Copper is more than third place

By Emma Peterson.

Learn about the beauty, durability and versatility of copper as a roofing material.

In 2024, Rocky Mountain Snow Guards noted an annual growth of 20% per year for copper snow retention products in the last decade. This increase in sales for copper reflects a larger rise in the market as more and more people invest in copper roofing. To learn more about this trend, Karen Edwards sat down with Mark Hubbard from Turner Morris Commercial Roofing and Josh Yandle of Umbrella Roofing for an episode of Roofing Road Trips® all about copper.

In general, part of the statistic coming from Rocky Mountain Snow Guard can be cited to a general rise in interest in snow retention systems. Josh explained, “I think building departments are getting wise to the dangers of sliding snow and ice off of roofs. There have been cases of people who have been buried by sliding snow and ice to great consequence. And so there's just a greater awareness on everybody's part.” But why is copper specifically experiencing such popularity? Mark had some thoughts about that, saying, “The market for high-end homes and high-end condos, particularly in the Colorado area, I can't speak for other areas of the country, has just been great over the last 10 years. I think just the volume of real estate that there is has been a huge part of that.”

In the end, the rise of popularity of copper roofing and snow retention is due to the way this material unites form and function. Mark gave an example of a project that he used it on, sharing, “We were involved in a commercial project at the base of the Beaver Creek Ski Resort, it was a large condo complex. Copper just made a lot of sense because of the makeup of the building.” The area was very high-end and subsequently serves a clientele that wants to feel fancy – copper has the aesthetic to deliver that. Mark went on, “And to what Josh was saying about snow retention, copper standing seam is just a great option when you need to add some more tension because you can clamp onto the seams in addition to the movement of the panels and the way that copper changes temperature so much on a daily basis from absorbing sun heat. It was a fairly straightforward decision for that client.”

Read the transcript or Listen to the full episode to learn more about the use of copper in the roofing world.