IBR Roofing in George — Chromadek, Kliplok & Galvanised Sheet Installation
IBR and Kliplok steel roofs for residential and commercial buildings across George and the Southern Cape — specified correctly for salt and wind, installed clean and sealed tight.
✓ NHBRC enrolled ✓ SANS 10400 compliant ✓ Workmanship guarantee ✓ Fully insured
What We Do
The three steel sheet systems we install, each matched to a different building type.
IBR & Corrugated Chromadek
The workhorse of Southern African roofing — 686mm or 890mm cover IBR in Chromadek (pre-painted colour), AZ150 galvanised, or plain galvanised. Cost-effective, fast to install, good coastal life when correctly specified.
Kliplok 406 & 700
Concealed-fix standing seam system — no exposed screws, cleaner look, excellent waterproofing on lower pitches. Kliplok 406 for residential and contemporary architecture, Kliplok 700 for larger commercial spans. Both available in Chromadek and AZ200.
Bullnose, Flashings & Rainwater Goods
Custom bullnose bends for verandas and entrances, ridge caps, gable flashings, valleys, and rainwater goods in the same material and colour as the main roof — ordered and formed at roll-former spec, never bent on site with a brake.
How It Works
- Material and colour selection. We walk through the options — IBR vs Kliplok, Chromadek colours, AZ150 vs AZ200, sheet gauge — and match them to the building, budget, and exposure to salt.
- Structural and pitch check. We confirm the roof pitch meets the minimum for the sheet profile (IBR is 5° minimum, Kliplok can go lower) and that the purlins or battens are at the right spacing.
- Sheets rolled to length. For most roofs we order sheets rolled to the exact length needed — no end laps, no leak points. Delivered straight to site.
- Install with correct fixings. IBR fixed with self-drilling screws at the crest through EPDM washers (never the pan). Kliplok clipped to concealed brackets. Flashings overlapped and sealed to the manufacturer spec.
- Handover and warranty. Walkthrough with you, sign-off, and handover of the written workmanship guarantee plus the sheet manufacturer warranty (Chromadek is typically 10–15 years on colour and 20+ on corrosion depending on the spec).
Choosing the Sheet Profile
The profile is the shape rolled into the sheet, and it decides three things: the minimum pitch the roof can be laid at, how the sheets are fixed, and how the roof looks from the ground. Everything else — colour, coating, gauge — is chosen after the profile is settled.
IBR is the workhorse. A wide, square-fluted profile fixed with self-drilling screws through the crest, into purlins. Economical, strong across the span, and the standard choice for houses, outbuildings, workshops and light commercial work. Because the fixings are exposed, the washers under them are a maintenance item.
Corrugated is the older rounded profile. Slightly less efficient structurally than IBR at the same gauge, but the right look on farm buildings, heritage work and anywhere the corrugated line is part of the character.
Klip-Lok (also written clip-lock or Kliplok) is a concealed-fix standing-seam profile. The sheets clip onto brackets fixed to the purlins, so nothing penetrates the weathering surface. It costs more, it performs better at low pitch, and it has no exposed fasteners to perish — which on the coast is a real advantage rather than a cosmetic one.
Translucent and polycarbonate sheeting is rolled to match IBR and corrugated profiles, so it drops into the same roof for a lightwell, a patio or a workshop bay. It is not a substitute for glazing and it does have a shorter service life than steel, but laid in the correct profile with the right fixings and thermal allowance it is a cheap way to get daylight into a building.
| Profile | Fixing | Typical minimum pitch | Best suited to | Watch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IBR | Exposed screws through the crest | Around 5° | Houses, workshops, light commercial | Washers are a maintenance item |
| Corrugated | Exposed screws through the crest | Around 5° | Farm, heritage, outbuildings | Slightly less span for the gauge |
| Klip-Lok / standing seam | Concealed clips | Lower than IBR | Low pitch, coastal, clean finish | Higher material and labour cost |
| Polycarbonate / translucent | Screws with oversized holes | Match the host profile | Lightwells, patios, workshop bays | Thermal movement; shorter life than steel |
Coating, Gauge and Coastal Specification
Two roofs can use the same profile and have completely different service lives. The difference is what the steel is coated with and how thick it is — and within a few kilometres of the sea, that difference is the whole ballgame.
The coating system comes in layers. Bare steel is protected by a metallic coating — zinc (galvanised) or a zinc-aluminium alloy — and that may then carry a factory-applied paint system on top. Plain galvanised is the cheapest and the shortest-lived here. A zinc-aluminium coating substantially outperforms plain zinc in a marine atmosphere. A pre-painted system over an adequate metallic coating adds a further barrier and is what we specify on coastal work.
Coating mass matters as much as coating type. The number quoted after the coating designation is the mass of metallic coating per square metre, and it is the single most useful figure on the spec sheet. Two sheets with the same trade name and different coating masses are not the same product, and the cheaper one is cheaper for a reason.
Gauge is the thickness of the base steel, and it governs how far the sheet spans between purlins, how it handles foot traffic during maintenance, and how well it resists denting. Thin sheet on wide purlin centres oil-cans, flexes underfoot and works its fixings loose over time.
Then there is dissimilar metal contact, which quietly destroys coastal roofs. Copper, lead and bare mild steel in contact with, or draining onto, a coated steel roof will set up galvanic corrosion. So will steel swarf left on the sheets after cutting. Sweeping the roof clean at the end of each day is not housekeeping, it is corrosion control.
The Details That Decide How Long It Lasts
Sheet steel roofs rarely fail in the middle of a sheet. They fail at the fixings, the laps and the flashings, and on the Garden Route they fail there sooner than the brochure suggests.
