The look of cedar shake, slate or Spanish tile over a Class 4 impact-rated steel panel — backed by a 50-year transferable warranty. KFX Roofing installs the full Westlake Royal Unified Steel line across Central Ohio.
A no-pressure assessment, a written estimate, and a straight answer on whether steel is worth it for your home.
Columbus sits in a hail corridor, gets 60 mph straight-line gusts most springs, and freezes and thaws dozens of times a winter. Stone coated steel was designed around exactly that abuse.
Unified Steel panels carry a Class 4 impact rating — the top of the UL 2218 scale. Where asphalt loses granules and starts leaking, the stone coating and steel pan stay watertight. Many insurers offer a premium discount for Class 4 roofs; ask your agent what yours allows.
Panels interlock on all four sides and fasten through the deck or into battens, so there's no single tab to peel. The system carries a 120 mph wind warranty and is approved in the strictest wind zones in the country, including Miami-Dade.
Steel doesn't absorb water, so there's nothing to expand when the temperature swings across 32°F. The batten system also creates an air gap above the deck, which helps the roof shed heat and reduces the warm spots that start ice dams.
Steel doesn't burn. Unified Steel is used in Class A fire-rated assemblies with ember-resistant and wildland-urban-interface options — relevant if you're near open land or have a wood-burning stove.
“Stone coated steel” isn't paint on metal. It's crushed natural stone granules bonded to structural steel — which is why it looks like a tile roof and weighs like a tarp.
Seals the granules, holds colour against UV, and lets rain wash the surface clean.
The texture and the colour. Also the reason a steel roof doesn't drum in a rainstorm the way bare metal does.
Bonds stone to steel and adds a second barrier over the substrate.
0.017″ Grade 33 steel with a hot-dipped aluminium-zinc alloy coating — the corrosion layer that does the long-term work.
Protects the back face against condensation from inside the roof assembly.
Every profile below is the same steel and the same warranty — the difference is the shape stamped into it. Cross-sections are drawn to show the actual panel geometry.
High Barrel Tile
The deep, rolling Spanish-tile look. Strongest shadow line of the five — best on stucco, Mediterranean and Tuscan-style homes.
Low Barrel Tile
A softer, low-profile wave. Reads as tile from the curb without the heavy Mediterranean commitment — the most versatile tile in the line.
Split Shake
Hand-split cedar texture with deliberately uneven butt heights, so it never reads as a repeating pattern. The closest match to real shake.
Staggered Shingle
Varied widths and a staggered butt edge for a hand-laid, older-home look. Suits Craftsman, Tudor and cottage elevations around Clintonville and German Village.
Architectural Shingle
Low-relief courses that read like a dimensional asphalt shingle from the street. The easiest upgrade if you want steel performance without changing how the house looks.
Not Sure Yet?
Colour reads completely differently in Ohio overcast than it does in a brochure. We'll hold physical panels up against your siding and trim before you decide.
Book A Sample VisitWestlake blends natural stone granules into seven colour families. Specific blend names and availability vary by profile — we'll confirm the current palette for the profile you choose.
Swatches are illustrative granule textures, not colour-accurate samples. Ask us for physical chips before you commit.
Published manufacturer data for the Unified Steel system, exactly as Westlake Royal states it.
| Substrate | ASTM A792 Grade 33 steel, AZ50 hot-dipped aluminium-zinc alloy coating |
|---|---|
| Thickness | 0.017″ (0.43 mm) |
| Installed weight | 1.3 lb/ft² (approx. 130 lb per roofing square) |
| Wind warranty | 120 mph; engineered to withstand hurricane-force winds |
| Hail impact | Class 4 (UL 2218), the highest rating issued |
| Fire | Class A rated assemblies; ember-resistant and WUI-compliant options |
| Warranty | 50-year limited, fully transferable |
| Installation | Battened (wood or steel batten) or batten-less direct-to-deck |
| Side lap | 2″ typical (2–3.5″ on Cottage Shingle) |
| Approvals | QAI CERus-1008 · Miami-Dade NOA 24-0318.01 · Florida FL 27408 · Texas DOI RC-29, RC-226 · CCMC 14112 / 14113 |
| Sustainability | Made in the USA; steel substrate is recyclable; Cool Roof system option available |
Asphalt is cheaper on day one. Over a 50-year window in a hail zone, the arithmetic usually flips — especially once you count the second tear-off you don't have to pay for.
| Architectural Asphalt | Stone Coated Steel | Standing Seam | Concrete Tile | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Typical service life | 18–25 yrs | 50 yrs + | 40–60 yrs | 50 yrs + |
| Hail impact rating | Class 3–4 on premium lines | Class 4 | Varies; dents readily | Cracks on large hail |
| Weight per square | 230–430 lb | ~130 lb | ~150 lb | 600–1,100 lb |
| Structural upgrade needed | No | No | No | Often yes |
| Warranty transfers | Usually limited / prorated | Fully transferable | Varies by fabricator | Varies |
| Look | Dimensional shingle | Shake, shingle or tile | Modern ribbed metal | Tile |
| Upfront cost | Lowest | Mid–high | High | High |
Service life, weight and cost ranges are industry typicals for comparison and will vary by product line, deck condition and installation. Unified Steel figures are Westlake published data.
We document storm damage and give you a written repair scope you can hand to your insurer — photos, measurements and pricing. A steel upgrade is often the right moment to look at, because the claim is already open.
