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Buying guide

Choosing sheet, panel and profile

A roof or a clad elevation is three separate purchases — the sheet, the structure it fixes to, and the trims that close the edges. Leaving the trims to the end is the usual reason a job stalls on site.

Buying guide

Choosing sheet, panel and profile

A roof or a clad elevation is three separate purchases — the sheet, the structure it fixes to, and the trims that close the edges. Leaving the trims to the end is the usual reason a job stalls on site.

GI or aluminium, and how thick

GI (galvanised steel) is stronger and cheaper for the same thickness; aluminium is lighter, will not rust and costs more. On most UAE sheds, compounds and boundary work the sheet is GI. Aluminium earns its price on coastal exposure, on long unsupported spans where weight matters, and where the finish is on show.

Thickness is the number that decides how the sheet behaves. It does not change what the sheet is made of — it changes how far it can span before it oil-cans, and how it survives being walked on.

ThicknessMaterialTypical use
0.40 – 0.50 mmGITemporary hoarding, light cladding, short spans
0.70 mmGIRoofing and permanent cladding, the general-purpose gauge
0.50 – 0.70 mmAluminiumCladding and flashings where corrosion is the concern
1.00 mmAluminiumHeavier trims, fabrications and exposed detail

Stocked thicknesses. Profile, length and colour are made to the job — tell us the purlin spacing and we will say whether the gauge you have in mind will span it.

When a sandwich panel replaces a sheet

A sandwich panel is two steel skins with an insulating core bonded between them, so it is sheet and insulation in one fix. It costs more per square metre than a plain sheet and is usually cheaper installed, because a single panel does the work of sheet, insulation, liner and the labour of all three.

  • 50 mm core — the general wall and roof thickness for site offices, stores, workshops and cold-neutral spaces.
  • 75 mm core — where the temperature difference is larger or the plant is working harder, so the heat load justifies the extra thickness.
  • Roof panels differ from wall panels. A roof panel is profiled to shed water and lap correctly; laying a wall panel flat on a roof is how a leak is built in.
  • Bare core board is available for infill work where no steel skin is wanted.

Insulation is not the only reason to specify it

On a labour accommodation or an office the core is about running cost — a thicker core is a smaller air-conditioning bill for as long as the building stands. Decide it against the years the structure will be in use, not against the delivered price.

The purlins underneath

Sheet does not span far on its own. C-channel and Z-purlin carry it, and the spacing of those members is what the sheet thickness has to suit. Get the pair right together rather than choosing a sheet and hoping.

  • C-channel from 48 mm up to 100 mm, in 3 m lengths, for light framing and short spans.
  • U-channel (track) in matching sizes, used as the head and base track on partition and cladding framing.
  • Z-purlin from around 200 mm deep, which laps at the supports and carries a roof over a longer span than C-channel will.
  • Deeper section carries more or spans further. If the frame is already up, measure what is there before ordering sheet to fix to it.

Flashings are not an afterthought

Every edge, ridge, eave and corner needs a folded trim, and a roof is not weathertight until they are on. They are the cheapest part of the package and the part most often left off the order, which is how a finished roof sits waiting a week for a ridge cap.

  • Ridge cap — closes the apex where two slopes meet.
  • Barge / end flashing — closes the gable end, with a drip edge at the bottom of the fold.
  • Eave and gutter flashing — the junction where the sheet ends and water is collected.
  • Corner trim — closes the angle where two clad elevations meet.
  • All available in GI and in Aluzinc / aluminium, in 3 m lengths, and colour matched to the sheet where the sheet is coloured.
Questions

Straight answers.

Which GI sheet thickness should I use for a roof?

0.70 mm is the general-purpose roofing gauge and the one to default to. 0.40 and 0.50 mm are for hoarding and light cladding over close supports — on a roof they will oil-can between purlins and will not take being walked on during maintenance.

Is aluminium worth the extra over galvanised steel?

On the coast, usually yes. Aluminium does not rust, so in salt air it outlasts galvanised steel by a wide margin. Inland, on a structure with a defined life, GI at the same thickness is stronger and considerably cheaper, and the zinc coating is enough.

What is the difference between a 50 mm and a 75 mm sandwich panel?

The thickness of the insulating core, which is the thermal performance. 50 mm is the general choice for site offices, stores and workshops; 75 mm where the heat load is higher and the running cost of cooling justifies it. The steel skins and the fixing method are the same.

Can you supply the sheets cut to length?

Sheet is made to the length of the run, so tell us the rafter or elevation length rather than ordering a stock length and cutting on site. Cutting profiled sheet on site wastes material and leaves a raw edge where it will rust first.

Do you install, or supply only?

Either. We supply to site across all seven Emirates, and we install with our own crew rather than a subcontractor where you want the sheet, the structure and the trims to be one responsibility.

Now the prices

Roofing, Cladding & Steel Profiles

GI and aluminium sheet, insulated sandwich panels, C, U and Z profiles, and the flashings that finish them — what a shed, a cabin or a warehouse is skinned with.

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Mon–Sat, 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM · +971 54 303 3119 (Operations Director) · +971 54 241 0599 (Managing Director)