Metal Roof Clips and Concealed Fasteners: What Actually Holds Your Roof Down

Clips are small metal brackets that lock each standing seam panel to the roof deck from inside the raised seam, and the fasteners are the screws that hold those clips to the deck. We use double the number of clips compared to other less experienced installers and we use 2 screws per clip instead of 1. We hem the edges, which means tuck the ends under. This makes the panels perform better in heavy winds and makes the entire roof system more watertight. It also slams the door on embers from fire.

Standing seam panels are attached with concealed clips, not by screwing through the face of the metal. Each panel locks over a row of clips that are screwed to the deck, and the next panel seams over the same row, hiding every fastener inside. This is what lets the panels run unbroken from ridge to eave, with no holes across the flat of the roof for water or embers to find.

A standing seam roof hides its fasteners inside the raised seams, so there are no screw holes through the flat of the panel. Where there are holes, there is an opportunity for water and embers to get inside. Each panel is held by concealed clips with two screws in each clip. Cheaper exposed-fastener roofs rely on rubber-washered screws that dry out, back out, and leak.

A standing seam roof hides its fasteners inside the seams, while an exposed-fastener or screw-down roof is bolted straight through the face of the panel, leaving hundreds of visible screws on the surface. Those rubber-washered screws dry out, back out, and leak within years, and each hole is a spot where embers can get in. Standing seam is the premium, longer-lasting system with nothing exposed to fail.

We use two screws in every clip, where most installers use one, and we set the clips far closer together than standard. Most installers place clips every 24 inches; we place ours every 12 inches, so we use about twice as many. At the eaves, rakes, and ridges where wind uplift is strongest, we tighten the spacing to every 9 inches, so the roof holds in the worst wind.

No. Using double clips and two screws per clip is our standard on every roof, so it is already built into our price. In fact, our pricing is typically far lower than competitors. Most of them are general roofing companies with no metal expertise or machinery, so they subcontract the metal work (often us) and mark it up. Working directly with us cuts out that middleman markup, so you get the expert trusted by other experts for far less (often 30% less). Standing seam metal roofs generally run about $14 to $18 per square foot. Check out our free satellite quote to get an exact quote for your new roof without ever having to speak with a person until you are ready.

Metal panels expand and contract with heat and cold, and the clips are built to let them move without buckling, also known as oil-canning. Each panel is locked down at the clips but can still slide slightly as it warms and cools through the day, so it never bulges or pulls its fasteners loose. This is one reason a concealed-clip roof outlasts a screw-down roof, whose fixed screws fight that movement and slowly work loose.

The clips can only grip if they are screwed into a solid, sound roof deck, which is why we never install over old tiles or shingles. Screwing clips through an existing roof gives the fasteners nothing firm to bite, so the panels are not truly anchored. A standing seam roof is only as strong as the deck its clips are fastened to, so we start with a clean, solid deck every time.

No, you should not walk on a standing seam metal roof. Stepping on the panels or the raised seams can dent them, and only a trained metal roofing professional knows exactly where and how to step without causing damage. If your roof ever needs to be inspected or accessed, call us and we will send a crew that can walk it safely. Leave the roof to the professionals.