We photograph and document hail bruising, wind creasing and granule loss before you file, so you go into the claim with evidence rather than an argument.
Someone from KFX is on the roof with the adjuster to point out what we found. Your insurer sets the approved scope; our job is making sure the damage is visible and documented.
Policies commonly cover like-for-like replacement. Many homeowners put that toward steel and pay the upgrade difference. We'll show you both numbers side by side — what your policy covers is between you and your insurer.
Most Ohio carriers offer an impact-resistant roof discount for Class 4 rated materials, and some apply it for the life of the roof. The amount varies by carrier and policy, so ask your agent what yours allows before you sign anything — we'll supply the manufacturer's UL 2218 documentation they'll ask for.
Ask us for the paperworkKFX Roofing is a licensed roofing contractor, not a licensed public adjuster or insurance professional. We document storm damage and provide our repair scope and pricing to you and your insurer. We do not adjust, negotiate or settle insurance claims on your behalf, and nothing on this page is advice about your policy or coverage. Claim decisions rest with you and your insurance company.
No surprises and no vanishing crews. Here's exactly how a stone coated steel job runs from the first phone call to your warranty paperwork.
We get on the roof, check the deck, flashings, ventilation and existing damage, and take measurements. You get photos of everything we find.
Physical samples at your house, a firm written price, and — if a claim is involved — a side-by-side of what insurance covers versus the steel upgrade.
We pull the permit for your jurisdiction and order panels, trim and accessories. Lead time depends on profile and colour; we'll give you a real date.
Old roof off, deck repaired where needed, underlayment and battens set, then panels installed with the manufacturer's flashing details. Most homes take two to four days.
Magnet sweep of the property, a walkthrough with you, and your warranty paperwork registered in your name — transferable if you sell.
Crews run out of Green Meadows Drive, which puts most of Delaware and Franklin counties inside a half-hour drive. If you're on the edge of the ring, call — we go further for steel jobs than we do for a gutter repair.
Don't see your town? Delaware and Franklin counties are our core, but we take steel projects across the surrounding counties too.
Check My AddressMap is schematic: city positions and radius rings are drawn to scale, county outlines are simplified blocks for orientation.
Real reviews from Central Ohio homeowners, pulled from our Google Business Profile.
"KFX came out to my home after major storm damage and made next day temp repairs while I was out of town! This amazing service set KFX apart from other companies. I was highly impressed with their professionalism and attention to detail throughout the project. KFX was prompt, thorough and fairly priced. I would highly recommend KFX!"
"I'm very familiar with the roofing industry, worked with MANY roofers, and Marcus is hands down the only roofer I call now. As a realtor, it's important to tell my clients "I've got the roofer you need" and he meets and exceeds expectations every time. I now use him for family business matters, and any roof I ever need done. The entire team at KFX are knowledgeable, ethical, and committed to getting the job done and communicating with the client. After many experiences in roofing, KFX and Marcus, specifically, is the only roofer and roofing company I will ever use."
"I can't say enough about this company and Marcus.They we amazing to deal with! After months of getting the run around from other roofing companies I decided to try them off of several referrals from other friends who have used them and I was not disappointed ! Marcus was a pleasure to deal with his communication was timely and very professional he ensured they would get the job done in a costly manner and most of all done RIGHT ! 10/10 best decision ever !"
The things Central Ohio homeowners actually ask before committing to a stone coated steel roof.
No. The drumming people associate with metal roofs comes from bare panels over open framing. Stone coated steel has a granulated surface, sits over solid decking and underlayment, and in a battened system has an air gap as well. Most homeowners report it’s quieter than the asphalt roof it replaced.
Severe hail can leave cosmetic dimples in any metal roof, but a Class 4 stone coated panel keeps doing its job — it doesn’t lose granules, crack, or open a leak path the way an aged asphalt shingle does. The stone texture also hides minor deformation far better than smooth metal panels.
Sometimes. Ohio code and the manufacturer both allow a recover in specific conditions, and the light weight makes it feasible. We generally recommend a full tear-off so we can inspect and repair the deck, and a recover can complicate a future insurance claim. We’ll tell you which applies to your roof after the inspection.
Expect meaningfully more than an architectural asphalt roof upfront. The case for steel is the 50-year horizon: you’re buying one roof instead of two or three, the warranty transfers to the next owner, and a Class 4 rating may reduce your insurance premium. We’ll give you both numbers in writing so you can decide on real figures.
No. Metal roofing does not increase the likelihood of a lightning strike. If anything, steel is non-combustible, so it handles a strike better than a wood or asphalt surface.
Yes, but plan it early. Stone coated steel has profile-specific mounting hardware, and it’s cheaper and cleaner to set the attachment points during the roof install than to retrofit them. Tell us if solar is on your five-year list.
Insurance typically covers like-for-like replacement of a damaged roof. Many homeowners apply that settlement toward steel and pay only the upgrade difference. We document damage before you file, meet your adjuster, and show you both numbers side by side.
We work throughout Delaware and Franklin counties and the surrounding area — Columbus, Dublin, Delaware, Powell, Westerville, New Albany, Hilliard, Gahanna, Worthington, Upper Arlington, Grove City, and Reynoldsburg among them. Call and we’ll tell you straight away.
Free inspection, written estimate, and an honest read on whether stone coated steel is worth it for your house — or whether it isn't.