Imagine walking across an asphalt surface on a hot sunny day. You can just picture the heat radiating off of the asphalt. Commercial roofing is the same way. They soak up the heat on summer days, heating up not only the roof but also the building underneath. Dark roofs are especially hot, taking in about 90% of the heat. So how hot does a commercial roof really get during the summer? And what can be done to cool a commercial roof?

Roofing Types and Temperatures

Different roofing materials will absorb more heat than others, causing the temperatures to be higher for some commercial roofing structures than others. For instance, on a sunny day that gets up to about 90 degrees, a black roof can expect to be anywhere between 140 degrees to 190 degrees. Gravel roofing can get up to around 125 degrees. Metal roofing without a coating may reach temperatures of up to 145 degrees, but it can feel hotter to the touch than black roofs. Metal painted with cool paint will be about 40% cooler than unpainted metal, reaching about 105 degrees. The coolest types of roofing structures are materials such as white roofing, reflective aluminum, and vegetative roofing. These types of materials may only get up to 100 degrees in temperature or slightly higher and are clearly the better choice for keeping a building cooler in the summertime.

Cool Roofing

Should you consider changing your commercial roof? It absolutely can make a difference to not only cool down the roofing temperature, but also the temperature inside. A cool roof has many added benefits, such as lower energy costs during the summer months as well. Choosing a cooling roofing material is definitely something to consider when undergoing a re-roofing or new construction project.

Our team at Certified Commercial Roofing can provide more information about cool roofing options that may be great for your roofing project. Give us a call to find out more and take advantage of all the benefits a cool roof has to offer.