Lead sheet provides effective weather protection for centuries.
The lead sheet standard EN12588 has been developed over many years to provide the manufacturing criteria for the production of lead sheet which will ensure product longevity.
Historic monuments provide the best indicator of lead sheet’s durability. Many historic buildings across Europe have lead sheet roofs which are hundreds of years old.
Lead sheet experiences very low levels of surface corrosion. By creating its own surface protective layer, it inhibits corrosion. This is why it lasts so long!
Applying the average rate of corrosion of 0.89g/m²/year to an average thickness of 2mm (equivalent to 22,680g/m²) indicates that, providing it is fitted correctly, lead sheet will last for thousands and thousands of years.
No known substitutes have a life-expectancy that approaches that of sheet lead. Many substitutes deteriorate under UV light, and several require total replacement after as short a period as 15 years.