, giving a characteristic barn profile.
• Gando Primary SchoolSchool in Gando, Burkina Faso (2001), by Diébédo Francis Kéré, known for a raised metal roof floating over a ventilated earth-block ceiling.
• Garantie DécennaleFrance's ten-year builder liability for serious defects, set by the 1978 Spinetta law, with compulsory insurance for builders and owners.
• Gassho-zukuriSteep thatched farmhouse roofs of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama, Japan, shaped to shed heavy snow; part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• Ger RoofThe ger roof is the domed roof of the Mongolian yurt: straight uni poles rising to a wooden toono crown ring, covered with layers of felt and canvas.
• German Roofers' Association (ZVDH)The ZVDH is the national federation of Germany's roofing trade, founded in 1949 and based in Cologne, representing about 6,700 roofing firms.
• German Roofing SlateRoofing slate from Germany's Mosel, Hunsrück, Sauerland and Thuringian deposits, added to the IUGS heritage stone list in 2024.
• Glazed Roof TileA clay roof tile coated with a glassy glaze before firing, giving a glossy, coloured surface; prominent in East Asian and some European architecture.
• Global Spread of Corrugated IronHow corrugated galvanised iron travelled from Britain to colonial Australia, Africa, the Americas and Asia, becoming one of the world's most common roofs.
• Gonjong Roof (Minangkabau)Gonjong are the upswept, horn-like roof peaks of the Minangkabau rumah gadang in West Sumatra, Indonesia, said to recall buffalo horns.
• Granule LossThe shedding of the mineral granules that coat asphalt shingles; normal in small amounts, a warning sign when heavy, patchy or premature.
• Gravel-Surfaced Roof (Flood Coat and Gravel)A built-up roof finish in which loose aggregate is embedded in a thick top pour of hot bitumen to shield the membrane from sun, hail and traffic.
• Great Boston Fire of 1872A fire on 9-10 November 1872 that spread across wooden mansard roofs and destroyed 776 buildings in downtown Boston.
• Great Fire of London (1666)The fire of 2-5 September 1666 destroyed about 13,200 houses; the rebuilding laws that followed banned exterior timber and favoured brick, stone and tile.
• Great ZimbabweMedieval stone-walled capital in Zimbabwe (c. 1100-1450) whose people lived in daga huts inside and around dry-stone enclosures; UNESCO site since 1986.
• Green RoofA roof partly or fully covered with vegetation and growing medium over a waterproofing membrane, used for stormwater, cooling and habitat.
• Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC)Green Roofs for Healthy Cities is North America's industry association for green roofs and green walls, active since 1999.
• Green Roofs in GermanyGermany pioneered modern green roof technology and guidelines, and many German cities support green roofs through planning rules and fees.
• GRP (Fibreglass) Flat RoofingA flat-roof covering of polyester resin and chopped glass-fibre mat laminated on site over a timber deck and finished with a pigmented topcoat.
• GunyahAboriginal Australian shelter of bark, branches, leaves and grass, also called humpy, wurley, mia-mia or wiltija; often domed or a lean-to.
• Gutter ProblemsCommon faults in roof gutters and downpipes, including clogging, overflow, incorrect pitch, ice build-up, leaking joints and sagging.

H

• Hagia Sophia DomeThe great dome of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, built 532-537, rebuilt after a collapse in 558 and repaired after further failures in 989 and 1346.
• Hail Damage to RoofsDamage caused when hailstones strike roofing: bruising and granule loss on shingles, cracked tiles and slates, dented metal and punctured membranes.
• Hail Resistance of Metal RoofsMetal roofs are hard to puncture by hail; many assemblies reach UL 2218 Class 4, though large hailstones can still leave cosmetic dents.
• Haitian Gingerbread HouseOrnate timber and masonry house of Port-au-Prince (1885-1925) with steep roofs and turrets, now mostly corrugated steel; many survived the 2010 earthquake.
• Hammerbeam RoofAn open timber roof truss of English Gothic origin in which short brackets (hammer beams) project from the walls, allowing spans longer than any single timber.
• Hand Sealing ShinglesHand sealing is applying dabs of asphalt cement under shingles where factory sealant cannot be relied on, such as on steep slopes or in cold weather.
• Hand SeamerA plier-like sheet metal tool with broad flat jaws used to bend, fold, flatten and close edges and seams on flashing and metal roofing.
• Handsplit ShakeA wooden shake with at least one face split along the grain, giving a rough, textured surface; often made as handsplit-and-resawn.
• Hanging Gardens of BabylonA legendary terraced garden, one of the Seven Wonders, often cited as the first roof garden; its existence and location are disputed.
• Hanok Roof (Giwa and Choga)Roofs of the traditional Korean house: curved clay-tile giwa roofs of the upper classes and rice-straw choga thatch of rural commoners.
• Harran Beehive HousesConical mud-brick domed houses (kümbet) of Harran in south-eastern Turkey, built without timber and vented at the top.
• Hassan FathyEgyptian architect (1900-1989) who revived Nubian mud-brick vaults and domes for low-cost housing, most famously at New Gourna near Luxor.
• Hauran Basalt Corbelled RoofsFlat roofs of long basalt slabs on corbels and stone arches, used in late antique towns of the Hauran in Jordan and Syria.
• Haus TambaranSepik spirit house of Papua New Guinea: a men’s ceremonial house with a towering painted gable and a thatched roof sloping to the ground.
• Hausa Earth Vaults and DomesFlat roofs, arches and domes of earth over cantilevered deleb-palm timber, built by Hausa master masons in northern Nigeria and Niger.
• Health and Safety Executive (HSE)The HSE is Great Britain's workplace health and safety regulator; its roof work guidance says almost one in five construction deaths involve roof work.
• Heat Island Group (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)A research group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California that studies cool roofs, cool pavements and urban heat islands.
• Hemming ToolA sheet metal tool that folds a panel edge back on itself, forming the hems used at metal roof eaves, valleys, rakes and trims.
• Hemudu Stilt HousesRaised timber houses of the Hemudu culture of Zhejiang, China, about 7,000 years old, with the earliest known Chinese mortise-and-tenon joints.
• Henry CompanyHenry is a North American building envelope brand dating to 1933, known for roof coatings, cements and air barriers, owned by Carlisle since 2021.
• HidmoTraditional rectangular stone house of Tigray (Ethiopia) and highland Eritrea, with timber ceilings carried on posts and a flat roof of soil.
• Hip (Roof)A hip is the external, sloping edge formed where two roof planes meet at an outside corner, running from the eaves up to the ridge.
• Hip RoofA hip roof slopes down to the eaves on all sides, with no vertical gable ends; on a rectangular plan it has two trapezoidal and two triangular faces.
• Hiring a RooferHiring a roofer involves checking licensing or registration, insurance, references and written terms; licensing rules differ by country, state and province.
• Historic EnglandHistoric England is the public body that advises on England's historic environment, including the care and repair of historic roofs. It was formed in 2015.
• History of Asbestos Cement RoofingAsbestos cement sheets and slates, patented by Ludwig Hatschek in 1900 and sold as Eternit, roofed buildings worldwide until health risks led to bans.
• History of Asphalt ShinglesAsphalt shingles were first cut from surfaced roll roofing around 1901-1903 in the United States and became North America's most common house roof.
• History of Built-Up RoofingBuilt-up roofing, the layered 'tar and gravel' roof of felts and bitumen, developed in 19th-century America and dominated flat roofs for decades.
• History of Cool RoofsCool roofs reflect sunlight to stay cooler; research at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Cool Roof Rating Council (1998) shaped modern practice.
• History of Copper RoofsCopper has roofed temples, cathedrals and castles for centuries, prized for its long life and the green patina it develops over decades.
• History of Green RoofsFrom Scandinavian sod roofs to the modern German green roof industry of the 1970s and city mandates such as Toronto's 2009 by-law.
• History of Japanese KawaraHow fired clay roof tiles (kawara) arrived in Japan with Buddhism in 588 and spread from temples to palaces, castles and ordinary houses.
• History of Korean GiwaGiwa are Korean fired clay roof tiles, introduced with Buddhism in the 4th century and refined in the Three Kingdoms period with lotus-pattern roof-end tiles.
• History of Roll RoofingRoll roofing grew from 19th-century American composition roofing into factory-made rolls of saturated felt, later surfaced with mineral granules.
• History of RoofingAn overview of how people have covered buildings, from brushwood huts and thatch to fired tiles, slate, metal sheet, asphalt and synthetic membranes.
• History of Roofing Fire RegulationsHow urban fires led cities to ban thatch and wood roofs, from London in 1212 to Boston in 1631 and 1872 and the US push against wood shingles in 1916.
• History of Single-Ply MembranesHow factory-made sheets of synthetic rubber and plastics (EPDM, CSPE, PVC, TPO) replaced much hot-applied built-up roofing on flat roofs.
• History of Standing Seam RoofingStanding seam roofing grew from centuries-old hand-folded joints in copper, lead and zinc sheet into today's machine-formed metal panel systems.
• History of Thatch in BritainThatch was the main roof of rural England until the late 1800s; around 60,000 thatched properties survive in the UK, some with base coats over 500 years old.
• History of the Geodesic DomeGeodesic domes, spherical frames of triangles, were first built by Walther Bauersfeld in Jena in the 1920s and popularised by Buckminster Fuller after 1948.
• History of the Mansard RoofThe mansard is a double-sloped hip roof named after François Mansart; it first appeared around 1550 and boomed with Second Empire architecture.
• History of Timber Roof FramingHow carpenters moved from simple paired rafters to medieval trusses, hammerbeams and, in modern times, factory-made metal-plate trusses.
• HiwadabukiHiwadabuki is Japanese roofing made of many thin layers of hinoki cypress bark fixed with bamboo nails, used on shrines, palaces and temples.
• HolcimHolcim is a Swiss building-materials group founded in 1912 that built a large North American roofing business before spinning it off as Amrize in 2025.
• Horsham StoneA flaggy Cretaceous sandstone from the Weald around Horsham, England, split into heavy roofing slabs for churches, barns and manor houses.
• Hot Weather RoofingHot weather roofing addresses heat stress for workers and softening, scuffing and over-sealing of materials when roofs are installed in high temperatures.
• Hot-Air WelderA tool that blows heated air between overlapping thermoplastic membrane sheets, fusing seams on TPO and PVC roofs.
• Hot-Air WeldingHot-air welding joins thermoplastic roofing membranes such as PVC and TPO by melting overlapping sheets with heated air and pressing them together.
• Hot-Melt Rubberised BitumenA thick, seamless waterproofing of polymer-modified bitumen melted on site and applied hot with fabric reinforcement, mainly for inverted, podium and buried roofs.
• Hot-Mopped Built-Up Roof ApplicationHot-mopped built-up roofing (BUR) bonds several plies of roofing felt with layers of hot asphalt or coal-tar pitch applied by mop or mechanical spreader.
• How to Find a Licensed Roofer (by Country)A country-by-country guide to how roofers are licensed or registered, and where homeowners can check a contractor's credentials.
• Hurricane Roof DamageHow tropical cyclones (hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones) damage roofs, from lost coverings and edges to deck blow-off and wind-driven rain.
• Hurricane TieA metal strap or clip that fastens a rafter or truss to the wall to resist wind uplift; also called a hurricane clip or hurricane strap.
• Hyperbolic Paraboloid Roof (Hypar)A hyperbolic paraboloid roof is a saddle-shaped, doubly curved roof that can be built from straight members, used for thin concrete shells and tensile structures.

I

• IBHS FORTIFIED RoofFORTIFIED Roof is a voluntary US construction standard from IBHS that strengthens roofs against high wind, hurricanes and hail, verified by third-party evaluators.
• IBR Roof SheetingIBR (inverted box rib) is a trapezoidal profiled steel roof and wall sheet widely used in southern Africa, typically covering 686 mm per sheet.
• ICC-ES Evaluation Reports (ESR)ICC-ES Evaluation Reports are technical reports that show whether a building product, such as a roofing system, complies with US model codes like the IBC and IRC.
• Ice and Water Shield (Self-Adhered Ice Barrier)Ice and water shield is a self-adhering polymer-modified bitumen membrane applied at eaves, valleys and penetrations to stop water backed up by ice dams.
• Ice Barrier InstallationAn ice barrier is a self-adhering membrane or cemented underlayment installed at the eaves to resist water backing up under shingles from ice dams.
• Ice DamA ridge of ice that forms at the eaves of a snow-covered roof and traps meltwater, which can then back up under the roofing and leak.
• Icelandic Turf HouseTraditional Icelandic building of turf blocks over a timber frame on a stone base, with a turf-covered roof; on Iceland's UNESCO Tentative List.
• IcopalIcopal is a Danish-origin flat-roofing and waterproofing brand bought by Standard Industries in 2016 and merged into BMI Group in 2017.
• Ifugao House (Bale)The bale, the traditional raised one-room house of the Ifugao of northern Luzon, Philippines, with a steep pyramidal thatched roof and rat-guarded posts.
• Ijuk ThatchIjuk is the black fibre of the sugar palm, used in Indonesia as durable thatch and binding cord on Minangkabau, Batak and Balinese roofs.
• IKOIKO is a family-owned roofing manufacturer founded in Calgary, Canada in 1951, producing asphalt shingles, low-slope membranes and insulation in North America and Europe.
• Imbrex and TegulaThe ancient Greek and Roman roof tile system of flat tiles (tegulae) with half-round tiles (imbrices) covering the joints.
• Impact Resistance Rating (UL 2218 and FM 4473)Laboratory classifications (Class 1 to Class 4) that rank roof coverings by resistance to simulated hail impacts.
• Impact-Resistant Roof Insurance DiscountsSome insurers and states give premium credits for roofs that carry a recognised hail impact rating, most often UL 2218 Class 4.
• Impact-Resistant ShingleA roofing product rated for hail resistance, most often to UL 2218 Class 4, the highest class, tested with a 2 in (51 mm) steel ball.
• Induction Welding (Roofing)Attaching single-ply membrane by bonding it to coated plates fastened to the deck, using an induction heating tool, so the sheet is not pierced.
• Infrared Roof ThermographyThermal imaging of a roof, usually after sunset, to find areas where wet insulation holds heat differently from dry areas.
• Installing a Metal Roof Over Existing ShinglesBecause metal is light, it can often be installed over one existing roof layer where local codes allow, but deck condition, ventilation and fixing must be checked.
• Institute of Roofing (IoR)The Institute of Roofing was a UK professional body for people in the roofing industry; it has ceased operations and is being dissolved.
• Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)IBHS is a U.S. research body funded by property insurers, formed in 1977, that tests roofs against wind, hail and fire and runs the FORTIFIED program.
• Interlocking Clay TileA pressed clay roof tile with grooves on its sides and head that lock into neighbouring tiles; the French or Marseille tile is the classic form.
• International Building Code (IBC) Chapter 15The International Building Code is the main US model building code; its Chapter 15 sets rules for roof assemblies and rooftop structures.
• International Federation for the Roofing Trade (IFD)The IFD is an international federation of national roofing contractor associations, founded in 1952 and based in Germany.
• International Institute of Building Enclosure Consultants (IIBEC)IIBEC is a professional body for roof, waterproofing and building enclosure consultants, founded in 1983 as RCI and renamed in 2019.
• International Residential Code (IRC) Chapter 9The International Residential Code is the US model code for one- and two-family homes; Chapter 9 covers roof assemblies and roof coverings.
• International Roofing Expo (IRE)The International Roofing Expo is a large annual roofing trade show in the United States, organised by Informa Markets with NRCA as official sponsor.
• Invention of Corrugated Iron (1829)In 1829 Henry Robinson Palmer of the London Dock Company patented corrugated metal sheets, whose ridges let thin iron span roofs unsupported.
• Irimoya (East Asian Hip-and-Gable Roof)Irimoya is the Japanese hip-and-gable roof: a hip roof whose upper part rises into gables on two sides, known as xieshan in China and paljak in Korea.
• Irish ThatchStraw and reed thatched roofs on whitewashed Irish cottages, an ancient building tradition now mostly preserved on heritage and holiday homes.
• Iroquoian Longhouse RoofRounded bark roof of the Haudenosaunee and Wendat longhouse: bent poles sheathed in elm or cedar bark, with smoke vents over a line of hearths.