Fixings. On an exposed-fix profile the screw is driven through the crest, never the pan, into the purlin, with a sealing washer compressed just enough to seal and not so far that it extrudes. Overdriven screws deform the crest and the washer; underdriven ones leak. Perished washers are the single most common cause of persistent minor leaks on an older sheet roof, and replacing them as a batch is cheap work that buys years.
Fixing centres and sheet gauge for wind. Coastal wind here is a live uplift load, not a theoretical one. A fixing pattern and gauge that are perfectly adequate inland are not automatically adequate at Herolds Bay, Glentana or the Wilderness ridge. Perimeter and corner zones take the highest uplift and need closer fixing than the field of the roof.
End laps, or the absence of them. Where the roof length allows, we order sheets rolled to full length so there is no end lap at all — no lap means no lap to leak. Where a lap is unavoidable it gets adequate overlap, sealed, and fixed on both sides.
Flashings and rainwater goods. Ridge, barge, apron, valley and side flashings all in a compatible material with the sheet, dressed properly rather than sealed with mastic and optimism. Box gutters need real falls, real upstands and an overflow.
Cutting. Sheets cut with an angle grinder get heat-damaged edges and throw hot swarf across the roof, both of which start rust. Nibblers or shears, and a clean-down afterwards.
Common Questions
Is IBR or tile better for the Southern Cape coast?
IBR in the right specification (Chromadek or AZ150 minimum) handles salt air better than plain galvanised steel and is faster and cheaper to install than tile. Tile has a longer warranty period and better traditional aesthetics. The right answer depends on your building style, budget, and how close you are to the sea.
Will my IBR roof rust from the sea air?
Not if it’s specified correctly. For coastal George, Wilderness, Mossel Bay and nearby, we recommend Chromadek over AZ150 galvanised or better — never plain galvanised. With the right spec, coastal IBR roofs last 20+ years before coating intervention is needed.
What’s the difference between IBR and Kliplok?
IBR has exposed fixings (screws through the crest of the sheet). Kliplok is a concealed-fix standing seam — the sheets clip to brackets and there are no exposed screws. Kliplok costs more but looks cleaner, has better waterproofing at low pitches, and has no fasteners to fail.
Can you replace my tile roof with IBR?
Yes, and it usually reduces the dead load on the trusses significantly. The trusses still need to be checked by the engineer because load direction changes, but going from tile to IBR is normally the easier change. We handle the full strip, structural check, and re-roof under one contract.
What is the difference between IBR and corrugated roof sheeting?
The profile shape. IBR has a wide square-fluted profile and corrugated has the older rounded one. IBR is generally the more structurally efficient of the two at the same gauge, so it spans a little further between purlins, and it is the more common choice on modern residential and commercial buildings. Corrugated remains the right look on farm buildings and heritage work. Both are fixed the same way, through the crest with sealed screws.
What are the types of roof sheeting?
In South African practice: IBR, corrugated, and concealed-fix standing seam profiles such as Klip-Lok, all in coated steel; fibre-cement sheeting; polycarbonate and other translucent sheeting rolled to match the steel profiles; and aluminium, which is used where its corrosion resistance justifies the cost. The steel profiles cover the overwhelming majority of roofs we install, and the choice between them comes down to pitch, exposure and appearance.
What is the minimum pitch for an IBR roof?
Around 5 degrees for IBR laid conventionally, though the manufacturer’s figure for the specific profile and sheet length governs, and long sheets or sheltered valleys can call for more. Concealed-fix standing seam profiles work at lower pitches than IBR, which is why they are often the answer on a nearly flat roof. Laying a profile below its minimum pitch is not something that can be corrected with sealant — the water simply has time to find the laps.
Which roof sheeting is best for coastal areas?
A pre-painted sheet over a zinc-aluminium metallic coating, at an adequate coating mass, is the sensible baseline within a few kilometres of the sea. Plain galvanised is a false economy here. Concealed-fix profiles have an edge because there are no exposed fixings to perish. Just as important as the sheet itself is compatibility: no copper or lead draining onto the roof, no bare mild steel in contact with it, and no cutting swarf left lying on the sheets.
Can you install roof sheeting over an existing roof?
Over an existing sheet roof it is sometimes possible using a top-hat or batten system, and it can save the cost and disruption of a strip. It is only worth doing where the existing structure has the capacity for the extra load, where the old sheeting is not hiding rotten purlins, and where the underlay situation has been thought through. Over tiles it is almost never the right answer. We would want to look in the roof space before recommending it either way.
How long does an IBR roof last?
With the right coating specification for the exposure and correct installation, a coated steel roof on the Garden Route has a long service life — but the fixings, washers and flashings will need attention well before the sheets do. Plan on periodic inspection, replacing perished washers as a batch, and clearing gutters and valleys, and the roof reaches its potential. Leave it entirely alone and the fixings will decide the lifespan for you.
Do you supply the sheeting, or only install it?
We are a roofing contractor rather than a supplier. We specify the profile, coating and gauge for your building and exposure, procure the material through the merchants and rollformers we work with, and install it under one contract with a written workmanship guarantee. If you already have material on site we will look at what you have and tell you honestly whether it suits the job.
We Serve George and the Surrounding Towns
Based in George, installing IBR, Klip-Lok and corrugated roofs the length of the Garden Route.
George · Wilderness · Mossel Bay · Great Brak River · Glentana · Herolds Bay · Sedgefield · Knysna · Plettenberg Bay · Hartenbos · Oudtshoorn · Riversdale
Related pages and reading
IBR Roof Quote — Free Site Visit
Tell us about the building and we’ll quote the right IBR or Kliplok spec for the job. Call 073 160 7619 or request a quote online.
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