DECRA Roofing Systems

DECRA Roofing Systems is a manufacturer of stone-coated steel roofing, a product that combines a steel sheet with a bonded surface of stone granules so that it resembles tile, shake or shingle. The company dates its products to 1957 and operates in the United States from Corona, California. Since around 2024 its products have been marketed under the name "DECRA by IKO".

Origins

Stone-coated steel roofing emerged from post-Second World War repair work on bomb-damaged buildings in Britain, where coatings were applied to metal sheets. The New Zealand entrepreneur Louis J. Fisher combined these coating ideas with pressed metal panels to create an early version of the product. The brand developed in New Zealand and later became part of Fletcher Building, the New Zealand building-materials group.

North America

DECRA products were first introduced in the US at Honolulu, Hawaii in 1968, and sales grew in California during the 1980s. By 2007 the company had a manufacturing plant of about 9,700 m2 (104,000 sq ft) in Corona, California, with warehouses in Indianapolis and Arlington, Texas. Its current corporate address remains in Corona.

Product construction

A DECRA panel is formed from steel sheet with an aluminium-zinc metallic coating. Acrylic layers and ceramic-coated stone granules are applied on top. In 2007 the company described its base metal as 26-gauge steel, about 0.45 mm (0.018 in) thick. Panels are pressed into profiles that imitate traditional roofing:

• Tile profiles, including a Mediterranean-style Villa Tile.
• Shake profiles imitating split wood.
• Shingle profiles.

Ownership

DECRA Roofing Systems, Inc. continues to use the DECRA name, and its website and literature use the "DECRA by IKO" brand.

Use

Stone-coated steel is used on homes in hurricane-, hail- and wildfire-prone regions and is lighter than the concrete or clay tile it often replaces. The company states that its products are approved for high-velocity hurricane zones in Florida and carry Class 4 impact and Class A fire ratings.