J

• Japanese Kawara TileFired clay roof tiles of Japan, used on temples since Buddhism's arrival and on houses since the Edo period, made in centres such as Sanshu and Sekishu.
• Jerkinhead Roof (Clipped Gable)A jerkinhead roof is a gable roof whose peak is clipped by a small hip, combining a mostly vertical gable with a short sloping face at the top.
• Jesuit Mission Roof Tiles of South AmericaFired clay roof tiles made at the Jesuit missions of Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil and Bolivia from the 17th century, replacing straw roofs.
• Joglo RoofThe joglo is the steep, two-peaked Javanese roof over four tall central columns and a stepped tumpang sari ceiling, historically reserved for nobility.
• Johns ManvilleJohns Manville is a Denver-based maker of commercial roofing systems, insulation and engineered products, founded in 1858 and owned by Berkshire Hathaway since 2001.
• Jomon Pit DwellingsSemi-sunken houses of Japan's Jomon period, with post-supported roofs of thatch or packed earth, best known from Sannai-Maruyama and Goshono.
• Jørn UtzonDanish architect (1918-2008) who designed the Sydney Opera House, with its tiled shell roofs, and won the Pritzker Prize in 2003.
• Joseph PaxtonEnglish gardener, glasshouse designer and MP (1803-1865) who designed the Crystal Palace and its ridge-and-furrow glass roof.
• Joya de CerénMaya farming village in El Salvador buried by a volcanic eruption around 600 CE, preserving earthen buildings and their thatched roofs.

K

• Kalambo Falls Wooden StructureTwo notched, joined logs from Kalambo Falls, Zambia, dated to at least 476,000 years ago: the oldest known structural use of wood.
• Kath-kuniKath-kuni is the Himachal Pradesh building tradition of mortarless timber-and-stone walls under overhanging roofs of local slate or wooden shingles.
• KayabukiKayabuki is Japanese grass thatch, usually miscanthus or reed, used on farmhouses, shrines and the steep gassho-zukuri roofs of Shirakawa-go.
• KEE Roofing MembraneSingle-ply membrane based on ketone ethylene ester, a high-molecular-weight polymer that keeps PVC flexible without migrating plasticisers.
• Kerala Sloping RoofThe long, steep, deep-eaved timber roofs of traditional Kerala architecture in south-west India, shaped by heavy monsoon rain.
• KershefBuilding material of Egypt's Siwa Oasis made of salt rock and mud, used with palm-trunk roofs in the old fortress-town of Shali.
• Khmer Corbel VaultThe stepped stone and brick vaulting, without a true arch, used to roof the temples and galleries of Angkor in Cambodia from the 9th century.
• Kickout Flashing (Diverter)Kickout flashing is a bent piece of flashing at the bottom of a roof-to-wall junction that turns water away from the wall and into the gutter.
• King Post TrussA king post truss is a simple triangular roof frame with a single central vertical post rising from the tie beam to the apex.
• Kingspan GroupKingspan is an Irish building-envelope group founded in 1965, known for insulated metal roof and wall panels and, since 2022, a roofing and waterproofing division.
• KokerabukiKokerabuki is a Japanese roof of very thin split cypress shingles, a few millimetres thick, fixed in close courses with bamboo nails.
• Korean Asbestos Slate RoofsAsbestos-cement slate roofs spread across rural South Korea from the 1970s; since 2011 local governments subsidise their removal and replacement.
• Kozolec (Slovenian Hayrack)A kozolec is a permanent, usually roofed timber hayrack used to dry hay and maize, regarded as a symbol of Slovenian vernacular architecture.
• Krio Board HouseTimber house of Freetown's Krio community in Sierra Leone, traced to 18th-century settlers from North America; now rare and often roofed in metal.
• Kulla (Balkan Tower House)A kulla is a fortified stone tower house of Albania, Kosovo and neighbouring Balkan lands, with thick walls, small openings and tall stone storeys.

L

• Ladder Safety for RoofingLadder safety for roof access centres on the 4-to-1 angle rule, extending the ladder about 1 m (3 ft) above the roof edge and securing it top and bottom.
• Ladder Standoff and Roof Ladder AccessoriesAttachments that hold a ladder away from gutters and walls, extend its rails above the roof edge, or secure it, improving access to roofs.
• Læsø Seaweed RoofA thick roof of dried eelgrass laid over timber on the Danish island of Læsø, developed in the 17th century when salt boiling had stripped the island of trees.
• LauzeA lauze is a flat stone slab of schist or limestone used as a heavy roof covering in the mountains and plateaux of southern and central France.
• Lazaret Cave ShelterA cave in Nice, France, where a line of stones has been interpreted as the base of a skin tent pitched against the wall about 186,000-127,000 years ago.
• Lead RoofingLead roofing uses heavy, highly malleable rolled lead sheet for flat roofs, dormers, bays and flashings, laid in limited bay sizes to control creep and movement.
• Lead Sheet CodesLead codes (3 to 8) are the UK and European shorthand for rolled lead sheet thickness under BS EN 12588, from about 1.3 mm to 3.6 mm.
• Lead Sheet Training Academy (LSTA)The Lead Sheet Training Academy is a UK training centre in Kent for leadwork and hard-metal roofing skills, approved by CITB.
• Lead SoakersLead soakers are small sheets of lead interleaved with each course of slates or tiles at an abutment, the UK and Irish counterpart of step flashing.
• Leaky Homes CrisisNew Zealand’s weathertightness failure affecting timber-framed buildings built 1988-2004, estimated in 2009 to cost about NZ$11.3 billion.
• LEED Heat Island Reduction CreditLEED's Heat Island Reduction credit rewards projects whose roofs and paving reflect sunlight or are vegetated, using Solar Reflectance Index thresholds.
• Lepenski Vir HousesTrapezoidal Mesolithic-Neolithic houses on the Danube in Serbia with plastered floors and stone hearths; how they were roofed is still debated.
• Lichen on RoofsCrusty, slow-growing patches formed by a fungus and alga partnership that cling tightly to roofs and are hard to remove without damage.
• Linear Pottery LonghouseThe long timber houses of Europe's first farmers, the Linear Pottery (LBK) culture, with thatched roofs carried on three internal rows of posts.
• Liquid Roofing and Waterproofing Association (LRWA)The LRWA is a UK trade association for liquid-applied roofing and waterproofing, founded in 1979 and based in London.
• Liquid-Applied RoofingSeamless waterproofing formed by applying liquid resin by brush, roller or spray, often with a fleece or fabric reinforcement, that cures into a membrane.
• Long Straw ThatchThatch made from threshed wheat or rye straw laid with ears and butts mixed, giving a shaggy, 'poured-on' look; traditional in lowland England.
• Low-Slope RoofA roof with only a slight incline, usually 2:12 or less, covered with a continuous waterproof membrane rather than overlapping shingles or tiles.
• Low-Slope Roof InsulationRigid board or sprayed insulation laid above the deck of a low-slope roof, chosen for long-term thermal value, strength, fire and moisture behaviour.
• Ludowici Roof TileLudowici is a US clay roof tile maker in New Lexington, Ohio, with roots in an 1857 German tile works; it is now part of Wienerberger.
• Ludwig HatschekAustrian industrialist (1855-1914) who patented the asbestos cement sheet process in 1900 and named the product Eternit in 1903.

M

• M-Shaped RoofAn M-shaped roof is two parallel gable roofs side by side, joined by a central valley or gutter, giving an M-shaped end profile.
• Maasai EnkajiThe enkaji is the Maasai house of Kenya and Tanzania: a low, loaf-shaped shell of poles and sticks whose roof is plastered with cow dung and mud by women.
• Mabati Rolling MillsMabati Rolling Mills is a Kenyan maker of coated steel roofing sheets and tiles and part of Safal Group, which operates in nine African countries.
• Macuti HouseTraditional house of Mozambique Island with a hipped roof of coconut palm leaves (macuti) on mangrove poles; it gave the island's southern Macuti Town its name.
• Magnetic SweeperA wheeled or hand-held magnet used to pick up dropped roofing nails and metal debris from lawns, driveways and decks after roof work.
• Makuti ThatchMakuti is East African coastal thatch made of coconut palm leaves stitched over sticks into panels, tied to roof battens with sisal fibre.
• Malarkey Roofing ProductsMalarkey Roofing Products is a Portland, Oregon asphalt shingle maker founded in 1956, acquired by Holcim in 2022 and now part of Amrize.
• MalocaLarge communal thatched longhouse of Indigenous peoples of the northwest Amazon, especially the Tukanoan peoples of Colombia and Brazil.
• Maltese Deffun RoofThe traditional Maltese flat roof: limestone slabs, a lime-and-stone fill, and a beaten surface of lime and crushed pottery called deffun.
• ManeabaThe great pandanus-thatched meeting house of Kiribati, built of coconut wood and coral without nails; the centre of village governance.
• Mangalore TileInterlocking red clay roof tile first made industrially in Mangalore, India, in 1865; widely used on the west coast of India.
• Mangh (Sindhi Windcatcher)A mangh is a fixed rooftop windcatcher of Hyderabad, Sindh, in Pakistan, that scooped the south-west breeze down into the rooms below.
• Mansard RoofA mansard roof is a four-sided roof with two slopes on each face, the lower one steep and often pierced by dormers, the upper one shallow.
• Maramureș Wooden Church RoofsThe steep shingle roofs and needle-like spires of the wooden churches of Maramureș, Romania, eight of which are on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
• MarleyMarley is a UK maker of concrete and clay roof tiles, battens and integrated solar roofing, now part of Marshalls.
• Master Builders AustraliaMaster Builders Australia is the national federation of state and territory builders' associations, with roots over 130 years old and about 32,000 members.
• Mastic Asphalt RoofingA traditional UK and European flat-roof waterproofing of hot bitumen and fine mineral aggregate, spread by hand into a seamless, monolithic layer.
• Matmata Troglodyte HousesUnderground pit dwellings in southern Tunisia: rooms carved around a large open pit, so the ground itself forms the roof.
• Maya Thatched HouseThe pole-and-thatch house of the Maya world, roofed with palm leaves or grass, used from ancient times to the present in Mexico and Central America.
• McElroy MetalMcElroy Metal is an employee-owned US maker of metal roofing and wall systems, founded in 1963 and headquartered in Bossier City, Louisiana.
• Mechanical and Electric SeamersMotorised or hand-cranked machines that travel along standing seam metal roof panels, folding the seams into single or double locks.
• Mechanical SeamingMechanical seaming folds the raised edges of adjoining metal roof panels together with a hand or powered seamer, forming single-lock or double-lock seams.
• Mechanically Attached Roof SystemA low-slope roof in which the membrane is secured to the deck with screws and plates or bars, typically placed in the sheet laps.
• Mechanically Seamed Standing Seam (Single and Double Lock)Mechanically seamed panels have their raised seams folded together on the roof by a seaming tool, forming single-lock or watertight double-lock joints.
• Medieval Lead RoofsSheet lead was the prestige covering for medieval cathedrals, abbeys and halls in Europe, valued for its watertightness and ease of shaping.
• Membrane ShrinkagePermanent loss of size in some single-ply roof membranes, which can pull on flashings, tear seams and lift edges.
• Metal Construction Association (MCA)The MCA is a North American trade association that promotes metal in building construction, launched in 1983 in Illinois.
• Metal Roof FastenersMetal roofs are attached with screws, clips, cleats and nails whose metal must suit the panel, substrate and exposure.
• Metal Roof Noise: Myth and FactMetal roofs over a solid deck and insulation are generally no louder in rain than other roofs; noise is mainly an issue with sheets over open framing.
• Metal Roof Paint Systems (Polyester, SMP, PVDF, Plastisol)Factory paint systems for metal roofing range from polyester and SMP to PVDF and thick plastisol, differing in durability, colour retention and cost.
• Metal Roof Tiles (Press-Formed Tile Sheets)Metal roof tiles are steel or aluminium sheets press-formed into rows of tile shapes, either painted or stone-coated, to give a tiled look at light weight.
• Metal RoofingMetal roofing is any roof covering made from sheet metal, such as coated steel, aluminium, copper, zinc or lead, formed into panels, shingles or tiles.
• Metal Roofing Alliance (MRA)The Metal Roofing Alliance is a North American non-profit trade group, formed in 1998, that promotes metal roofing for homes.
• Metal Roofing RecyclingRecovery of aluminium, steel, copper and zinc roofing at end of life, and the recycled content used in new metal roofing.
• Metal Roofs and Lightning: Myth and FactMetal roofs do not attract lightning; strike risk depends on height, terrain and storm frequency, and metal's noncombustibility can reduce fire risk.
• Metal Shingles and ShakesMetal shingles are small locking units of steel, aluminium, copper or stainless steel stamped to resemble slate, wood shake or asphalt shingles.
• Metallic Coating Designations (G90, AZ50, Z275)Codes such as G90, AZ55, Z275 or AZM150 state how much zinc or aluminium-zinc coating a steel roofing sheet carries, measured on both sides combined.
• Mezhyrich Mammoth-Bone DwellingsIce Age shelters in central Ukraine built around a base of mammoth skulls and long bones, probably covered with hides or bark and weighted with tusks.
• Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance (NOA)A Miami-Dade NOA is a county product approval showing a building product meets the Florida Building Code's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone rules.
• Middle Eastern DomesMasonry domes of mud brick, baked brick and stone used across the Middle East where timber was scarce, from village houses to great mosques.
• Midwest Roofing Contractors Association (MRCA)MRCA is a U.S. roofing contractors' association that began in 1950 in Topeka, Kansas, and is now headquartered in Dayton, Ohio.
• Millennium DomeLondon's fabric-roofed dome, 365 m (1,200 ft) across with 12 masts, opened for the year 2000 and now housing the O2 entertainment complex.
• Mineral Wool Roof InsulationDense non-combustible boards of stone or slag fibres used as flat-roof insulation where fire resistance, acoustics or dimensional stability matter.
• Mission TileA two-piece curved clay roof tile system of half-round pans and covers, also called barrel tile or monk-and-nun tile.
• Modified Bitumen RoofingFactory-made roofing sheets of asphalt blended with polymers such as SBS or APP and reinforced with polyester or glass fibre, laid in one or more plies.
• Moisture Meter (Roofing)A handheld instrument that indicates moisture in roof materials, either through pins that measure resistance or pinless sensors.
• Mongulu (Baka Leaf Hut)The móngulu is the dome-shaped leaf hut of the Baka of the Central African rainforest: thin branches bent into a hemisphere and shingled with large leaves.
• Moroccan Green Roof TilesGreen glazed ceramic tiles covering pitched wooden roofs of Moroccan mosques, minaret caps, fountains and shrines, as at Fez's Al-Hamra Mosque.
• Mud RoofA roof finished with compacted earth or clay over timber beams and a layer of matting or brush, traditional in dry regions worldwide; also called an earth roof.
• MudhifA vaulted guest house of bundled and arched reeds built by the Marsh Arabs of southern Iraq, a form traced back about 5,000 years.
• Mugamba RugoThe rugo is Burundi's traditional round house: a dome of bent poles bound with papyrus rings and thatched in straw, on UNESCO's tentative list since 2007.
• Munich Olympic Stadium RoofThe cable-net tent roof of acrylic glass over Munich's Olympic Park, designed by Behnisch & Partner with Frei Otto and completed in 1972.
• Musgum Tolek (Earthen Dome House)The tolek is the Musgum earthen dome house of northern Cameroon: a self-supporting mud shell up to about 9 m tall, built in coils with raised ribs.
• Must FarmA Bronze Age stilt village in Cambridgeshire, England, that burned about 850 BCE, preserving roundhouse roofs of straw, turf and clay in the river silt.
• Muzibu Azaala Mpanga (Kasubi Tombs)The Muzibu Azaala Mpanga at Kasubi, Kampala, is the great thatched dome housing Buganda royal tombs; burned in 2010, it was rebuilt by 2023.

