Various Types of Roof Coverings for Pitched Roofs
Roof Coverings for Pitched Roofs
- Roof covering is a necessary component of a pitched roof, to be placed over the roof framework to preserve it from rain, snow, sun, wind and different atmospheric agency.

Various types of roofing materials
- Type of building,
- Type of roof framework,
- Initial cost,
- Maintenance requirements
- Fabrication facilities,
- Appearance and special features of the locality,
- Durability
- Availability of the material itself, and
- The climate of the locality.
Some following the roof covering materials generally used for pitched roofs
- Thatch covering
- Wood shingles
- Tiles
- Asbestos cement sheets
- Galvanized corrugated iron sheets
- Eternit slates.
- Lightweight roofing.
Thatch covering of Pitched Roofs
- Here is the cheapest roof-covering, generally used in villages.
- It s very light but is highly combustible.
- It is unstable against high winds.
- It absorbs moisture and is liable to decay.
- Thatching roof-covering consists of bundles of reeds either straw.
- The framework to support thatch consists of round bamboo rafters spaced 20 to 30 cm apart and tied with split bamboo laid at right angles to the rafters.
- The thatch is tightly secured to the framework with the help of ropes or twines.
- To drain some roofs effectively, the smallest slope of 45° is kept.
- Each thickness of thatch covering should be about least 15 cm.

Wood shingle Pitched roofing
- Shingles are light slabs of wood applied to cover roofs.
- The application of shingles is restricted to hilly ranges anywhere local timber is easily available at a cheap cost.
- Though shingle roofing is lightweight, it is not fire and termite resistant.
- Wood shingles act obtained from well-seasoned timber by either sawing rather splitting.
- Sawn shingles are used chiefly, They are obtained in lengths varying from 30 to 40 cm and widths varying from 6cm to 25 cm.
- People are generally 10 mm thick by the tail.
- They are laid similarly to tiles and slates.
Tile Pitched roofing
- The use of tiles for roofing is one of the oldest and is still preferred for residential buildings and country houses.
- Here is because country tiles stand manufactured from sectionally available earth.
- Tiles are classified according to their shape and pattern including they are manufactured by a process similar to the unit used for particular manufacture of bricks.

The Pitched Roofs and various types of tiles generally used are
- Plain or flat files.
- Curved or pan-tiles.
- Pot tiles or half-round country tiles.
- Spanish tiles.
- Italian or Allahabad tiles.
- Interlocking tiles.
Asbestos cement sheets (A.C. sheets) of Pitched Roofs
- Asbestos cement sheets are now increasingly becoming popular for industrial buildings, factories, sheds, cinema houses, auditoriums, and even residential buildings since they are cheap, lightweight, tough, durable, watertight, and fire-resisting.
- The biggest advantage is that they are available in bigger units unlike tiles, and hence supporting framework (groundwork) is also cheaper, easier and lighter.
- These sheets do not require any protective paint, and no elaborate maintenance is required.
- Also, the construction with A.C. sheets is very fast. A.C. sheets are manufactured from asbestos, fibre (about 15%) and Portland cement.
- Asbestos does a silky fibrous mineral manufactured up of metamorphosed volcanic rocks.
- It is found in several varieties but white asbestos, which is a compound of magnesia and silica, is principally used.
- In India, asbestos cement roof coverings are available in the following forms:
- Everest big-six corrugated A.C. sheets.
- Everest standard corrugated A.C. sheets.
- Everest Trafford A.C. tiles (or sheets).
- These sheets have a length of 1.25 to 3 meters with increases of 15 cm.

Galvanized Iron corrugated sheets (G.I. sheets) of Pitched Roofs
- G.I. sheets are also widely used.
- They are stronger than A.C. sheets. However, because of their higher cost others are now gradually displaced by A.C. sheets.
- People are not accepted for slopes flatter than 1 in 4.
- G.I. sheets stay made of iron sheets which are galvanized with zinc to protect them from rusting action of water also wet weather.
- These sheets are fixed like the A.C. sheets. The end lap should not be less than 15 cm and The holes are either drilled or punched in the sheet crowns.
- The sheets are secured to purlins through G.I. hook bolts, screws, furthermore nails, etc with rounded washers.
- The sheets should be fixed to eaves through flat iron wind ties.

Light Weight Pitched roofing
- For wide-span industrial structures, it is desirable to reduce the weight of the roof, so that structural framing can economize.
- Conventional roofing materials such as tiles, slates, etc. are heavy requiring heavy framing to support them.
The lightweight Pitched roofing materials are of two types
- Sheeting
- Aluminium sheets
- Asbestos cement sheets.
- Decking
- Wood wool
- Straw board
- Aluminium and steel decking.