The 24 gauge steel that is the subject of this week’s post, is the industry standard for seam metal roofs. We also commonly find the robust material in building-wall systems. As well as 24 gauge steel gutters where circumstances call for a blend of the following criteria:
- Internal strength contributing to rigidity, and high performance.
- An affordable price delivering an aesthetically-pleasant finish.
Unpacking Three Major Mechanical Advantages
A 24 gauge steel sheet is a minimum 0.023 inches thick, according to Sheffield Metals International. This makes it more capable of resisting denting and other impacts. This, plus its greater rigidity makes it more resistant to bending forces too.
This resistance in turn makes 24 gauge steel gutters less likely to display the rippling effect called ‘oil canning’, which can be common in lighter sheets. The latter are more likely to develop the defect during cold sheet-metal rolling.
From the above is follows that 24 gauge steel metal is less likely to come off second-best in severe weather. When clients specify it our answer is invariably, “can do, but quality comes at a cost and this is why”.
Unpacking Why 24 Gauge Steel Gutters Cost More
- 24 gauge metal sheets are heavier than the thinner ones we normally use on gutters. Therefore, we need more hands to load them onto our vehicle, and insert into our gutter bending machine.
- This thicker gauge represents the extreme thickness that our gutter bending machine can accept. We have to work more carefully, to avoid damaging the sheet-bending mechanism that manufactures our seamless gutters.
- We also have to complete a number of precision processes, after producing our 24 gauge steel gutters. These finishing touches include cutting mitred corners, and drilling holes for attaching screws. All of these take more time.
- Planning for customer and worker safety is at the heart of everything we do at Valiant Exteriors in Calgary. We have to allow more time for positioning the gutters in place, to avoid accidents.
The down pipes on our 26 gauge eaves-trough projects are similarly thicker, and less workable that usual. Finally, the material itself is much more expensive than standard aluminum gutter coil, pipe, and elbows.
You Get What You Pay For At Valiant Exteriors
We won’t make excuses for quality in everything we do. The impact of a higher price fades faster than the disappointment with a shoddy job. We readily walk the extra mile for our customers, because it is equally important that we are satisfied with our work.
More Information
Fitting Gutters to Metal-Frame Buildings