ABOUT LEAD SHEET

Lead occurs naturally as galena, the sulfide ore. To make lead, the sulfide is converted to the oxide by roasting, then reduced to metal in a blast furnace burning limestone and coke. About 75% of lead used in the UK is re-cycled material.

Most lead sheet used for roofing, cladding, flashings and gutter linings is made by milling thick sheet down to the desired thickness. Continuous machine-cast lead sheet, which represents about 10% of the UK market, is made by immersing a rotating water-cooled metal drum in a bath of molten lead at constant temperature. The lead solidifies on the surface of the drum and is peeled off as it emerges from the melt. Machine cast lead sheet does not have the anisotropic directional grain structure associated with the rolling process.

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When laying lead sheet the metal must be free to move with temperature changes, so that alternating stresses are not focused in a small area, leading to fatigue fracture. A geotextile separating underlay may be used. The addition of 0.06% copper to 99.9% pure lead gives increased fatigue resistance without affecting malleability.

Lead sheet roofing requires a smooth, continuous substrate. The bay sizes depend on the roof geometry and the thickness of lead to be used. For pitched roofs (10 to 80 degrees) joints in the direction of the fall may be wood-cored or hollow roles, with laps across the fall. Fixings are copper or stainless steel nails and clips with the rolls, welts, or standing seams.

LEADING UK LEAD SHEET SUPPLIERS

Click here for an easy-to-use listing of leading UK suppliers of lead sheet, provided by Archbone.

Other useful links relevant to lead sheet:

Lead Sheet Association

National Federation of Roofing Contractors

Metal Cladding & Roofing Manufacturers Association

DETAILED INFORMATION RESOURCES ON LEAD SHEET

We recommend the following professional construction directories, which include manufacturers' specifications and CAD details: Barbour Compendium at www.barbourcompendium.co.uk, RIBA Product Selector Plus at ww.productselector.co.uk, ASC Bricsnet at www.ascinfo.co.uk, Building Products Index at www.bpindex.co.uk, British Board of Agrément at www.bbacerts.co.uk, British Standards Online at www.bsonline.bsi-global.com.

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