Will Metal Roofing Fade in the Colorado Sun? Paint, Chalking, and Warranty Explained
Every exterior color fades eventually. Your siding does it, your truck does it, and yes, your metal roof does it. The useful question isn’t whether metal roofing fades. It’s how fast, how much, and what the warranty does about it.
Quick answer: Yes, colored metal roofing fades and chalks over time, because sunlight breaks down the paint’s pigment and resin. How quickly depends on the paint system, the color, how much sun the roof gets, and how well it’s maintained. The manufacturer’s coating warranty linked on Legacy Metal Center’s site covers cracking, flaking, and peeling for 40 years, and chalk and fade for 30 years, within set limits.
This guide explains what fading and chalking are, why sun at Colorado elevations matters, how paint systems differ, what the warranty promises in plain numbers, and how to choose and care for a color so it looks good for decades. It’s written for homeowners, roofing contractors, and builders choosing a finish from Legacy Metal Center’s color options.
What Is Fading and Chalking on a Metal Roof?
Fading is the gradual loss of color as sunlight breaks down the paint’s pigment. Chalking is the whitish, powdery residue that appears when sunlight breaks down the paint’s resin, the layer that binds the pigment and protects it.
You can often spot chalk by wiping a finger across a panel. If it comes away with a light powder, the surface is chalking.
Both are normal aging, and neither shows up evenly. The sunniest slope of a roof fades more than a shaded one, and chalk is most noticeable on dark colors because the white residue contrasts with the paint.
Why Metal Roofs Fade: UV, Pigment, Resin, and Weather
Five things decide how a painted roof ages:
- UV exposure. It is probably the biggest factor; for example, a roof in Texas is more exposed than one in Wisconsin and will age faster.
- Temperature swings. Extreme heat and cold speed up color change, and frequent swings can weaken pigment.
- Moisture and pollution. Standing water, condensation, acid rain, and chemicals in the air can all speed fading.
- Pigment. Organic pigments, which are carbon-based and give the most vivid colors, fade faster. Inorganic pigments, made from minerals and often used in earth tones, hold their color longer.
- Resin. The resin protects the pigment. In terms of ranking, PVDF chalks last, SMP comes next, and polyester and plastisol chalk first.
Does the Colorado sun fade metal roofing faster?
Colorado gives UV a head start. The World Health Organization says UV levels rise with altitude because thinner air absorbs less of it. The Hong Kong Observatory gives a rule of thumb of about 12% more UV for every 1,000 meters, citing the WHO. Penrose sits at 5,309 feet (1,618 m), so that rule suggests roughly 19% more UV than at sea level. Season, cloud cover, and reflection from fresh snow also change the real number, so treat it as a ballpark, not a forecast.
That doesn’t mean a Colorado roof fades 19% faster. It means the biggest driver of fading hits harder here, which is a good reason to look at the paint system, the color, and the warranty before you order.
SMP vs. PVDF: Which Paint System Fades Less?
PVDF fades and chalks less than SMP, but SMP costs less and is harder to scratch. The difference shows up in the warranty limits more than in the number of years.
| SMP (silicone-modified polyester) | PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) | |
|---|---|---|
| Allowed color change (Hunter delta E), roof / wall | 7.0 / 5.0 | 5.0 / 5.0 |
| Chalk rating a panel must stay above, roof / wall | 6 / 8 | 8 / 8 |
| Cracking and flaking coverage | Often up to 40 years | Often up to 40 years |
| Scratch resistance | Harder | Softer |
| Cost | Lower | Higher |
| Bright, vivid colors | Not usually recommended | Better suited |
SMP is a step below PVDF, and earth tones and lighter colors age best on it, while bright reds and blues fade more noticeably. That is the trade: you give up some color stability and get a lower price and a tougher surface.
Where WeatherXL fits
WeatherXL is Sherwin-Williams’ SMP coil coating, a two-coat finish sold for roof panels, wall panels, and gutters, in colors from bright white to jet black. Sherwin-Williams describes it as its best resistance yet to chalking, fading, and scratching for an SMP. That is the coating maker’s claim, and it is still an SMP, so a PVDF will generally hold color longer.
Legacy Metal Center’s color chart lists WX color codes on most of its 29- and 26-gauge colors, and the warranty linked in its site menu is written for WeatherXL coil coatings.
What Does a 40-Year Metal Roof Warranty Actually Cover?
A 40-year warranty doesn’t mean 40 years of unchanged color. It’s a set of separate promises with different lengths and different limits. The headline number usually refers to cracking, flaking, and peeling, while chalking and fading get their own coverage periods and are measured differently.