N

• Nail PopsRoofing or deck nails that work upward and lift or puncture the shingle above, creating a bump and a possible leak point.
• Nail SicknessFailure of the nails holding slates or tiles, usually through corrosion, so units slip or fall even though the slates themselves are sound.
• Najdi Mud RoofsFlat earth roofs on tamarisk timber of the Najdi mud-brick architecture of central Arabia, edged by shurfat parapets.
• NakamalTraditional meeting house of chiefs in Vanuatu, a centre of kastom governance, anecdotally built to withstand cyclones.
• National Building Code of Canada (NBC)The National Building Code of Canada is the model building code published by the National Research Council and adopted, with changes, by provinces and territories.
• National Building Code of India and IS Roofing StandardsThe National Building Code of India, published by the Bureau of Indian Standards, guides building design; roofing is covered through IS standards.
• National Construction Code (Australia)Australia's National Construction Code is the national set of minimum technical requirements for buildings and plumbing, published by the Australian Building Codes Board.
• National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC)The NFRC is the UK's largest roofing trade association, founded in 1892 and based in London, with over 1,350 members.
• National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA)NRCA is the main U.S. trade association for roofing contractors, founded in 1886, publishing technical manuals and Professional Roofing magazine.
• National Slate Association (NSA)The National Slate Association is a U.S. organisation for the natural slate roofing industry, first formed in 1922 and reformed in 2002.
• National Society of Master Thatchers (NSMT)The National Society of Master Thatchers is a UK body of individual master thatchers, formed in 1967, which inspects members' work.
• Natufian Round HousesRound, semi-sunken houses with dry-stone footings built by the Natufian culture of the Levant about 15,000-11,500 years ago, before farming.
• Natural SlateA fine-grained metamorphic rock split into thin, durable roofing units; among the longest-lasting roof coverings in use.
• Ndebele House PaintingSouthern Ndebele tradition, from the 18th century, of painting bold geometric designs on the mud walls of homesteads in South Africa.
• New GournaVillage near Luxor, Egypt, built 1946-1952 by Hassan Fathy with mud-brick Nubian vaults and domes; subject of a UNESCO safeguarding project.
• New Zealand Building Code Clause E2 (External Moisture)Clause E2 of the New Zealand Building Code requires roofs and walls to resist the entry and build-up of external moisture; E2/AS1 is the main acceptable solution.
• New Zealand Metal Roofing Manufacturers (NZMRM)NZMRM is the association of New Zealand metal roofing manufacturers that publishes the NZ Metal Roof and Wall Cladding Code of Practice.
• Newar Pagoda RoofThe Newar pagoda roof is the tiered timber roof of Kathmandu Valley temples, carried on carved struts and covered with small terracotta jhingati tiles.
• Nordic WaterproofingNordic Waterproofing is a Helsingborg, Sweden-based group of roofing and waterproofing brands in northern Europe, majority-owned by Kingspan since 2024.
• Notre-Dame de Paris Roof Fire (2019)The fire of 15 April 2019 destroyed Notre-Dame's 13th-century oak roof 'forest', its lead covering and spire; both were rebuilt in oak and lead by 2024.
• Nubian VaultEarth-brick vaulted roof built without formwork or timber, revived in Egypt by Hassan Fathy and now promoted across the Sahel.
• Nyakatsi (Rwandan Thatched House)Nyakatsi is the Kinyarwanda term for a grass-thatched house; Rwanda's 2009-2011 'Bye Bye Nyakatsi' campaign replaced them with metal-roofed homes.
• NZ Metal Roof and Wall Cladding Code of PracticeThe NZ Metal Roof and Wall Cladding Code of Practice is the industry guide to designing and installing metal roofing in New Zealand, published by NZMRM.

O

• Oak Ridge National Laboratory Building Envelope ResearchOak Ridge National Laboratory's building research centre (BTRIC), set up in 1993, studies building envelopes and energy use for the U.S. Department of Energy.
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)OSHA is the U.S. federal agency that sets and enforces workplace safety rules, including fall protection for roofing work at 6 feet (1.8 m).
• Ohalo IIA submerged camp on the Sea of Galilee, Israel, about 23,000 years old, with six oval brush huts: among the oldest well-preserved built shelters.
• Oil CanningOil canning is visible waviness in the flat areas of metal panels caused by locked-in stress or restrained movement; it is generally cosmetic.
• Old Town of GhadamesLibyan oasis town of mud-brick houses with palm-timber roofs, roofed streets, and rooftop terraces reserved for women; a World Heritage site since 1986.
• OndulineOnduline is a French roofing manufacturer founded about 80 years ago, known for lightweight corrugated roofing sheets and present in more than 100 countries.
• Onion DomeBulb-shaped dome tapering to a point, typical of Russian Orthodox churches and also common on churches in Bavaria and Austria.
• Organic-Mat ShingleAn older type of asphalt shingle built on a felt mat of paper, rag or wood fibre, largely discontinued in North America by 2011.
• Ottoman Domes in the BalkansDomed mosques built under Ottoman rule across the Balkans, usually brick domes covered with tiles at first and with lead sheet by the 16th century.
• Overflow (Secondary) Roof DrainageEmergency drains or scuppers set above the primary drains so that water can leave a low-slope roof if the main outlets are blocked.
• Owens CorningOwens Corning is a Toledo, Ohio-based maker of roofing, insulation and glass-fibre composites, formed in 1938 by Owens-Illinois and Corning Glass Works.

P

• Pagoda RoofA pagoda roof is the stacked series of projecting eaves on a tiered tower, typically an odd number of tiers, found across East, Southeast and South Asia.
• PalapaOpen-sided shelter or house roofed with dried palm leaves, common in coastal and rural Mexico and Central America and on beaches and resorts.
• Palauan BaiPalau’s traditional men’s meeting house, with a tall decorated gable and steep thatched roof, built without nails on a stone platform.
• PallozaA palloza is a round or oval stone house with a conical rye-straw thatched roof, traditional in the Ancares mountains of north-west Spain.
• Palm and Grass ThatchThatch made from palm fronds, leaves or tropical grasses, used for traditional and resort buildings across tropical Africa, Asia, the Pacific and the Americas.
• Pamiri House (Chid)The Pamiri house, or chid, of Tajikistan's Badakhshan region has a flat earth roof on five pillars, lit by a stepped square skylight called the chorkhona.
• Pantheon DomeThe concrete dome of the Pantheon in Rome, completed around 126 CE, still the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world at 43.3 m (142 ft).
• PantileA single-lap clay roof tile with an S-shaped profile that combines the functions of pan and cover in one piece.
• Parapet (Roof)The part of an exterior wall that rises above the roof edge, providing fall protection, fire separation and a termination for the roof membrane.
• Penrhyn QuarryA slate quarry near Bethesda, Gwynedd, which at the end of the 19th century was the largest slate quarry in the world and is still worked.
• Penrhyn Strike (1900-1903)A three-year strike and lock-out at Penrhyn slate quarry in Wales, often called the longest dispute in British industrial history.
• Petersen (PAC-CLAD)Petersen is a US maker of architectural metal roofing and wall panels sold as PAC-CLAD, founded in Chicago in 1965 and owned by Carlisle since 2019.
• PIB Roofing MembraneSingle-ply membrane made from polyisobutylene, usually fleece-backed with a welding edge, long used in Germany and compatible with bitumen.
• Piode (Stone Roof Slabs)Piode are hand-split stone slabs, usually gneiss, used as heavy traditional roofs in Ticino and neighbouring Alpine valleys of Switzerland and Italy.
• Pipe Boot (Vent Pipe Flashing)A pipe boot is a flashing collar that seals a plumbing vent or other round pipe where it passes through the roof covering.
• Pit HouseA dwelling built over a pit dug into the ground, with a roof springing from at or near ground level; found worldwide from the Palaeolithic to the 20th century.
• Pitch Gauge and Roofing CalculatorTools and methods for measuring roof slope, expressed as rise per run or degrees, and for converting roof dimensions into material quantities.
• Plain TileA small, flat roof tile, traditionally clay, hung on battens in double-lap courses so that every point of the roof is covered by at least two tiles.
• Plank HouseLarge rectangular house of the Pacific Northwest coast with walls and a gable or shed roof of split western red cedar planks, built for thousands of years.
• Plumbing Vent FlashingA plumbing vent flashing (pipe boot) is a flanged sleeve that seals a vent pipe through the roof and is woven into the courses around it.
• PMMA Liquid RoofingFast-curing two-part polymethyl methacrylate resin, reinforced with polyester fleece, used for flat roofs, flashing details, balconies and walkways.
• Polycarbonate Roofing SheetA tough, transparent or translucent plastic sheet used for rooflights, conservatories, patio covers and greenhouses; sold as corrugated or multiwall panels.
• PolyglassPolyglass is an Italian-origin maker of modified-bitumen membranes and underlayments, owned by Mapei since 2008, with US headquarters in Deerfield Beach, Florida.
• Polyiso (Polyisocyanurate) Roof InsulationRigid thermoset foam board with facers, the most common low-slope roof insulation in North America, valued for high thermal resistance per thickness.
• Ponding WaterWater that stays on a low-slope roof after rain, commonly defined as water remaining 48 hours after the rain stops.
• Portable Roll FormerA trailer- or truck-mounted machine that forms metal roofing panels from flat coil on the job site, allowing long continuous panels.
• Positive Drainage and Roof FallsThe design principle that a low-slope roof must have enough built-in slope (fall) to shed water within a set time, allowing for deflection and tolerances.
• Pre-Weathered ZincPre-weathered zinc is titanium-zinc sheet given a factory surface treatment so it looks like naturally weathered grey zinc from the day it is installed.
• Prehistoric Shelters and Early ThatchWhat archaeology can and cannot say about the first roofs: brushwood huts, mammoth-bone dwellings and the likely Neolithic origin of straw thatch.
• Prehistory of RoofingHow archaeologists reconstruct the earliest roofs and shelters, from Lower Palaeolithic woodworking to Neolithic longhouses and Bronze Age roundhouses.
• Professional RoofingProfessional Roofing is the monthly magazine of the U.S. National Roofing Contractors Association, covering roofing technology, business and regulation.
• Protected Membrane Roof (Inverted Roof)A low-slope roof in which the insulation is placed above the waterproofing, protecting it, and is held down by ballast or paving.
• PurlinA purlin is a horizontal roof member running along the length of a roof, parallel to the ridge, that supports rafters or roof sheeting between main frames.
• PVC RoofingPolyvinyl chloride single-ply membrane made flexible with plasticisers and joined by hot-air welding; the first single-ply type standardised in the US.
• PVDF Coatings (Kynar 500, Hylar 5000)PVDF coatings are factory-applied fluoropolymer paints for metal roofing, prized for long-term colour and gloss retention under strong sunlight.
• PyatthatThe multi-tiered spired roof of Burmese palaces, monasteries and pagodas, built in odd numbers of tiers, with nine reserved for the king.
• Pyramid, Pavilion and Tented RoofsA pyramid roof is a hip roof on a square plan whose faces meet at one point; pavilion and tented roofs are low- and steep-pitched versions on regular polygons.

Q

• QarmaqInuit transitional-season house with low walls of snow, stone or sod, a whalebone frame and a roof of skins or canvas, used into the 1950s.
• Queen Post TrussA queen post truss is a roof frame with two vertical posts set either side of centre on the tie beam, linked at the top by a straining beam.
• QueenslanderTimber house type of Queensland, Australia, raised on stumps with verandahs and a corrugated iron roof, built from the 1840s.
• QuinchaEarthquake-resistant building system of timber frames filled with cane and mud, used in Peru and Ecuador, often carrying light earth-covered roofs.

