Titanium-zinc vs copper
Both metals are used where flashing is meant to last for generations – on historic houses, high-quality new builds and standing seam roofs. They differ in appearance, price and what they can be combined with.
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- Titanium-zinc vs copper
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- advice article
Comparison
| Titanium-zinc | Copper | |
|---|---|---|
| sheet standard | EN 988 | EN 1172 (Cu-DHP) |
| appearance | light grey, in time a matt blue-grey | shiny, then brown, after some years may turn green |
| service life according to the manufacturer | VMZINC: roofs 100 years, gutters more than 50 years | Aurubis: reference service life of more than 100 years |
| thermal expansion | 2.2 mm/(m · 100 K) (RHEINZINK) | 0.17 mm/m per 10 K (KJG) |
| gutter, girth 333 (KJG 8/2026, excl. VAT) | €13.49 per m | €45.59 per m |
| joining | soldering, seaming | soldering, seaming |
| below another metal | not below copper | no problem |
| above another metal | above copper only without contact | not above zinc, galvanised steel or aluminium |
Galvanic action is decisive
If there is already copper on the house (for example a copper dormer roof or an old copper valley), a new gutter below it must not be titanium-zinc, galvanised steel or aluminium. VMZINC writes that run-off from copper onto zinc must be avoided in all circumstances. The other way round – titanium-zinc above copper – RHEINZINK permits, provided the metals do not touch directly.
Which to choose when
- titanium-zinc, if you want a long service life for a third of the price of copper and there is no copper higher up the house,
- copper, if the historic character of the house or the monuments board calls for it, or there is already copper on the roof,
- for listed buildings, the decision of the regional monuments board decides, not just taste – see Bratislava, Košice, Prešov.
What to watch with titanium-zinc
RHEINZINK warns about acidic run-off from unprotected bitumen membranes and some single-ply membranes, and about corrosion from the underside if moisture under the sheet cannot ventilate. With copper, the more common issue is green staining from run-off on the facade and paving.
More about copper: How long does copper flashing last?
Technical sources
The sources this sheet draws on. We checked prices and values from standards on the date shown; for prices, whatever the source currently states always applies. Sources marked “in Slovak” or “in Czech” are only available in that language.
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