Terne Roofing – Historical material
If you are a metal roofer anywhere near the mid-atlantic region or even the northeast of the USA, then chances are you have heard of the term “Terne”. Contractors in this part of the country likely have had to replace or repaint an old terne roof if they get into any restoration work.
The name Follansbee Co. routinely comes up in conversations with older metal roofers in the area. Follansbee pioneered the development of this durable roofing material and patented the processes involved.
What is Terne?
Terne consists of steel sheets coated with a mixture of approx. 1/4 tin and 3/4 lead. This means that is has the strength of steel combined with the weather resistant properties of the terne mixture.
Wow, I remember my Grandpa used to talk about his Terne roofs. I’m sure it was considered a very robust material back in the day. Brings back nostalgia to hear about it now.
Fun is to have a collection of the embossed names of the terne roofing that we still find today in the remote and dry sections of buildings or buried under additional layers on century homes. We have found Old Method, Follansbee, Osbourne’s (which was produced in our region in Cleveland, and just recently, a brand embossed Char Coal Iron.