R

• RafterA rafter is a sloping structural member that runs from the ridge or hip down to the wall plate and carries the roof deck and covering.
• Rain ChainA rain chain is a chain or series of linked cups hung from a gutter outlet that guides rainwater to the ground as a decorative alternative to a downspout.
• Rain GutterA rain gutter is a channel fixed along the eaves that collects water running off the roof and carries it to downspouts, protecting walls and foundations.
• Rainwater Harvesting from RoofsCollecting rain that falls on a roof for storage and reuse, and how the roof material affects the quality of the collected water.
• Rake and VergeThe rake (US) or verge (UK) is the sloping edge of a roof at a gable end, running from the eaves up to the ridge.
• Ramesseum Granary VaultsMud-brick barrel-vaulted storerooms at the Ramesseum in Luxor, built under Ramesses II in the 13th century BC; among Egypt's oldest standing true arches.
• Rammed EarthWalls made by compacting damp earth in layers inside formwork; durable when protected by large roof overhangs and a dry base.
• Raupo Houses OrdinanceNew Zealand’s first building law (1842), which taxed raupō and thatched buildings in towns to reduce fire risk.
• Ravinala ThatchRoofing of Madagascar's east coast made from the fronds of the traveller's palm (ravinala), whose flattened trunks also supply boards for floors and roofs.
• Red Rust on Metal RoofsIron oxide corrosion on steel roofing that appears once the protective zinc or zinc-aluminium coating has been used up or damaged.
• RedlandRedland is a British roof tile brand founded in 1919 as the Redhill Tile Company; it is now BMI Redland, part of Standard Industries' BMI Group.
• Reinforced Bitumen Membrane (RBM)The UK and European term for factory-made bitumen roofing sheets with polyester or glass reinforcement, laid in multi-layer systems on flat roofs.
• RheinzinkRheinzink is a German producer of titanium zinc for roofing, facades and rainwater systems, founded in 1966 in Datteln and part of the Grillo Group.
• Ridge Board and Ridge BeamA ridge board is a non-structural board at the roof apex that rafters bear against; a ridge beam is a structural beam that carries the rafters' upper ends.
• Ridge Cap InstallationRidge cap installation covers the peak and hips of a roof with overlapping cap pieces, laid away from the prevailing wind and blind-nailed.
• Ridge Repointing and RebeddingRenewal of the mortar that beds and seals ridge and hip tiles; in the UK, current standards also require mechanical fixing of these tiles.
• Ridge VentA ridge vent is a continuous exhaust vent along the ridge of a pitched roof that lets warm, moist air escape from the attic through a slot in the deck.
• Rock-Hewn Churches of LalibelaEleven medieval churches carved from basalt in Lalibela, Ethiopia; their rock roofs have been covered since 2008 by temporary EU-funded shelters.
• Roll RoofingAsphalt-saturated felt or mat supplied in rolls and surfaced with mineral granules, used as an economical exposed roof covering on low-slope and utility roofs.
• Roman Brick and Tile StampsMarks pressed into Roman bricks and roof tiles before firing, naming makers, owners, legions or consuls; archaeologists use them to date buildings.
• RondavelRound Southern African house with a conical thatched roof on a cylindrical wall, found in South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini and Botswana.
• Roof Age EstimationMethods for working out how old a roof is, using records, permits, product markings and physical condition.
• Roof Algae (Black Streaks)Dark streaks on roofs, especially asphalt shingles, caused by airborne cyanobacteria commonly identified as Gloeocapsa magma.
• Roof Battens and Counter-BattensRoof battens are strips fixed across rafters to hang tiles, slates or sheets; counter-battens run up the slope beneath them to make a drainage gap.
• Roof BlisteringRaised bubbles in asphalt shingles or low-slope membranes caused by trapped gas, moisture or volatiles expanding under heat.
• Roof BracketsRoof brackets (roof jacks) are metal supports nailed to a pitched roof that hold a plank as a foothold and material shelf for roofers.
• Roof Cleaning MethodsWays of removing algae, moss, lichen and dirt from roofs, chiefly low-pressure soft washing, manual removal and pressure washing.
• Roof Coating and RestorationA fluid-applied layer, such as acrylic, silicone or polyurethane, applied over a sound existing roof to waterproof it, reflect sunlight and extend its service life.
• Roof Coating ApplicationRoof coating application cleans, repairs and primes an existing roof, then sprays or rolls on a liquid membrane such as acrylic, silicone or polyurethane.
• Roof Coatings Manufacturers Association (RCMA)RCMA is a U.S. trade association for manufacturers of roof coatings and their suppliers, providing technical and regulatory information.
• Roof Deck (Low-Slope)The structural surface that supports a low-slope roof assembly, commonly steel, concrete, wood, poured gypsum or cementitious wood fibre.
• Roof Deck Inspection and ReplacementDeck inspection is the check of the structural roof surface for rot, deflection, gaps and fastening before new roofing is installed; damaged sections are replaced.
• Roof Drain (Internal Drain)An outlet set into the field of a low-slope roof that collects rainwater and carries it down through pipes inside the building.
• Roof Drainage DesignPlanning slopes, gutters, drains, scuppers and overflows so that a roof sheds rain quickly, including during intense storms.
• Roof FlashingRoof flashing is thin sheet metal or membrane installed at joints, edges and penetrations to direct water away from places where the roof covering is interrupted.
• Roof Inspection After StormsHow to check a roof safely after wind, hail or heavy rain, document damage, and arrange temporary protection and professional assessment.
• Roof Inspection ProcedureA roof inspection is a systematic check of the covering, flashings, penetrations, drainage, deck and attic to find damage, defects and leak sources.
• Roof Insurance and DepreciationHow property insurers value roofs by age and condition, including actual cash value versus replacement cost settlements.
• Roof Insurance ClaimsA neutral overview of how property insurance claims for roof damage generally work, including coverage types, depreciation and documentation.
• Roof Insurance DiscountsPremium credits some insurers give for roofs built to resist wind or hail, such as FORTIFIED designations, wind mitigation features and Class 4 coverings.
• Roof Jacks and Toe BoardsMetal brackets nailed to a pitched roof to hold planks that give roofers footing and catch materials; toe boards are the planks or cleats they support.
• Roof Leak DetectionThe process of tracing where water actually enters a roof, which is often some distance from where it appears inside the building.
• Roof Life-Cycle CostThe total cost of owning a roof over a set period, including installation, maintenance, repairs, energy effects, replacement and disposal.
• Roof Lifespan ComparisonTypical service lives of common roofing materials, from asphalt shingles and membranes to tile, slate and metal, and what shortens or extends them.
• Roof Maintenance Checklist by SeasonA season-by-season list of routine roof checks and upkeep tasks for homes and low-slope buildings, plus inspections after major storms.
• Roof Measurement and EstimatingRoof estimating converts plan dimensions into true roof area using pitch multipliers, expresses it in squares or square metres and adds waste allowances.
• Roof Moisture SurveyA systematic test of a low-slope roof to locate wet insulation, using infrared, nuclear or impedance scanning verified by core samples.
• Roof MossMoss growth on shaded, damp roofs that holds water, lifts shingles and tiles, and blocks drainage if left to build up.
• Roof Pitch and SlopeRoof pitch describes how steep a roof is, expressed as rise over run (such as 6:12 or 6/12), as an angle in degrees, or as a percentage.
• Roof Pitch CalculationRoof pitch is calculated as vertical rise over horizontal run, expressed as x:12, a ratio, a percentage or an angle in degrees.
• Roof Repair vs ReplacementThe factors owners and roofers weigh when deciding whether to fix part of a roof or replace the whole covering.
• Roof Replacement ProcessThe roof replacement process is the sequence of work used to remove an old roof covering and install a new one, from planning and permits to final inspection.
• Roof RidgeThe ridge is the horizontal line at the top of a pitched roof where two sloping planes meet; it is capped with ridge tiles, cap shingles or metal.
• Roof Rot (Fascia, Soffit and Deck)Fungal decay of roof timbers such as fascia boards, soffits, sheathing and rafter ends, caused by long-term wetting.
• Roof Sheathing (Roof Deck)Roof sheathing, or decking, is the layer of panels or boards fixed over rafters or trusses that forms the surface the underlayment and roof covering are attached to.
• Roof Tile Cutting ToolsTools for cutting clay and concrete roof tiles, chiefly angle grinders and saws with diamond blades, plus manual cutters that limit silica dust.
• Roof TrussA roof truss is a prefabricated or site-built triangulated frame that spans between walls to support a roof, replacing individual rafters and joists.
• Roof ValleyA roof valley is the internal angle where two sloping roof planes meet, forming a channel that collects and carries water down to the eaves.
• Roof VentilationRoof ventilation is the controlled flow of outside air through an attic or roof space, usually in at the eaves and out near the ridge, to remove moisture and heat.
• Roof Walkway PadA protective pad or roll laid on a low-slope roof membrane to create a traffic path and prevent wear and puncture from foot traffic.
• Roof Wind Pressure ZonesAreas of a roof (field, edge, corner) assigned different wind design pressures because suction is strongest near edges and corners.
• Roof-to-Wall ConnectionThe joint that fastens rafters or trusses to the top of the walls; a key link in the load path that keeps a roof on in high winds.
• Roofing ApprenticeshipStructured training that combines paid work with classroom instruction to qualify roofers; length, content and certification differ widely by country.
• Roofing Asphalt (BUR Asphalt Types)Oxidised asphalt graded by softening point (ASTM D312 Types I-IV) for mopping built-up and modified bitumen roofs at different slopes.
• Roofing Association of New Zealand (RANZ)RANZ is New Zealand's national roofing trade association, whose vetted members follow a Code of Practice for workmanship, compliance and conduct.
• Roofing Contractor (magazine)Roofing Contractor is a U.S. trade magazine for roofing businesses, published by BNP Media and known for its annual Top 100 Roofing Contractors list.
• Roofing Contractors Association of British Columbia (RCABC)RCABC is the roofing contractors' association for British Columbia, Canada, established in 1958 and known for its RoofStar Guarantee program and Roofing Practices Manual.
• Roofing Contractors Association of Texas (RCAT)RCAT is a Texas trade association for roofing contractors, active since 1975, which runs a voluntary roofing contractor licence program.
• Roofing Fall ProtectionRoofing fall protection is the set of legal duties and equipment, such as guardrails, nets, harness systems and warning lines, that prevent roofers falling.
• Roofing Fasteners (Nails and Screws)Roofing fasteners are the nails, screws and clips that secure decks, underlayments and roof coverings, chosen for holding power and corrosion resistance.
• Roofing Fatality StatisticsData showing roofing as one of the deadliest occupations in the United States, with falls causing most deaths.
• Roofing Felt (#15 and #30)Roofing felt is a bitumen-saturated base sheet used as underlayment; in North America it is sold as #15 and #30 grades under ASTM D226.
• Roofing GranulesCrushed, often ceramic-coated mineral particles embedded in the top surface of asphalt shingles and roll roofing to block UV light and add colour.
• Roofing Harness and Anchors (Personal Fall Arrest)A full-body harness, connector and roof anchor system that stops a roofer's fall; required in many countries for work at height.
• Roofing Hatchet (Shingling Hatchet)A hammer-hatchet used for hand-nailing and trimming shingles and shakes, often with an adjustable gauge for setting exposure.
• Roofing Hoists and ConveyorsPowered lifts, ladder hoists, conveyors and cranes that move shingles, tiles and other roofing materials from the ground to the roof.
• Roofing in AfghanistanAfghan houses are traditionally roofed either flat, with timber beams, mats and mud, or with mud-brick domes (gunbad), as in the villages around Herat.
• Roofing in AlbaniaHow Albania roofs its buildings: the stone-slab roofs of Gjirokastër, tiered houses of Berat, kulla towers of the north, and post-communist concrete.
• Roofing in AlgeriaAlgeria's best-documented roofing heritage is that of the Saharan ksour, above all the five fortified towns of the M'zab Valley, a World Heritage site.
• Roofing in AndorraAndorran roofing: natural stone-slate roofs on Pyrenean rural buildings and bordes, now required by government construction criteria.
• Roofing in AngolaAngolan homes are roofed with zinc sheet, fibre cement, tile, concrete slab or grass thatch; Mbanza Kongo preserves Kongo and Portuguese building.
• Roofing in Antigua and BarbudaAntiguan and Barbudan roofing: timber and concrete houses with metal-sheet roofs under a mandatory OECS-based code; Hurricane Irma stripped Barbuda's roofs in 2017.
• Roofing in ArgentinaArgentine roofing: Andean grass thatch, Jesuit mission clay tile, the corrugated-iron houses of La Boca, and hand-split shingles in Patagonia.
• Roofing in Argentina and ChileOverview of Southern Cone roofing: Andean grass thatch, colonial clay tile, Chiloé's wooden shingles, metal sheet in the south, all with seismic design in Chile.
• Roofing in ArmeniaArmenian roofing: stone churches with conical tuff domes and tuff-shingle roofs, and corbelled timber glkhatun roofs in old houses.
• Roofing in AustraliaAustralian roofing: Aboriginal bark and stone-walled shelters, colonial bark and shingles, then corrugated iron, tiles and coated steel under the NCC.
• Roofing in AustriaAustrian roofing: clay and concrete tiles, Alpine wooden shingles and sheet metal for heavy snow, regulated by nine state building codes and ÖNORM B 3419.
• Roofing in AzerbaijanAzerbaijani roofing: windy Absheron flat roofs with asphalt coverings, corbelled karadam lantern roofs, and modern concrete.
• Roofing in BahrainBahraini roofing: timber-and-plaster merchant houses of the Muharraq pearling towns with flat roofs on imported poles, and modern concrete.
• Roofing in BangladeshAbout three-quarters of Bangladeshi homes have corrugated tin (CI sheet) roofs; the curved thatched hut roof of the delta inspired the bangla roof.
• Roofing in BarbadosBarbadian roofing: the movable timber chattel house with its steep hip or gable roof, corrugated iron and concrete, under a 1993 national building code.
• Roofing in BelarusBelarusian roofing: thatched gable roofs on log village houses, preserved at the Strochitsy open-air museum, Mir Castle's towers, and Soviet-era asbestos-cement sheet.
• Roofing in BelgiumBelgian roofing: ceramic tiles in the lowlands, Ardennes slate in the south, reed thatch in Flanders, and a historic role in zinc and fibre-cement.
• Roofing in BelizeBelizean roofing: Maya pole-and-thatch houses of bay leaf and cohune palm, Garifuna thatch, and timber and metal roofs shaped by hurricanes.
• Roofing in BeninMost Beninese homes are roofed with metal sheet (tôle); heritage roofs include the straw and metal roofs of the Abomey palaces and the takienta of the north.
• Roofing in BhutanBhutan's traditional roofs are low-pitched pine-shingle roofs held by stones over open lofts; most dzongs now have iron roofs, and sloping roofs are law.
• Roofing in BoliviaBolivian roofing: Andean grass thatch and clay tile, tiled Jesuit churches of Chiquitos, and metal sheet (calamina) on about half of homes (2015 survey).
• Roofing in Bosnia and HerzegovinaHow Bosnia and Herzegovina roofs its buildings: steep timber roofs on Ottoman-era houses, shingle and stone-slab tower roofs, and domed mosques.
• Roofing in BotswanaBotswana's Tswana houses have conical thatched roofs on clay-plastered walls with verandahs; modern homes use iron sheet, asbestos and concrete tiles.
• Roofing in BrazilBrazilian roofing: Indigenous thatch, Portuguese colonial telha, fibre-cement and concrete laje; 81.9% of homes had tile or sheet roofs in 2019 (PNAD).
• Roofing in BruneiRoofing in Brunei, from the palm-leaf and timber roofs of the Kampong Ayer stilt village to the glass-mosaic dome of the Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque.
• Roofing in BulgariaBulgarian roofing: low-pitched tiled roofs with deep eaves on Revival-period houses, heavy stone-slab (tikli) roofs in the Rhodopes and Balkan villages.
• Roofing in Burkina FasoBurkina Faso combines Sahelian earth roofs and Kassena painted houses with metal sheet, plus influential low-tech roofs such as Gando and Nubian vaults.
• Roofing in BurundiBurundi's traditional roof is the domed straw thatch of the round rugo house, built on a frame of bent poles; recent national roofing data are scarce.
• Roofing in Cabo VerdeCabo Verde is roofed overwhelmingly with flat concrete slabs; its traditional funco round house with palm thatch survives only in a few villages.
