The use of metal for waterproofing roofs goes back to the Roman Empire, when lead was used extensively in roofing and plumbing. In fact, the word plumber comes from the Latin word for lead - plumbus. Lead, and sometimes copper or zinc, continued for centuries to be used for roofing throughout Europe, Asia and North Africa, and was carried to North America in colonial times. American metal roofers, in the early 1800's, began experimenting with tinplate, which was a less expensive alternative to lead, copper, and zinc. Tinplate was a new material then, and old crafting techniques needed to be updated to properly fabricate this material. New tools were invented and tinplate sheets were made 24 inches wide by 60 inches long, a newly established standard for the roofing industry. The sheets were joined by bending up the sides of each sheet 3 inches to form a key. Then the 2 keys of abutting tinplate sheets were folded over twice to form a 1 inch standing seam and lock the 2 plates together. Metal strips fastened to the roof frame were folded into the seams to hold the sheets onto the building, and lead solder was used with wood rosin flux to completely seal any remaining voids. Rust was a major drawback to tinplate roofing, but the onset of corrosion was slowed down by increasing the lead to tin ratio in the tinplate alloy. However, as rust never sleeps, paints made from fish oil or linseed oil were developed to protect metal roofs. These protective paints proved very effective if re-applied on a regular basis.

By the mid 1900's, corrugated, galvanized, metal sheets were mass produced and became a very popular and economical alternative to tinplate for industrial, agricultural, and commercial roofing. Instead of being folded together, the corrugated sheets were overlapped and then fastening screws were drilled through the overlapping sheets to anchor them onto the roof frame.

In the past 30 years, coil stock has been formed into corrugated sheets for use in roofing. This stock comes in a variety of factory applied finishes which protect the metal from rust and provide lots of eye appeal. Instead of lead solder, advanced caulks and sealants are used to seal laps, and rubber grommets are used to seal the fasteners.