Roofing in Germany

Germany has a large, highly organised roofing trade with a strong craft tradition. Steep pitched roofs covered in clay or concrete tiles dominate housing; slate is traditional in the central uplands between the Rhine and the Mosel and in Thuringia; reed thatch survives on the North Sea and Baltic coasts; and wooden shingles remain part of the Black Forest and Alpine landscape. Germany also pioneered the modern green roof and is home to some of Europe's largest tile and zinc manufacturers.

Climate and hazards

Germany's temperate climate becomes more maritime in the north-west and more continental and snowy towards the south and east, with heavy snow loads in the Alps and higher uplands. Snow and wind loads are calculated using the Eurocodes with German national annexes. Fire shaped historic roofing: soft coverings of straw, reed and wood gave way in towns to tile, slate and metal, and the great Hamburg fire of 1842 created a large market for imported Welsh slate during rebuilding. In cities, stormwater from sealed roofs drove the spread of green roofs from the 1970s.

Roofing history

Thatch and reed are among the oldest roof coverings in the region; the Viking-age trading town of Hedeby in what is now Schleswig-Holstein very likely had thatched roofs, and in the Middle Ages hipped roofs of straw bundles sealed with clay were common. In forested regions wooden roofs were used from the earliest settlement, the oldest form being the Legschindeldach, loose boards held down with poles and stones.

Roman builders roofed buildings on the Rhine and Mosel with slate laid to fixed rules, and the two-part curved Mönch und Nonne ("monk and nun") tiles continued Roman practice into the Middle Ages. The flat Biberschwanz (beaver-tail) tile probably originated in the 14th century around Nuremberg, where medieval examples survive on the city wall and castle. The slate-roofing craft reached a high point in the Middle Ages.

Industrialisation brought new products. Adolph Kroher developed concrete roof tiles in the 1840s after a visit to Grassau in Bavaria. Wilhelm Ludowici developed an interlocking clay tile in 1881 that became a model for interlocking tiles in many countries. In 1954 Braas introduced the Frankfurter Pfanne, which became the most widely laid concrete tile in Germany. Rheinzink was founded in 1966 to make titanium-zinc sheet for roofing and drainage.

Lightweight green roof systems were developed in Germany in the 1960s, and the FLL (Landscape Research, Development and Construction Society), founded in 1975, produced guidelines that are used worldwide; it issued the 2018 edition of its Green Roof Guideline.

Traditional and vernacular roofs

• Biberschwanz tiles, laid in crown lay (Kronendeckung, two tiles per batten), double lay (Doppeldeckung) or single lay with wooden splints (Spließdeckung). The standard German format is 36.5 by 15.5 cm (about 14.4 by 6.1 in). They are typical of southern and eastern Germany, rare in the west and common in Mecklenburg.
• Slate (Schiefer), traditional between the Mosel and the Rhine, in the Hunsrück, Eifel, Sauerland and Thuringia. The Altdeutsche Deckung, with graded stones laid in rising courses, is regarded as the most demanding German slating method.
• Reed thatch (Reetdach), mainly in northern Germany, where it is still built today.
• Wooden shingles (Schindeln) of spruce and larch in Alpine areas and of oak or beech in central Germany.
• Lead and copper on churches and public buildings; few historic lead roofs survive.

Roofing today

Clay and concrete tiles are the dominant coverings on pitched roofs, laid over battens with a secondary underlay. German slating uses a far wider range of shapes than other countries, around 250 formats, typically split 4-6 mm (about 0.16-0.24 in) thick. Flat roofs use bituminous and synthetic membranes. Reference sources estimate that about 10% of German roofs have been greened and that roughly 10 million m² (about 108 million ft²) of new green roofs are built each year, about three-quarters of them extensive. Requirements for green roofs are set locally, and many cities have adopted them since the early 2000s.

Codes, standards and regulation

Roofing work follows the technical rules of the German roofers' federation ZVDH (the Fachregeln), together with DIN and EN standards such as DIN 4108 for thermal and moisture protection. The ZVDH rules are widely treated as the recognised rules of good practice and are used in contracts and by expert witnesses. Roofer (Dachdecker) is a regulated craft: training takes three years in the dual system of workplace and vocational school, with specialisation in the third year in roof covering, waterproofing, wall cladding, energy technology or thatching, and the master craftsman qualification (Meister) is the basis for running an independent roofing business.

Industry

The ZVDH, founded in 1949 and based in Cologne, represents about 6,700 member companies with combined turnover of roughly EUR 10 billion (2024). In 2013 about 54,371 people worked as roofers in employment subject to social insurance, and in 2017 there were 6,651 roofing apprentices. Manufacturers include Braas (part of BMI Group), the clay tile maker Creaton (Wertingen, Bavaria, since 2024 part of Wienerberger) and Rheinzink (Datteln). In 2008-2009 the Federal Cartel Office fined Creaton and other tile manufacturers a combined EUR 188 million for price-fixing. Roofing is showcased at trade fairs such as DACH+HOLZ International and BAU in Munich.

Notable roofs

• Munich Olympic Park, whose cable-net roof of acrylic glass by Behnisch & Partner with Frei Otto was completed in 1972.
• Nuremberg and Bamberg, whose old towns are known for steep Biberschwanz roofscapes.
• Fell Exhibition Slate Mine near Trier, presenting the Mosel slate industry.

Local roofing terms

• Dachdecker: roofer; Leyendecker: slate roofer in the central uplands.
• Biberschwanz: beaver-tail tile; Mönch und Nonne: monk-and-nun tiles.
• Dachpfanne: pantile or interlocking tile.
• Reetdach: reed-thatched roof.
• Schindel: wooden shingle.
• Gebinde: a course of slates.

Sources and gaps

National housing statistics on roof coverings: published information is limited.