• Roofing in CambodiaRoofing in Cambodia, from the corbelled stone and brick temples of Angkor to timber pagodas and a housing stock now roofed mostly with metal sheet and clay tile.
• Roofing in CameroonCameroon's roofs range from Musgum earthen domes and Bamileke conical thatch to Baka leaf huts; corrugated iron has replaced many older forms.
• Roofing in CanadaCanadian roofing: Inuit snow and sod houses, bark longhouses, cedar plank houses and Norse turf; today asphalt shingles and metal under the National Building Code.
• Roofing in ChadChad's roofs range from flat earth roofs of Kotoko walled towns and thatched round huts in the south to nomads' tents; iron and concrete are spreading fast.
• Roofing in ChileChilean roofing: Andean thatch, Mapuche ruka, Chiloé's shingled churches, Valparaíso's zinc; metal and fibre-cement sheets cover 68% of homes (2024).
• Roofing in ChinaChinese roofing from the earliest known composite tiled roofs (c. 2400-2200 BCE) through ranked imperial tile roofs to concrete and steel today.
• Roofing in ColombiaColombian roofing: Amazonian palm-thatched malocas, colonial clay tile in Cartagena, bahareque coffee-region houses, and fibre-cement 'eternit' and zinc today.
• Roofing in ComorosRoofing in the Comoros is poorly documented; the islands' historic Swahili stone medinas, inscribed by UNESCO in 2026, are the best-recorded buildings.
• Roofing in Costa RicaCosta Rican roofing: metal sheet on lightweight frames dominates under a seismic code first written after the 1972-73 earthquakes and revised in 2025.
• Roofing in Côte d'IvoireCôte d'Ivoire roofs are overwhelmingly metal sheet (tôle) over concrete-block houses; its earthen Sudanese-style mosques are its main heritage roofs.
• Roofing in CroatiaHow Croatia roofs its buildings: stone-slab roofs and dry-stone bunje on the Dalmatian coast, clay tile inland, and the all-stone vault of Šibenik Cathedral.
• Roofing in CubaCuban roofing: the palm-thatched Taíno bohío, colonial tile, and today a near even split between concrete roofs and light sheet roofs, repeatedly tested by hurricanes.
• Roofing in CyprusHow Cyprus roofs its buildings: Neolithic flat roofs, earth-on-reed roofs in the lowlands, pitched tiled roofs in the Troodos mountains, and modern concrete.
• Roofing in CzechiaCzech roofing: steep clay beaver-tail (bobrovka) roofs, Moravian-Silesian slate, Baroque village gables and slate roofs in Prague.
• Roofing in DenmarkDanish roofing: reed thatch, Læsø seaweed roofs, red clay tiles and copper spires, and today a stock dominated by fibre-cement, tile and flat built-up roofs.
• Roofing in DjiboutiDjibouti's traditional shelters are portable Afar and Somali huts of branches and woven mats; towns use stone, coral and masonry with white-painted walls.
• Roofing in DominicaDominican (Commonwealth) roofing: Hurricane Maria in 2017 damaged 98% of roofs, prompting stronger housing standards with thicker rafters and purlins.
• Roofing in East AfricaOverview of roofing in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Ethiopia: grass thatch traditions largely replaced by corrugated iron sheets (mabati).
• Roofing in EcuadorEcuadorian roofing: colonial tile over earthen walls in Quito and Cuenca, cane-and-mud quincha houses on the coast, and metal and fibre-cement today.
• Roofing in EgyptEgypt's roofs run from stone-slab temple roofs and some of the oldest standing mud-brick vaults to Nubian domes, Siwa salt-mud houses and today's concrete.
• Roofing in El SalvadorSalvadoran roofing: Joya de Cerén's ash-buried thatch of about 600 CE, bahareque and tile houses, and metal and concrete roofs in a quake-prone land.
• Roofing in Equatorial GuineaEquatorial Guinea combines Spanish colonial buildings in Malabo and Bata with Fang villages centred on the abaá, a communal 'house of the word'.
• Roofing in EritreaEritrea's roofs range from flat soil-roofed hidmo stone houses and agudo round huts to the modernist concrete of Asmara, a World Heritage city since 2017.
• Roofing in EstoniaEstonian roofing: the tall thatched roof of the barn-dwelling (rehielamu), of reed or rye straw, over chimneyless log farmhouses, and modern steel and membrane roofs.
• Roofing in EswatiniEswatini homes are overwhelmingly roofed with corrugated metal sheet; grass thatch survives on a small share of homes, including round thatched huts.
• Roofing in EthiopiaEthiopia's roofs range from Lalibela's rock-hewn churches and Tigray's soil-roofed hidmo to thatched tukuls; corrugated iron now rivals thatch.
• Roofing in FijiFijian roofing: steep thatched bure and vale on raised bases, now almost entirely metal sheet, tested by Cyclone Winston in 2016.
• Roofing in FinlandFinnish roofing: birch-bark pole roofs, tarred shingles on wooden churches, Iron Age tar-making, and today's steel sheet roofs built for snow and frost.
• Roofing in FranceFrench roofing: interlocking and flat clay tiles, southern canal tiles, slate, Paris zinc and mountain lauzes, governed by NF DTU rules and ten-year liability.
• Roofing in GabonGabon's cheapest village houses are mud under palm fronds; brick and cinder-block houses take corrugated metal roofs, and Baka camps use leaf domes.
• Roofing in GeorgiaGeorgian roofing: corbelled timber darbazi roofs, conical church domes on tall drums, and the stone tower houses of Svaneti.
• Roofing in GermanyGerman roofing: Biberschwanz and interlocking clay tiles, concrete tiles, Mosel slate, northern reed thatch, green roofs and a regulated roofers' craft.
• Roofing in GhanaGhana's roofs are overwhelmingly metal sheet today, replacing palm and grass thatch; the 2021 census also records asbestos, concrete and earth roofs.
• Roofing in GreeceHow Greece roofs its buildings: the birthplace of the European clay tile, with Minoan flat roofs, Byzantine domes, Cycladic terraces and stone roofs in Epirus.
• Roofing in GreenlandGreenlandic roofing: Inuit winter houses of stone, turf and whalebone, Norse stone-and-turf farms, imported Danish timber houses and today's prefabricated buildings.
• Roofing in GrenadaGrenadian roofing: timber and concrete houses with metal-sheet hip roofs under an OECS-based code; Hurricane Beryl in 2024 destroyed or damaged most buildings on Carriacou.
• Roofing in GuatemalaGuatemalan roofing: Maya thatch and stone vaults, colonial tile in Antigua, and today metal sheet on 68.1% of homes (2018 census).
• Roofing in GuineaGuinea is mostly roofed with metal sheet, but nearly a quarter of homes kept thatch in 2013; Fouta Djallon is known for heavy conical thatched roofs.
• Roofing in Guinea-BissauGuinea-Bissau's homes are mostly roofed with zinc or metal sheet, but about a fifth are still thatched with straw, one of the highest shares in the region.
• Roofing in GuyanaGuyanese roofing: timber houses raised above floods with shingle or metal roofs, palm thatch inland, and St George's, a giant wooden cathedral.
• Roofing in HaitiHaitian roofing: Taíno thatch, timber gingerbread houses of 1885-1925, then heavy concrete slabs whose failures in the 2010 earthquake reshaped rebuilding.
• Roofing in HondurasHonduran roofing: Maya stone and thatch at Copán, Garifuna thatched houses on the Caribbean coast, colonial tile, and modern metal sheet.
• Roofing in Hong KongHong Kong roofing: tiled roofs of walled villages and early tenements, replaced by flat concrete roofs on dense high-rises designed for typhoon winds.
• Roofing in HungaryHungarian roofing: straw and reed thatch on purlin-and-rafter roofs, shingles in the hills, Palóc villages like Hollókő, and Zsolnay glazed ceramic roofs.
• Roofing in IcelandIcelandic roofing: a thousand years of turf over driftwood frames, then painted corrugated iron and concrete, built for wind, rain, freeze-thaw and earthquakes.
• Roofing in IndiaIndian roofing runs from rock-cut chaitya vaults and Mughal domes to Mangalore tiles; today concrete slabs, tiles, metal sheets and thatch cover most homes.
• Roofing in IndonesiaRoofing in Indonesia, from horned, saddle and towering vernacular roofs of ijuk, bamboo and thatch to clay tile, now on about 56% of houses.
• Roofing in IranIranian roofing: mud-brick and brick vaults and domes, windcatchers and ice houses on the plateau, pitched roofs on the wet Caspian coast.
• Roofing in IraqIraqi roofing: reed mudhif halls of the southern marshes, Mesopotamian mud brick, the Sasanian vault of Taq Kasra and modern flat concrete roofs.
• Roofing in IrelandIrish roofing: a thatch tradition replaced by slate and later concrete tile and fibre-cement slate, all built to resist Atlantic wind and rain.
• Roofing in IsraelIsraeli roofing: flat concrete roofs crowned with solar water heaters, mandatory since 1980, and the Modernist flat roofs of the White City.
• Roofing in ItalyHow Italy roofs its buildings: coppi and Roman-style tile roofs, stone slabs in the Alps and Puglia, flat terraces in the south, and many landmark domes.
• Roofing in JamaicaJamaican roofing: Taíno thatch, Georgian timber and zinc, and modern concrete; a 2018 Building Act adopted the International Building Code.
• Roofing in JapanJapanese roofing: kayabuki thatch, cypress-bark and shingle temple roofs and kawara clay tile, now joined by lighter metal and slate for earthquakes.
• Roofing in JordanJordanian roofing: basalt slab roofs on corbels and arches at Umm el-Jimal, the rock-cut city of Petra, and modern flat concrete roofs.
• Roofing in KazakhstanKazakh roofing runs from the felt-domed yurt and its shangyrak crown, a national emblem, to Timurid brick domes and Soviet-era flat-roofed apartment blocks.
• Roofing in KenyaKenya is roofed mainly in iron sheets (mabati): 80% of households in the 2019 census, replacing grass, papyrus, dung and palm-leaf makuti roofs.
• Roofing in KiribatiKiribati roofing: pandanus-thatched maneaba meeting houses and homes on coral atolls; thatch still covers over half of household roofs.
• Roofing in KosovoRoofing in Kosovo: thick-walled stone kulla tower houses of the Dukagjini region and domed medieval Serbian Orthodox monasteries such as Visoki Dečani.
• Roofing in KuwaitKuwaiti roofing: courtyard houses of sea stone and mud roofed with East African mangrove poles, windcatchers, and modern concrete landmarks.
• Roofing in KyrgyzstanKyrgyzstan's emblematic roof is the felt yurt with its tunduk crown, shown on the national flag; most houses are earth or brick with timber roofs.
• Roofing in LaosRoofing in Laos, known for the sweeping tiered temple roofs of Luang Prabang, with bamboo and timber stilt houses and colonial brick buildings.
• Roofing in LatviaLatvian roofing: steep gabled thatched roofs of rye straw and reed on farmsteads, a gable form echoed in Riga's Art Nouveau, and a small revival of thatch.
• Roofing in LebanonLebanese roofing: the pyramidal red Marseille-tile roof of the 19th-century central hall house, and the flat concrete roofs that replaced it.
• Roofing in LesothoMost Lesotho homes have corrugated metal roofs, while thatched round houses (mokhoro) still make up over a quarter of households in survey data.
• Roofing in LiberiaLiberia's homes are mainly roofed with zinc (corrugated metal sheet), which has steadily replaced the thatch of rural villages.
• Roofing in LibyaLibya's best-documented traditional roofs are in Ghadames, where mud-brick houses with palm-trunk structure carry rooftop terraces reserved for women.
• Roofing in LiechtensteinLiechtenstein roofing: pitched roofs on old timber farmhouses of the Rhine valley and modern Alpine houses, regulated by the 2008 Building Act.
• Roofing in LithuaniaLithuanian roofing: thatched farmsteads of five ethnographic regions, wooden fishermen's houses of the Curonian Spit, and modern steel and membrane roofs.
• Roofing in LuxembourgLuxembourg roofing: slate from the Ardennes uplands, mined at Haut-Martelange until 1986, on houses, castles and churches across the Grand Duchy.
• Roofing in MadagascarMadagascar roofs are mostly grass or palm thatch and metal sheet; the highlands add steep tiled brick houses and royal timber houses with roof horns.
• Roofing in MalawiMalawi is split between iron-sheet and grass-thatch roofs: in recent survey data metal sheet covers just over half of households and thatch most of the rest.
• Roofing in MalaysiaRoofing in Malaysia, from steep atap-thatched Malay houses with long, five-ridged and limas roofs to modern tile and metal under the Uniform Building By-Laws 1984.
• Roofing in MaliMali is a heartland of flat earth roofs on timber, from Djenné and Timbuktu to Dogon villages; metal sheet and concrete now dominate new building.
• Roofing in MaltaHow Malta roofs its buildings: flat limestone-slab roofs sealed with lime and crushed-pottery deffun, corbelled giren huts, and modern concrete roofs.
• Roofing in MauritaniaMauritania's caravan towns of Chinguetti and Ouadane are built of dry stone with flat roofs timbered in palm wood; nomadic tents were long the main shelter.
• Roofing in MauritiusMauritius moved from thatch and iron-on-timber roofs to concrete after cyclones Alix and Carol destroyed nearly 40% of its housing in 1960.
• Roofing in MexicoMexican roofing: Maya corbel vaults, palm thatch and colonial tile and brick vaults; today 78.6% of homes have concrete slab roofs (2020 census).
• Roofing in MicronesiaRoofing in the Federated States of Micronesia: thatched faluw and houses, Nan Madol’s basalt city, and today mostly metal or concrete roofs.
• Roofing in MoldovaMoldovan roofing: four- and two-pitched roofs of reed over wattle-and-clay village houses, carved wooden gable 'spears', and Soviet-era asbestos-cement sheet.
• Roofing in MonacoMonaco roofing: terracotta tiles on older buildings, a dense high-rise skyline, and government promotion of green and solar roofs.
• Roofing in MongoliaMongolian roofing centres on the felt-covered ger with its crown ring and radiating poles, alongside concrete and panel buildings in Ulaanbaatar.
• Roofing in MontenegroHow Montenegro roofs its buildings: karst stone houses with curved clay tiles, earlier straw, slate or stone slabs, and the Venetian towns of Kotor Bay.
• Roofing in MoroccoMorocco combines flat earth roofs of kasbahs and ksour, cedar ceilings, green-tiled pitched roofs on mosques, and flat roofs required in new districts from 1914.
• Roofing in MozambiqueMozambique's roofs range from the palm-leaf macuti houses and stone town of Mozambique Island to today's corrugated iron and fibre-cement sheet.
• Roofing in MyanmarRoofing in Myanmar (Burma), from the brick vaults of Bagan and teak monasteries crowned by tiered pyatthat to dhani palm thatch and corrugated metal sheet.
• Roofing in NamibiaMost Namibian homes are roofed with corrugated iron, but grass thatch still covered about a quarter of households in the 2011 census sample.
• Roofing in NauruNauru roofing: a phosphate-era housing stock of metal roofs on concrete or board walls, with roof gutters feeding household water tanks.
• Roofing in NepalNepal is known for the tiered, tile-roofed Newar pagodas of the Kathmandu Valley; its houses use thatch, tile, slate, iron sheet and concrete.
• Roofing in New ZealandNew Zealand roofing: Māori lashed timber and thatch, colonial raupō, shakes and iron, then profiled steel, tiles and post-leaky-building rules.
• Roofing in NicaraguaNicaraguan roofing: colonial tile and the vaulted León Cathedral, Caribbean-coast thatch and timber, and metal sheet in a hurricane- and quake-prone country.
• Roofing in NigerIn Niger, flat earth roofs remain among the most common, alongside metal sheet and straw; Agadez is a landmark of Saharan mud-brick building.
• Roofing in NigeriaNigerian roofing runs from Hausa earth domes and Yoruba and Igbo thatch to today's near-universal metal sheet, locally called 'zinc', and concrete slabs.
• Roofing in North AfricaOverview of roofing in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt: flat roof terraces, earth kasbahs, domes and vaults, cedar ceilings and concrete today.
• Roofing in North KoreaNorth Korean roofing shares the Korean giwa tile and choga thatch tradition; modern Pyongyang mixes concrete flat roofs with monumental tiled roofs.
• Roofing in North MacedoniaRoofing in North Macedonia: Byzantine domed churches of Ohrid, Ottoman mosque domes in Skopje, and a building code shaped by the 1963 Skopje earthquake.
• Roofing in NorwayNorwegian roofing: birch-bark and turf roofs, tarred stave-church shingles, phyllite slate and today's tile, steel and membranes, built for snow, rain and wind.
• Roofing in OmanOmani roofing: mud-brick forts and villages with flat roofs on palm-log or teak beams, painted ceilings, sarooj, and modern concrete.
• Roofing in PakistanPakistani roofs are mostly flat: concrete slabs in cities, and roofs on steel girders, timber or bamboo in villages, in a country of high earthquake risk.
• Roofing in PalauPalauan roofing: the steep, decorated bai meeting house thatched with pandanus or nipa palm, and modern metal and concrete roofs.
• Roofing in PalestinePalestinian roofing from Neolithic Jericho to the lead-covered timber roof of the Church of the Nativity and modern flat concrete roofs.
• Roofing in PanamaPanamanian roofing: colonial tile in the Casco Antiguo, palm and straw thatch in Indigenous comarcas, and metal sheet and concrete in modern homes.
• Roofing in Papua New GuineaPNG roofing: steep thatch of palm leaf, pandanus or grass on lashed frames, towering Sepik spirit houses, and a shift to metal sheet.
• Roofing in ParaguayParaguayan roofing: Guaraní straw roofs replaced by fired clay tile in the Jesuit missions of the 17th-18th centuries, a tradition still visible today.
