Roofing in Poland and Eastern Europe

Eastern and central Europe stretches from the Baltic to the Black Sea and the Carpathians, with cold winters, warm summers and, in mountain areas, heavy snow. Roofing has moved from timber and thatch through clay tile and asbestos-cement sheet to today's market, in which steel sheet roofing in tile profiles is very widespread.

Timber heritage

Wooden shingles were the traditional roof of churches and many houses across the region. UNESCO recognises this heritage in the Wooden Churches of Southern Małopolska in Poland, six Gothic log churches with tall shingled roofs inscribed in 2003, and in the Wooden Tserkvas of the Carpathian Region in Poland and Ukraine, sixteen churches inscribed in 2013. Typical Polish and Slovak split shakes measure about 36 in (90 cm) long, 4-6 in (10-15 cm) wide and 1-1.25 in (2.5-3 cm) thick. Thatch of straw or reed was common on rural houses until the 20th century.

Clay and concrete tiles

Ceramic tiles, including the flat beaver-tail type shared with Germany and various interlocking designs, are traditional in towns. Concrete and ceramic tiles are widely used on new single-family houses.

Sheet metal

Coated steel roofing sheet pressed to imitate tiles, often called metal tile or "blachodachówka" in Poland, is very common on houses throughout the region because it is light and quick to install. Trapezoidal and standing seam steel are used on agricultural and commercial buildings, and copper and zinc-titanium on historic and high-end buildings.

Asbestos-cement legacy

Corrugated asbestos-cement sheets were widely used on houses and farm buildings in the second half of the 20th century. Asbestos-cement becomes brittle with age and can release dangerous fibres, and many countries in the region now run programmes to remove and replace these roofs.

Flat roofs

Large post-war apartment blocks have flat roofs, originally with bituminous felt, which are being renovated with modern membranes and insulation.

Standards

EU member states use European EN product standards and Eurocode design rules with national annexes.