Composite Roof & Wall Panels

Also known in the industrial roofing industry as sandwich panels, composite roof panels are made from an insulation core that is encased between two metal or plastic panels.

In the building world, composite insulated roof panels are used for external walls, internal structures and roofs. They can be found in a variety of industrial and commercial settings, including warehousing, factories, retail outlets and at leisure facilities. Their use is almost unlimited in use though. The reason for this is that composite exterior cladding offers the following benefits:
- Fantastic thermal performance – it can help keep a building warm and lower energy bills.
- Excellent sound attenuation
- Lightweight – making composite wall cladding and roofing easy and quick to construct
- Cost-effective – compared to other building materials, composite roof cladding and composite wall cladding just makes financial sense.

The combustibility of composite wall cladding and composite roof cladding depends on what the insulation core is made from. As a specifier or contractor, you have a choice of using either combustible or non-combustible insulation cores.

Here’s a list of the combustible products we regularly source as the UK’s leading composite roof panels supplier:
- Expanded or fire retardant polystyrene
- Polyurethane (PU)
- Polyisocyanurate (both standard and approved)

We also frequently supply composite wall cladding and roofing products containing the following non-combustible cores:
- Rock wool (also known as mineral wool)
- Stone wool
- Foamed glass or glass fibre
- Kingspan’s QuadCore

Mineral and stone wool products, as an example, are often preferred by insurers of certain buildings where the risk of fire is higher. These types of composite wall cladding systems are superb at containing the spread of fire, although they’re not very good for cold storage buildings.

Composite wall cladding and composite roof cladding products are designed to last. If you compare them to say traditional timber cladding, they have a much longer lifespan and need less maintenance.

How long a composite wall cladding lasts will depend on the individual product. However, manufacturer guarantees are typically around 25 years.

The guarantee of course, and product performance, remains intact provided the composite exterior cladding follows the manufacturer’s installation guidelines.

As a leading composite roof panels supplier, we always advise our customers to make sure they also purchase the correct fixings. These are equally as important in ensuring the composite wall cladding withstands the test of time.

In most buildings where composite roof panels or composite wall cladding is specified, fire resistance plays a primary role in the specification. However, fire resistance can vary quite considerably depending on whether you choose a combustible or non-combustible insulation core.

For instance, composite insulated roof panels with a rock wool insulation core can offer a fire class of up to F120. This means that they can withstand fire for up to 120 minutes to enable safe evacuation. These composite exterior cladding panels are made from anywhere between 95-99% volcanic rock minerals that have a fibrous structure. Of course, they are not just used for external purposes. They can also be used as internal fire resistant composite wall cladding and as a roof.

Alternatively, combustible insulation cores can be used that still provide a fire resistant barrier. These are typically Polyurethane based insulation cores.

If you are unsure what your options are or want to know more about some of the newest composite roof panel systems to the market, please give us a call. There’s not a product we cannot source as a leading Composite Roof Panels Supplier.