• Roofing in PeruPeruvian roofing: Inca ichu thatch, Uros reed houses, Lima's quincha and earth roofs; today concrete covers 42.8% and metal or fibre-cement 39.2% (2017).
• Roofing in PolandPolish roofing: shingled wooden churches, Zakopane-style highland roofs, clay tile, asbestos sheets to remove by 2032, and a market led by metal roofing.
• Roofing in Poland and Eastern EuropeOverview of roofing in Poland and Eastern Europe: wooden shingle heritage, clay and concrete tile, metal sheet tiles and legacy asbestos-cement sheets.
• Roofing in PortugalHow Portugal roofs its buildings: low-pitched clay tile roofs almost everywhere, schist and slate in the interior, and flat terraces in the Algarve.
• Roofing in Puerto RicoPuerto Rican roofing: concrete slabs and zinc sheet over a Taíno and Spanish past; after Hurricane Maria in 2017 nearly 60,000 homes received temporary blue roofs.
• Roofing in QatarQatari roofing: layered flat roofs of danshil mangrove poles, bamboo or palm mats and clay on coral and limestone walls; GSAS for new buildings.
• Roofing in RomaniaRomanian roofing: fir-shingle church spires of Maramureș, reed thatch in the Danube Delta, Saxon tiled roofs with Sibiu's 'eyes', and seismic and snow codes.
• Roofing in RussiaRussian roofing: timber tent roofs, onion domes clad in aspen shingles, painted sheet iron, Soviet asbestos slate and flat panel-block roofs, and today's metal tile.
• Roofing in RwandaRwanda's roofs are iron sheets and locally made clay tiles; grass-thatched nyakatsi houses were removed nationwide in a 2009-2011 government campaign.
• Roofing in Saint Kitts and NevisKittitian and Nevisian roofing: timber and concrete houses with hip roofs and metal sheet, regulated through the OECS Building Code adapted for the federation.
• Roofing in Saint LuciaSaint Lucian roofing: steep hip and gable roofs on timber houses, corrugated metal sheet, and building regulation based on the OECS model code.
• Roofing in Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesVincentian roofing: metal-sheet hip roofs on timber and concrete houses under the OECS code; Hurricane Beryl in 2024 damaged about 90% of homes on Union Island.
• Roofing in SamoaSamoan roofing: the open-sided fale with a domed thatched roof lashed with sennit, now largely roofed with corrugated iron.
• Roofing in San MarinoRoofing in San Marino, a hilltop microstate on Mount Titano whose stone fortifications and historic centre are a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• Roofing in São Tomé and PríncipeSão Tomé and Príncipe's built heritage is dominated by about 200 colonial cocoa and coffee roças; six were inscribed as World Heritage in 2026.
• Roofing in Saudi ArabiaSaudi roofing: Najdi mud-brick flat roofs on tamarisk beams, coral-stone tower houses of Jeddah, rock-cut Hegra and today’s insulated concrete roofs.
• Roofing in ScandinaviaOverview of roofing in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland: turf and timber traditions, clay and concrete tiles, sheet metal and designs for snow.
• Roofing in SenegalSenegal mixes metal sheet, concrete slabs and thatch more evenly than its neighbours; Dakar is mostly concrete, while Casamance has thatched impluvium houses.
• Roofing in SerbiaHow Serbia roofs its buildings: domed medieval churches, high-hipped log houses with straw or shingle roofs, tiled bondruk houses and modern tile and metal.
• Roofing in SeychellesSeychelles Creole houses have high-pitched roofs, first of pandanus thatch and, after 1902 in Victoria, corrugated iron, over timber frames and verandahs.
• Roofing in Sierra LeoneMost Sierra Leone homes have corrugated metal ('zinc') roofs; thatch survives in rural areas and Freetown's timber Krio board houses are a threatened heritage.
• Roofing in SingaporeRoofing in Singapore, from attap and zinc kampong roofs to the flat concrete roofs of HDB blocks, now widely fitted with solar panels and greenery.
• Roofing in SlovakiaSlovak roofing: hand-split spruce and larch shingles on log villages such as Vlkolínec, Carpathian wooden churches, and the STN 73 1901 roof standard.
• Roofing in SloveniaHow Slovenia roofs its buildings, from straw- and shingle-roofed kozolec hayracks and Alpine herders' huts to modern tiled and metal roofs.
• Roofing in SomaliaSomalia's roofs range from the nomadic aqal, a dome of saplings and woven mats, to medieval stone and coral-stone towns such as Mogadishu's Hamar Weyne.
• Roofing in South AfricaSouth African homes are mostly roofed in corrugated metal and tile, with a regulated thatching trade (SANS 10407) and shelter evidence back to Border Cave.
• Roofing in South KoreaSouth Korean roofing: giwa clay tiles and choga rice-straw thatch, replaced from the 1970s by slate and concrete, with flat roofs on today's apartment towers.
• Roofing in South SudanIn South Sudan most households live in round tukul huts with conical grass-thatch roofs; metal sheet covered only about 3% of homes in a 2010 survey sample.
• Roofing in Southeast AsiaOverview of roofing in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia: steep tropical roofs, clay tile, thatch and widespread metal sheet.
• Roofing in Southern AfricaOverview of Southern African roofing: thatched rondavels and Cape Dutch homes, widespread corrugated iron, and concrete and clay tiles in suburbs.
• Roofing in SpainHow Spain roofs its buildings: curved clay teja árabe across the centre and south, natural slate in the rainy north-west, and flat azoteas in dry areas.
• Roofing in Sri LankaMost Sri Lankan homes have asbestos-cement sheet or clay tile roofs; older roofs range from the bronze-tiled Lovamahapaya to Kandyan tiled image houses.
• Roofing in SudanSudan's roofs range from Nubian mud-brick vaults and flat clay roofs to thatched round huts; thatch, local earth roofs and metal sheet dominate today.
• Roofing in SurinameSurinamese roofing: Paramaribo's UNESCO-listed timber houses with steep roofs, mostly of corrugated iron, rebuilt after the fires of 1821 and 1832.
• Roofing in SwedenSwedish roofing: turf and birch bark, tarred pine shingles on churches, Stockholm tar, and today's concrete tiles, steel sheet and felt, designed for snow.
• Roofing in SwitzerlandSwiss roofing: deep-eaved chalet roofs, tiled farmhouses, stone-slab roofs in Ticino, Valais and Graubünden, and Basel's extensive green roofs.
• Roofing in SyriaSyrian roofing: mud beehive domes of the north, basalt slab roofs of the Hauran, red-tiled central hall houses and modern flat concrete.
• Roofing in TaiwanTaiwanese roofing: Indigenous stone-slab and thatch houses, Hokkien swallowtail-ridge temples, then concrete roofs topped by countless steel rooftop additions.
• Roofing in TajikistanTajikistan's distinctive roof is the flat earth roof of the Pamiri house (chid), carried on five pillars and lit by a stepped skylight, the chorkhona.
• Roofing in TanzaniaTanzania is roofed mostly in iron sheets (85% of households in 2022), with grass or leaf thatch at 12%; its coast has medieval coral-stone domes and vaults.
• Roofing in ThailandRoofing in Thailand, from tiered temple roofs with chofa finials and naga bargeboards to regional stilt houses with tall gables, clay or wooden tiles and thatch.
• Roofing in the Arctic and GreenlandOverview of roofing in Greenland and the Arctic: turf and timber traditions, metal and membrane roofs today, designed for snow, wind, cold and ice.
• Roofing in the BahamasBahamian roofing: timber and shingle traditions under an early mandatory Caribbean building code, tested by Category 5 Hurricane Dorian in 2019.
• Roofing in the CaribbeanOverview of Caribbean roofing: steep hip roofs, corrugated metal and concrete slabs, shaped above all by hurricane winds.
• Roofing in the Central African RepublicMost Central African Republic homes are sun-dried brick under wild-grass or palm-frond thatch; cement-block houses with metal-sheet roofs mark wealth.
• Roofing in the Democratic Republic of the CongoMost DRC households still live under thatch or palm leaf, with metal sheet on under a third (2017-18); Mangbetu royal halls were vast timber vaults.
• Roofing in the Dominican RepublicDominican roofing: from the Taíno bohío to zinc and concrete; the 2022 census found 50.9% of homes with concrete roofs and 47.5% with zinc sheet.
• Roofing in the GambiaIn the Gambia about four in five homes are roofed with corrugated metal sheet, about one in ten with thatch, and a few with concrete.
• Roofing in the MaldivesThe coral stone mosques of the Maldives record a shift from coconut-palm thatch on timber roofs to clay tiles and then metal sheet.
• Roofing in the Marshall IslandsMarshallese roofing: pandanus-thatched roofs on four posts with a rat-proof loft, largely replaced by galvanised and aluminium sheet.
• Roofing in the Middle East and GulfOverview of roofing in the Middle East and Gulf: flat masonry and concrete roofs, domes and windcatchers, with heat, sun and rare heavy rain as drivers.
• Roofing in the NetherlandsDutch roofing: ceramic pantiles and interlocking tiles, a thriving reed-thatch trade with strict fire rules, and flat roofs turning green and blue.
• Roofing in the Netherlands and BelgiumOverview of Low Countries roofing: ceramic pantiles and flat tiles, a living reed-thatch tradition and many flat roofs with membranes and greenery.
• Roofing in the Pacific IslandsOverview of Pacific Islands roofing: thatched timber buildings lashed with sennit, largely replaced by corrugated metal, built for cyclones.
• Roofing in the PhilippinesRoofing in the Philippines runs from nipa and cogon thatch on stilt houses to colonial clay tile, and today about 86% of homes use galvanised iron or aluminium sheet.
• Roofing in the Republic of the CongoIn the Republic of the Congo, village houses are mostly mud brick with thatched or metal roofs, while urban houses in Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire are concrete.
• Roofing in the Solomon IslandsSolomon Islands roofing: sago-palm leaf thatch on timber frames, now mostly corrugated iron, with thatch still common in villages.
• Roofing in the United Arab EmiratesUAE roofing: palm-frond arish houses, coral and mud-brick houses with windtowers, and modern concrete roofs under Estidama and Dubai green codes.
• Roofing in the United KingdomUK roofing: Welsh, Scottish and Cornish slate, clay and concrete tiles, stone slates and thatch, built for a wet, windy maritime climate.
• Roofing in the United StatesUS roofing: from Pueblo earth roofs and bark longhouses to colonial shingles and slate; today asphalt shingles on houses and membranes on flat roofs, under ICC codes.
• Roofing in Timor-LesteRoofing in Timor-Leste, from tall thatched sacred houses (uma lulik) to a housing stock where 81% of roofs were modern materials such as metal sheet by 2015.
• Roofing in TogoTogo's roofs are now mostly metal sheet, replacing the thatch still common in 2010; the Batammariba tower-houses of Koutammakou are its roofing landmark.
• Roofing in TongaTongan roofing: lashed fale structures survive mainly in churches and halls; nearly all homes now have metal roofs, tested by Cyclone Gita.
• Roofing in Trinidad and TobagoTrinidad and Tobago roofing: steep-gabled Victorian gingerbread houses with dormers, colonial slate and timber roofs, and modern sheet and concrete roofs.
• Roofing in TunisiaTunisia's roofs include early Islamic domes at Kairouan, fortified flat terraces on Djerba, and Matmata's pit houses, which have no roof at all.
• Roofing in TurkeyTurkish roofing from Neolithic roof-entry houses at Çatalhöyük to Ottoman lead domes, clay tile, flat earth roofs and modern concrete.
• Roofing in TurkmenistanTurkmenistan's roofing heritage centres on the brick domes of Merv and Kunya-Urgench; the 1948 Ashgabat earthquake reshaped modern construction.
• Roofing in TuvaluTuvalu roofing: atoll houses and maneapa meeting halls once thatched, now overwhelmingly corrugated iron with gutters feeding rainwater tanks.
• Roofing in UgandaUganda's roofs are mostly iron sheets (72% of households in 2014) but thatch still covered a quarter of homes; the Kasubi royal tombs are a great thatched dome.
• Roofing in UkraineUkrainian roofing: four-sloped straw and reed thatch on whitewashed khatas, shingle-clad wooden tserkvas in the Carpathians, Soviet shifer and post-war repair.
• Roofing in UruguayUruguayan roofing: Portuguese-Spanish colonial tile in Colonia del Sacramento, and modern concrete, metal sheet and tile in a temperate, low-seismicity land.
• Roofing in UzbekistanUzbekistan's Silk Road cities are known for brick domes and tiled cupolas; houses were mud-brick with painted timber ceilings; Tashkent was rebuilt after 1966.
• Roofing in VanuatuVanuatu roofing: natangura sago-palm thatch and nakamal meeting houses alongside corrugated iron, both battered by Cyclone Pam in 2015.
• Roofing in Vatican CityRoofing in Vatican City, the 44-hectare papal state whose skyline is dominated by the double-shelled masonry dome of St Peter's Basilica.
• Roofing in VenezuelaVenezuelan roofing: Yanomami palm-thatched shabonos, earthen colonial Coro with Dutch Caribbean influence, and modern concrete and metal sheet.
• Roofing in VietnamRoofing in Vietnam, from Dong Son-era stilt houses and handmade yin-yang clay tiles to the glazed double roofs of Hue and modern concrete tube houses.
• Roofing in West AfricaOverview of West African roofing: Sahelian earth roofs and coastal thatch traditions, now mostly corrugated metal and concrete slabs.
• Roofing in YemenYemeni roofing: flat-roofed earth tower houses of Sana’a and Shibam, kept watertight by constant re-mudding, now threatened by floods and war.
• Roofing in ZambiaZambian roofs are mainly metal sheet and grass thatch; national surveys also record asbestos, cement-fibre sheet, mud tiles and 'harvey tiles'.
• Roofing in ZimbabweZimbabwe's roofs run from Great Zimbabwe's daga huts and thatch to modern asbestos-cement and iron sheet, which cover most homes in recent surveys.
• Roofing Industry Committee on Weather Issues (RICOWI)RICOWI is a U.S. roofing industry group that sends investigation teams to study roof performance after major hail and windstorms.
• Roofing KettleA fuel-fired tank that melts and heats asphalt or coal tar for hot-applied built-up roofing and other hot-mopped systems.
• Roofing Market Size and StatisticsEstimates of the size and growth of the global roofing materials market, with the dates and limits of the figures.
• Roofing Nailer (Coil Nailer)A pneumatic or cordless nail gun fed by coils of short, wide-headed nails, used mainly to fasten asphalt shingles and underlayment.
• Roofing Permits and InspectionsMany authorities require a permit for roof replacement and some for larger repairs, with inspections to confirm compliance with the building code.
• Roofing Shovel (Tear-Off Tool)A long-handled spade with a notched or serrated blade and a fulcrum heel, used to strip old shingles and nails during tear-off.
• Roofing SquareA roofing square is a North American unit of roof area equal to 100 square feet (about 9.3 m²), used for ordering and pricing roofing.
• Roofing Today (magazine)Roofing Today is a UK trade magazine and news site for roofing contractors and specifiers, published by Construction Media Publishing Ltd.
• Roofing TorchA propane-fuelled open-flame torch used to melt the bitumen on torch-applied modified bitumen membranes during installation.
• Roofing UnderlaymentRoofing underlayment is the water-resistant sheet laid over the roof deck or rafters beneath the roof covering, acting as a secondary barrier against water.
• Roofing Warranty TypesRoofing warranties fall into two main groups: manufacturer warranties on materials or systems, and contractor workmanship warranties on installation.
• Roofing Waste and LandfillWaste generated by roof replacement and construction, its share of construction and demolition debris, and ways to reduce it.
• Roofing WorkforceThe people who install and repair roofs, their numbers, pay and outlook, with US Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
• Roofs of the Forbidden CityThe yellow-glazed tiled roofs of Beijing's imperial palace, built 1406-1420, whose colours, forms and ridge figures encode imperial rank.
• Roofs of the Troodos Painted ChurchesSteep timber roofs with flat hooked tiles that cover the Byzantine painted churches of the Troodos mountains in Cyprus, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• Rooftop Solar PVPhotovoltaic panels mounted on building roofs to generate electricity, and the roofing issues of load, attachment, waterproofing and roof life.
• Rooftop Solar Water HeaterA roof-mounted solar collector and tank that heats domestic water; Israel made them mandatory on most new buildings in 1980.
• Rosin Paper Slip SheetA rosin paper slip sheet is a layer of rosin-sized building paper laid under copper and other seamed metal roofs so the metal can slide over the underlayment.
• Royal Palaces of AbomeyEarth-walled palaces of the Dahomey kings in Abomey, Benin, roofed with straw and sheet metal and decorated with painted bas-reliefs.
• Rubber ShingleA roofing shingle made largely from recycled rubber, often from vehicle tyres, moulded to look like slate or wood shake.
• Ruka (Mapuche House)Traditional Mapuche house of Chile and Argentina: a timber frame thatched with straw or reeds, with one east-facing door and a central hearth.
• Rumah GadangThe traditional Minangkabau house of West Sumatra, Indonesia, known for its curved, horn-like gonjong roof peaks thatched with palm fibre.
• RuukkiRuukki is the Finnish steel building-products brand of Rautaruukki, owned by Sweden's SSAB since 2014, supplying steel roofing across northern and eastern Europe.

S

• Sagging Roof DeckA visible dip or wave in a roof plane caused by deflecting sheathing, rafters, trusses or ridge, from overload, decay or inadequate framing.
• Sago Palm ThatchRoof thatch made from sago palm (Metroxylon) leaves, used across Melanesia; called natangura in Vanuatu.
• Sahelian Earthen RoofsFlat or slightly domed roofs of timber and mud used across the Sudano-Sahelian belt of West Africa, from Mali to northern Nigeria.
• Saint-GobainSaint-Gobain is a French building-materials group founded in 1665 whose roofing interests include CertainTeed and Building Products of Canada.
• Saltbox and Catslide RoofA saltbox roof is an asymmetric gable roof with one long slope reaching low at the back; a catslide is a roof that extends below the main eave line.
• Samoan FaleOpen-sided Samoan house with a domed roof on timber posts, traditionally thatched with sugarcane leaves and lashed with coconut-fibre sennit.
• SANS 10407 Thatched Roof ConstructionSouth African national standard for thatched roof construction (edition 2, 2015), used with SANS 10400 Parts L and T for pitch, thickness, timbers and fire.
• Sawtooth RoofA sawtooth roof is a series of parallel ridges, each with one steep, glazed face and one shallower solid face, giving a jagged profile and even daylight.
• SBS Modified BitumenModified bitumen membrane made elastic with styrene-butadiene-styrene rubber, installed by torch, hot asphalt, cold adhesive or self-adhesion.
• Scandinavian Sod RoofsTurf laid over layers of birch bark, the traditional roof of rural Norway and much of Scandinavia from prehistory until the 18th-19th centuries.
• Schindel (Alpine and Central European Wood Shingles)Hand-split wooden roof and wall shingles traditional in the Alps and Central Europe, made from spruce, pine or larch and still used on heritage buildings.
• Scottish SlateNatural roofing slate once quarried in Scotland's West Highlands, Highland Border and Aberdeenshire; none has been quarried since 1965.
• ScupperAn opening through a parapet or roof edge that lets water drain off a low-slope roof, either as the primary outlet or as an emergency overflow.
• Sealed Roof DeckA roof deck whose panel joints are sealed with tape or a self-adhered membrane so rain cannot pass through if the covering is lost.
• Seam FailureOpening or separation of the joints between sheets of a roof membrane or metal panel, allowing water into the roof assembly.
• Seam ProbeA small hooked or blunt-pointed hand tool drawn along the edge of welded or taped membrane seams to find unbonded voids.
• Secondary Water BarrierA layer beneath the roof covering that limits water entry if shingles, tiles or panels are torn off in a storm.
• Self-Adhered Roofing MembraneA roofing sheet supplied with factory-applied adhesive under a release film, bonded by peeling the film and pressing the sheet down.
• Seychellois Creole HouseTimber house of the Seychelles with a high-pitched roof, first of pandanus thatch and later corrugated iron, a large verandah and raised stone foundations.
• ShabonoRing-shaped communal dwelling of the Yanomami of Venezuela and Brazil: a continuous palm-thatched lean-to roof around an open central plaza.
• Shed Roof (Skillion, Mono-Pitch, Lean-To)A shed roof is a single flat plane sloping in one direction; it is called a skillion in Australia and a mono-pitch, pent or lean-to roof in the UK.
• Sheet Metal BrakeA bending machine that clamps sheet metal and folds it along a straight line, used to make flashings, trims, drip edges and panels.
• Sheet Metal Gauge and Thickness ConversionGauge is a traditional, non-linear number for sheet thickness used in North America; a higher gauge means thinner metal, and values differ by metal.
• Shibam Tower HousesThe mud-brick tower houses of Shibam, Yemen, up to 11 storeys high, whose walls and roofs depend on constant re-mudding.
• Shifer (Asbestos-Cement Slate)Shifer is the common Russian and Ukrainian name for corrugated asbestos-cement roofing sheet, the standard rural roof of the Soviet Union and its successor states.
• Shingle Curling, Clawing and CuppingDistortion of asphalt shingles in which edges turn up (cupping) or corners and middles lift (clawing), usually from age, heat or moisture.
• Shingle Exposure and OffsetExposure is the visible height of each shingle course; offset is the horizontal stagger of joints between courses so water never lines up with a gap.
• Shingle Wind Resistance RatingsTest classifications such as ASTM D3161 and ASTM D7158 that indicate how well steep-slope roofing resists wind blow-off.
• Siheyuan RoofRidged, tiled roofs of the siheyuan courtyard houses of Beijing and northern China, with curved eaves and a south-facing main hall.
• SikaSika is a Swiss specialty chemicals company founded in 1910 whose roofing range includes Sarnafil and Sikaplan single-ply membranes and liquid-applied roofing.
• Silicone Roof CoatingA high-solids, UV-stable elastomeric coating used for low-slope roof restoration and SPF protection; many products tolerate ponding water.
• Singapore Skyrise GreenerySingapore's policies and incentives that encourage rooftop and vertical greenery on buildings, including the Skyrise Greenery Incentive Scheme.
• Single Ply Roofing Association (SPRA)SPRA is the UK trade association for the single-ply membrane roofing industry, covering products, installation, training and aftercare.
• Single-Ply Membrane RecyclingCollection and recycling of PVC, TPO and other thermoplastic roofing membranes, including Europe's Roofcollect scheme.
• Single-Ply RoofingLow-slope roofing that uses one layer of factory-made polymer sheet, such as TPO, PVC, EPDM or PIB, joined at seams and held by ballast, fasteners or adhesive.
• Skara Brae and Neolithic Orkney RoofsThe debate over how the stone houses of Skara Brae, Orkney, were roofed, and the sandstone roof slabs found at the nearby Ness of Brodgar.
• Skilled Trades OntarioSkilled Trades Ontario is the provincial agency that runs apprenticeship programs, trade exams and Certificates of Qualification in Ontario, Canada.
• Skip Sheathing (Spaced Sheathing)Skip sheathing is roof decking made of boards laid with gaps between them, traditionally used under wood shingles and shakes to let them dry.
• Skylight and Roof WindowA skylight is a glazed opening in a roof that admits daylight; an opening skylight within reach of occupants is usually called a roof window.
• Skylight Flashing InstallationSkylight flashing seals a roof window or skylight to the roof using a head flashing, side step flashings and a sill apron, usually from a manufacturer's kit.
• Slate CutterA lever-action shear, often called a guillotine, that trims roofing slates to size and may also punch nail holes.
• Slate DelaminationThe splitting and flaking of roofing slate into thin layers as it weathers, marking the end of an individual slate's service life.
• Slate Hook FixingA method of securing roofing slates with metal hooks that grip the slate's tail, as an alternative to nailing through holes near the head or centre.
• Slate Landscape of Northwest WalesA UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed in 2021, recognising the Gwynedd slate quarries that roofed much of the world from 1780 to 1940.
• Slate RepairSlate repair replaces individual broken slates by cutting the old nails with a slate ripper and securing a new slate with a nail and bib flashing, a hook or a tab.
• Slate RipperA long, thin steel blade with hooked notches used to reach under slates or tiles and cut or pull the hidden nails holding a damaged unit.
• Slate Roof InstallationSlate installation lays split natural slates in double-lap courses, hung on copper or stainless nails (or hooks) with a set headlap that depends on pitch.
• Slate Roofing Contractors Association of North America (SRCA)The SRCA is a non-profit trade association for slate roofers, founded in 2005 in Pennsylvania, that publishes free slate installation guidelines.
• Slater's Hammer and ZaxTraditional slating hand tools: the slater's hammer drives nails, punches holes and trims slate; the zax is a bladed cutter with a punch point.
• Slipped and Cracked Roof TilesDisplacement or breakage of clay or concrete roof tiles from failed fixings, impact, foot traffic, frost or movement.
• Snap-Lock Standing SeamSnap-lock standing seam panels click together at the seam without a seaming tool, held down by concealed clips or an integral fastening flange.
• Snow Guards and Snow RetentionSnow guards are devices fixed to a roof to hold or break up snow and ice so it does not slide off in dangerous slabs; they are especially common on metal roofs.
• Snow LoadThe weight of accumulated snow and ice that a roof must be designed to carry, derived from local ground snow data and roof shape.
• Snow Sliding and Snow GuardsThe sudden release of snow and ice from a sloped roof, and the guards and rails installed to break it up and hold it in place.
• Sod RoofA traditional Scandinavian roof of turf laid over layers of birch bark on gently sloping boards; the forerunner of modern green roofs.
• SoffitA soffit is the underside lining of a roof overhang, closing the space between the fascia and the wall, often fitted with vents.
• Solar ReflectanceThe fraction of incoming sunlight a surface reflects, from 0 (absorbs all) to 1 (reflects all); also called albedo.
• Solar Reflectance Index (SRI)The Solar Reflectance Index (SRI) combines a surface's solar reflectance and thermal emittance into one number, where standard black is 0 and standard white is 100.
• Solar Roof Mounting SystemsRacking that secures solar panels to roofs: penetrating rail systems, seam clamps on metal roofs and ballasted racks on flat roofs.
• Solar ShingleA photovoltaic module shaped and installed like a roofing shingle or tile, so that it forms part of the roof covering while generating electricity.
• Soldering Sheet Metal RoofingSoldering joins copper, terne-coated stainless, zinc and similar roof sheets with molten tin-based alloy to make watertight seams, especially on low slopes.
• SopremaSoprema is a family-controlled French manufacturer of waterproofing, insulation and green-roof products, founded in 1908 and active in about 90 countries.
• Spanish Mediterranean Terracotta RoofLow-pitched roof of curved terracotta tiles laid in alternating channels and caps, typical of Spain and the Mediterranean and of Spanish colonial architecture.
• Spanish SlateNatural roofing slate from north-west Spain, mainly Galicia; Spain supplies about 90% of Europe's roofing slate.
• Spanish TileA one-piece clay or concrete roof tile with a deep S-curve that imitates two-piece barrel tiling in a single unit.
• Spray Polyurethane Foam (SPF) RoofingA seamless roof made by spraying two-part rigid polyurethane foam onto the substrate and covering it with an elastomeric coating or aggregate.
• Spray Polyurethane Foam ApplicationSPF roofing is applied by spraying two liquid components that react and expand into a seamless foam layer, then protecting it with a coating.
• SPRISPRI is a U.S. trade association of single-ply membrane and roofing component suppliers that develops ANSI wind-design and edge standards.
• St Paul's Cathedral DomeChristopher Wren's triple-layered dome over St Paul's Cathedral, London, completed in 1708-1711 and rising 111 m (365 ft) to the cross.
• St Stephen's Cathedral RoofThe steep glazed-tile roof of St Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, about 230,000 tiles forming eagles and coats of arms, rebuilt on steel after a 1945 fire.
• Stainless Steel RoofingStainless steel roofing uses chromium-alloyed steel sheet, either bare or tin-coated, for long-life standing seam, seamed or shingle roofs.
• Standard IndustriesStandard Industries is a privately held New York-based industrial group that owns GAF, BMI Group, Siplast and other building-materials businesses.
• Standing Seam Clips (Fixed and Sliding)Standing seam clips are concealed brackets that hold panels down at the seams; fixed clips pin the panel, sliding clips let it move with temperature.
• Standing Seam InstallationStanding seam installation fixes long metal panels to the deck with concealed clips and joins them along raised seams that are snapped or mechanically seamed.
• Standing Seam Metal RoofA standing seam roof uses long metal pans joined by raised seams and held down by concealed clips, so no fasteners pierce the weathering surface.
• Starter CourseA starter course is the first row of roofing material along the eaves (and often rakes) that seals and backs the first visible course of shingles.
• Stave Church RoofsSteep, tiered timber roofs of Norway's medieval stave churches, such as Urnes (UNESCO) and Borgund, built to shed heavy rain and snow.
• Step FlashingStep flashing is a series of small L-shaped pieces woven into each course of shingles or tiles where a roof slope meets a sidewall or chimney side.
• Step Flashing InstallationStep flashing is a series of L-shaped metal pieces woven into each course where a sloped roof meets a sidewall or chimney side.
• Stone Roofs of GjirokastërThe flat dressed-stone roofs of Gjirokastër, Albania, an Ottoman-era hill town known as the "City of Stone" and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• Stone Roofs of ZagoriRoofs of limestone or sandstone slabs, held by their own weight, on the stone villages of Zagori in Epirus, Greece, a UNESCO cultural landscape.
• Stone SlateA roofing unit split from sedimentary limestone or sandstone, laid in diminishing courses; traditional in parts of Britain, France and the Alps.
• Stone-Coated Steel RoofingStone-coated steel roofing is pressed metallic-coated steel panels bonded with natural stone granules to look like tile, shake or shingle.
• Stonesfield SlateA frost-split Jurassic limestone roofing slate from Stonesfield, Oxfordshire, used on prestigious Cotswold and Oxford buildings and famous for its fossils.
• StramitStramit is an Australian maker of roll-formed steel roofing, walling, rainwater and structural products, part of Fletcher Building since 2005.
• Swahili Coral-Stone HouseThe Swahili coral-stone house of the East African coast has lime-bonded coral walls and heavy coral roofs on mangrove-pole joists that limit rooms to about 3 m wide.
• Swallowtail RoofA swallowtail roof has a main ridge whose ends sweep up and split like a swallow's tail, typical of Hokkien temples and mansions in Fujian and Taiwan.
• Sydney Opera House RoofThe shell roofs of the Sydney Opera House, built of precast concrete ribs and panels and clad in 1,056,006 Swedish-made ceramic tiles.
• Synthetic ShakeA polymer or rubber roofing product moulded to imitate split cedar shakes, with lower maintenance and fire risk than wood.
• Synthetic SlateA roofing tile moulded from polymers such as polypropylene, polyethylene or rubber with mineral fillers, made to look like natural slate.

T

• T-Lock ShingleAn asphalt shingle with a T-shaped profile that hooks into neighbouring shingles instead of relying on a sealant strip; production ended around 2006.
• TAMKO Building ProductsTAMKO is a family-led US roofing manufacturer founded in Joplin, Missouri in 1944, known for asphalt shingles, underlayments and waterproofing.
• TandrotranoMalagasy 'roof horns': gable timbers crossed above the ridge of highland houses, whose length once signalled the rank of a noble family.
• Tapered InsulationRoof insulation boards cut with a built-in slope and laid in a planned sequence to create falls toward drains on a level deck.
• Tapersawn ShakeA thick wooden shake sawn on both faces to a taper, combining the bulk of a shake with the smoother look of a sawn shingle.
• Taq KasraThe great Sasanian brick vault at Ctesiphon, Iraq, about 37 m high and 26 m wide, built without centring.
• TAS 100TAS 100 is a Florida Building Code test protocol that checks whether discontinuous roof systems keep out wind-driven rain at speeds up to 110 mph.
• Tata Steel Colors (formerly Tata BlueScope Steel)Tata Steel Colors, formerly Tata BlueScope Steel, is an Indian coated-steel and roofing maker founded in 2005 as a Tata Steel-BlueScope joint venture.
• Tear-Off vs OverlayTear-off removes the existing roof covering down to the deck; an overlay (recover) installs a new covering over the old one where codes permit.
• Tegola CanadeseTegola Canadese is an Italian maker of asphalt (bitumen) shingles and roofing components based in Vittorio Veneto, part of the IWIS Group.
• Tejuela (Chilean Wood Shingle)Hand-split wooden shingle of southern Chile and adjoining Argentina, used to clad roofs and walls, notably in Chiloé and Aysén.
• Tensile Membrane RoofA roof of tensioned fabric or foil, such as PTFE-coated glass fibre, PVC-coated polyester or ETFE, held in curved shapes by masts, cables and edge beams.
• Tension LevelingTension leveling stretches metal coil slightly beyond its yield point to flatten it and release built-in stresses, reducing oil canning in roof panels.
• Terne PlateTerne plate is iron or steel sheet coated with a dull lead-tin alloy, historically used for painted roofs; it is no longer produced.
• Terne-Coated Stainless Steel (TCS)Terne-coated stainless steel is stainless sheet with a thin tin coating that weathers to matte grey; it replaced traditional lead-tin terne plate.
• Terra AmataA Lower Palaeolithic beach site in Nice, France, interpreted as a camp of pole-and-hide huts about 400,000 years old; the interpretation is disputed.
• TerracottaFired, usually unglazed clay, typically reddish from iron oxide; in roofing the word is often used for natural clay tiles.
• TerrealTerreal is a French maker of clay roof tiles and brick formed in 2002 from older French tile works, and part of Wienerberger since 2024.
• Tesla Solar RoofTesla Solar Roof is a roof covering of glass solar tiles and steel tiles sold by Tesla's energy business, unveiled in 2016 and in volume production from 2020.
• Thai Temple RoofThe tiered, steep roof of Thai Buddhist halls and palaces, with overlapping tiers, naga bargeboards (lamyong), hang hong finials and the bird-beak chofa.
• ThatchA roof covering of dry plant stems such as reed, straw, sedge, palm or grass, laid thickly so rain runs off the outer layer.
• Thatch Maintenance and DecayThe care cycle of a thatched roof, including periodic ridge replacement, patching, and eventual rethatching as the coatwork wears away.
• Thatch RidgeA thatch ridge is the separate covering laid over the apex of a thatched roof to bind and protect the main coat; it is renewed more often than the roof.
• Thatching Advisory ServicesThatching Advisory Services is a UK firm based in Devon that gives advice on thatching and thatch fire safety and supplies fire-protection systems.
• Thatching ProcessThatching lays bundles of water reed, wheat straw or similar plants in thick overlapping coats, fixed with sways, spars and liggers and finished with a ridge.
• Thermal EmittanceHow efficiently a surface releases absorbed heat as infrared radiation, rated from 0 to 1; high values help roofs stay cool.
• Thermal Movement in Metal RoofsMetal roof panels lengthen and shorten with temperature; systems must let them slide, or seams, fasteners and flashings will fatigue, buckle or leak.
• Three-Tab ShingleA single-layer asphalt strip shingle whose lower edge is divided by two cutouts into three equal tabs, giving a flat, uniform roof pattern.
• Through-Fastened (Exposed-Fastener) Metal PanelsThrough-fastened metal panels are corrugated or ribbed sheets screwed through their face into the roof structure, with sealing washers under each screw head.
• Through-Fastened Panel InstallationThrough-fastened metal panels are screwed directly through the sheet into purlins or decking with sealing washers, with side and end laps sealed against water.
• Tile BattensTile battens are horizontal timber strips fixed across the rafters or deck that set the spacing of tile or slate courses and provide their fixing point.
• Tile ClipsTile clips are metal fixings that hold the tail or side of a roof tile down against wind uplift; in storm-prone areas they are often called hurricane or storm clips.
• Tile Roofing Industry Alliance (TRI Alliance)The TRI Alliance is a North American association for concrete and clay roof tile, providing installation guides, training and code work.
• Tin Roof"Tin roof" historically meant iron sheet coated with tin (tinplate); today it is a colloquial name for almost any sheet-metal roof.
• TongkonanAncestral house of the Toraja of South Sulawesi, Indonesia, raised on piles under a huge boat-shaped saddleback roof of layered bamboo.
• Torch-Applied Modified BitumenTorch-on application bonds modified bitumen membrane rolls by melting their underside with a propane torch as the roll is unrolled over the roof.
• Tornado Roof DamageHow tornado winds strip roof coverings, lift decks and remove roof structures, and how the Enhanced Fujita scale uses roof damage to rate tornadoes.
• Toronto Green Roof BylawA 2009 City of Toronto bylaw requiring green roofs on many new large buildings, with coverage that rises with building size.
• Torvtak (Scandinavian Turf Roof)Traditional Norwegian and Scandinavian roof of birch bark covered with layers of turf, still used on cabins and heritage buildings.
• TPO RoofingThermoplastic polyolefin single-ply membrane, usually white and scrim-reinforced, joined by hot-air welding; the most widely used US low-slope membrane.
• Traditional Thai House (Ruean Thai)The raised timber or bamboo house of Thailand, with a steep gable roof and long eaves, built in distinct central, northern, northeastern and southern forms.
• Tremco RoofingTremco Roofing is the commercial roofing and building maintenance business of Tremco CPG, part of RPM International, based in Beachwood, Ohio.
• Trulli of AlberobelloDry-stone limestone houses in Puglia, Italy, capped by conical corbelled roofs of stone slabs; a UNESCO World Heritage property.
• TrustMarkTrustMark is the UK Government Endorsed Quality Scheme for home improvement work, including roofing, with vetted registered businesses.
• TukulRound hut of mud, poles and grass with a conical thatched roof, typical of South Sudan, Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea.
• Tunduk and Shangyrak (Yurt Crown)The tunduk (Kyrgyz) or shangyrak (Kazakh) is the wooden crown ring at the top of a Central Asian yurt roof, and a national symbol of both countries.

U

• UK Building Regulations and Approved Documents (B, C, L)In England, the Building Regulations are supported by Approved Documents; Parts B (fire), C (moisture) and L (energy) most affect roofs.
• UL 1897UL 1897 is a static-pressure test that measures how much wind uplift a roof covering system and its attachment can resist, usually run until failure.
• UL 2218UL 2218 is a North American impact test that drops steel balls on roof coverings to rate their hail resistance from Class 1 to Class 4.
• UL 580UL 580 is a North American test standard that rates roof assemblies for wind uplift resistance using static and oscillating air pressure, in Classes 15 to 90.
• Uma LulikThe sacred clan house of Timor-Leste, a raised timber house with a tall, steep roof of thatch or palm leaves, rebuilt widely since independence.
• Underlayment InstallationUnderlayment installation is the laying of a secondary water-resistant sheet over the roof deck, lapped shingle-fashion, before the main roof covering.
• Urban Heat IslandThe tendency of cities to be warmer than surrounding rural areas, driven partly by dark roofs and pavement that absorb sunlight.
• Uros Totora Reed HousesHouses of totora reed built by the Uros on floating reed islands in Lake Titicaca, Peru, with walls and roofs of woven reed mats.
• Utility Knife with Hook BladeA retractable or fixed utility knife fitted with hook-shaped blades for pull-cutting asphalt shingles, roofing felt and membranes.
• UV and Heat Degradation of RoofingHow sunlight and heat break down roofing materials over time through photo-oxidation, embrittlement, chalking and loss of protective surfaces.

V

• Valley InstallationValley installation is how roofing is laid where two roof slopes meet in an internal angle, using open, closed-cut or woven methods over a valley lining.
• Vapour Retarder (Vapour Control Layer)A layer placed on the warm side of roof insulation to limit water vapour moving from the building into the roof, where it could condense.
• Vapour-Permeable Underlay (Breather Membrane)A vapour-permeable underlay, or breather membrane, is a roof underlay that resists liquid water but lets water vapour pass, widely used in UK and European pitched roofs.
• Ventilation and Condensation Under Metal RoofsSome metal roofs, notably zinc and lead, need a ventilated or drained space beneath them so condensation cannot corrode the metal's underside.
• VerdigrisVerdigris is a green copper acetate compound; the word is often used loosely for the natural green patina on copper roofs, which is chemically different.
• Vermont SlateNatural roofing slate from the Slate Valley of western Vermont and eastern New York, one of the few sources of naturally coloured slate.
• Versico Roofing SystemsVersico is a commercial single-ply roofing brand and division of Carlisle Construction Materials, offering EPDM, TPO and PVC systems.
• Vietnamese Yin-Yang Tile (Ngói Âm Dương)Ngói âm dương, a thin handmade curved clay tile from northern Vietnam laid alternately face up and face down; still made by Tay and Nung craftspeople.
• Viga-and-Latilla RoofFlat earth roof of the American Southwest built on round log beams (vigas) and small poles (latillas), used since Ancestral Puebloan times.
• Viking Age LonghouseThe long, often curved-walled farmhouse of Viking Age Scandinavia, roofed with reed, straw, turf or wooden shingles depending on region and status.

W

• Warm RoofA warm roof is a construction in which insulation follows the roof slope or sits above the deck, so the structure and roof space stay within the heated envelope.
• Warning Line SystemA warning line system is a barrier of rope, wire or chain on stanchions set back from the edge of a low-slope roof to warn workers of the fall hazard.
• Waste FactorThe waste factor is the extra percentage of roofing material added to the measured roof area to cover cutting, trimming and breakage.
• Water Reed ThatchThatch made from the stems of common reed harvested from wetlands; the most durable thatching material in northern Europe.
• Welsh SlateRoofing slate quarried in north-west Wales, historically the world's leading source and now part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Welsh Slate IndustryThe slate quarries of north-west Wales, which by the late 19th century produced about a third of the world's roofing slate.
• Western Red CedarThuja plicata, a Pacific Northwest tree whose light, decay-resistant heartwood is the main species for wood shingles and shakes in North America.
• Western States Roofing Contractors Association (WSRCA)WSRCA is a regional association for roofing contractors in the western United States, founded in 1974.
• Westlake Royal RoofingWestlake Royal Roofing is the roofing business of Westlake Corporation, built largely from Boral's North American roofing operations bought in 2021.
• Westminster Hall RoofThe oak hammerbeam roof of Westminster Hall, London, commissioned by Richard II in 1393 and the largest medieval timber roof in northern Europe.
• WharenuiThe Māori meeting house at the heart of a marae in New Zealand; its gabled roof structure represents the body of an ancestor.
• White Rust (Wet Storage Stain)A white, powdery zinc corrosion product that forms on galvanised steel kept wet without air, often while panels are bundled in storage.
• WienerbergerWienerberger is a Vienna-based building-materials group founded in 1819, the world's largest brick maker and a leading European producer of clay and concrete roof tiles.
• Wildfire RoofingRoof design and materials that reduce the chance of a building igniting from embers, radiant heat or flames during a wildfire or bushfire.
• Wind DamageRoof damage caused by wind uplift, typically lifted, creased, torn or missing shingles, tiles or panels, often starting at edges.
• Wind UpliftThe upward suction and pressure that wind exerts on a roof, which must be resisted by the covering, deck, fasteners and framing.
• Wind Uplift Testing of Metal RoofsMetal roof systems are rated for wind by laboratory tests such as ASTM E1592, UL 580 and UL 1897, which apply suction to full roof assemblies.
• Wood ShakeA thick, rough-textured wooden roofing unit split from a log on at least one face, giving a rugged, deeply shadowed roof.
• Wood Shake InstallationWood shake installation lays split cedar shakes in spaced courses with felt interlay between each course, two nails per shake and offset joints.
• Wood ShingleA thin, tapered piece of wood, sawn on both faces, laid in overlapping courses as a roof or wall covering.
• Wood Shingle InstallationWood shingle installation lays sawn cedar shingles in triple-coverage courses with small gaps, two nails each and exposures set by length and pitch.
• Wooden Churches of Southern MałopolskaSix medieval log churches in southern Poland with tall, steep shingled roofs; inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2003.
• Wooden Tserkva Roofs of the CarpathiansShingle-clad tiered domes and pyramidal roofs of the Orthodox and Greek Catholic log churches (tserkvas) of the Carpathians in Poland, Ukraine and Slovakia.
• Work at Height Regulations 2005The Work at Height Regulations 2005 are the main UK law on preventing falls, requiring a hierarchy of avoid, prevent and minimise for all work at height.

X

• XPS (Extruded Polystyrene) Roof InsulationClosed-cell polystyrene foam board made by extrusion, with low water absorption, used above the membrane in inverted and green roofs.

Y

• YakhchālA Persian ice house: a tall domed earth structure over a deep pit, used to store ice through the desert summer.
• YealmingYealming is the preparation of wetted long straw into neat, compact layers called yealms that a thatcher can carry onto the roof and lay.
• Yingzao FashiThe Yingzao Fashi is a Chinese building manual by Li Jie, published in 1103, that standardised timber framing, bracketing, tiling and glazes.

Z

• Zinc and Copper StripsMetal strips fixed near a roof's ridge whose rain runoff carries metal ions that discourage moss, algae and lichen below.
• Zinc Roofing (Titanium-Zinc)Zinc roofing uses an alloy of zinc with small amounts of copper and titanium that weathers to a self-healing blue-grey patina and is common in Europe.
• Zinc Roofs of ParisThe grey zinc roofscape of Paris, established in the mid-19th century under Napoleon III and Haussmann and proposed for UNESCO listing since 2014.
• Zulu Beehive HutHemispherical Zulu dwelling (indlu) of bent sapling arches covered in two layers of grass thatch, tied down by ropes gathered at an apex top-knot.
• ZVDH Roofing Rules and DIN 4108 (Germany)German roofing follows the technical rules of the roofers' federation ZVDH, alongside DIN standards such as DIN 4108 for thermal and moisture protection.