Here is what the manufacturer’s coating warranty promises for WeatherXL:
| What’s covered | How long | What counts as a failure |
|---|---|---|
| Cracking, flaking, or peeling (loss of adhesion) | 40 years from the date the coating was applied | Visible on ordinary outdoor inspection |
| Chalking | 30 years from the date of installation | Roof panels worse than a 6 on the ASTM D4214 chalk scale; wall panels worse than an 8 |
| Color change (fade) | 30 years from the date of installation | More than 7.0 Hunter delta E on roof panels; more than 5.0 on wall panels (ASTM D2244) |
Two plain-English notes on those numbers:
- Delta E is one number for how far a color has moved from the original. A change of 1 is hardly noticeable, while 5 to 7 is a clear shift. Roofs get the looser limit because they take more sun than walls.
- The chalk scale runs from 1 to 10, and a lower number means more chalk. “Worse than a 6” means heavy chalking, not a light dusting.
The warranty measures color change on a cleaned, exposed surface against an unexposed or original surface, and it says fade may not be uniform where panels get different amounts of sun.
What “fade-resistant” really means
No coating is fade-proof. “Resistant” means slower, and within the limits in the table. A roof can lose noticeable color and still be inside the warranty, because fade only becomes a claim once it passes the limit.
The fine print worth reading before you order
- Where it applies: buildings in the continental United States, Alaska, and Canada.
- What it excludes: harmful fumes or foreign substances in the air, salt spray (and no coverage within 1,500 feet of a saltwater environment), moisture trapped in bundles during transit or storage, standing water, contact with animals, mishandling, corrosion at cut edges, and snow guards or solar panels attached or adhered to the coating.
- Maintenance: the chalk limits apply when the panels are properly maintained (see the care section below).
- The remedy: repaint, repair, or replace the affected panels, at the manufacturer’s option. The warranty caps the manufacturer’s liability at the purchase price of the coil.
- Claims: they must be made in writing within 15 days after you first discover the problem, and you’ll need the shipment date, installation date, order number, and invoice number.
- Transfers: the warranty covers the original purchaser only, and it ends if the building changes owner through a sale, inheritance, or gift.
Questions about how the warranty is documented for your project? Ask before you order, not after a problem shows up.
Which Metal Roof Colors Fade the Least?
Lighter, earth-tone, and lower-gloss colors show fade and chalk the least. Bright, vivid colors show them the most.
- Earth tones and lighter colors. Beiges, browns, and tans use pigments less likely to break down, while reds, blues, and greens use pigments that fade sooner. Colors in the tan, brown, and light families in Legacy’s lineup include Saddle Tan, Koko Brown, Buckskin, Taupe, Light Stone, and Ivory.
- Bright reds and blues. Colors like Crimson Red, Rural Red, Hawaiian Blue, and Gallery Blue will show change sooner than a tan or gray, especially on an SMP finish.
- Matte and low-gloss finishes. Matte colors are less prone to noticeable fading. Legacy Metal Center offers Matte Black and ultra low gloss options.
- Dark colors show chalk most. The white residue contrasts with the paint.
- Sunny slopes age faster. If one slope gets far more sun than another, expect it to change faster.
Ask about your exact color before you order. Brighter colors generally carry less fade coverage, and many metallic colors carry none because a color spectrophotometer can’t measure them.
How to Care for a Painted Metal Roof
Most of the work is simple: rinse it, don’t scrub it, and don’t paint it.
- Clean up after install. Metal shavings from drilling and cutting can stain and corrode panels if they’re left behind.
- Rinse with fresh water. Washing two or three times a year with a garden hose is normally enough.
- Use mild detergent for stubborn dirt. 5% solution of non-industrial, non-bleach detergent, applied with a cloth or soft brush and rinsed thoroughly.
- Skip abrasives. Wire brushes and harsh cleaners can damage the coating, and misusing a cleaner can void a warranty.
- Touch up small scratches only. Don’t use touch-up paint over broad areas, because it won’t fade the same way as the factory finish.
- Don’t repaint. Field painting voids its finish warranty. Check your own warranty before you paint anything.
For Contractors: Talking About Fade With Customers
A customer who hears “it will fade” for the first time on the day it happens is an unhappy customer. Set expectations up front:
- Say that fade is normal and measured. Show them the limits in the warranty table.
- Be honest about bright colors. If they want a vivid red or blue, tell them it will change sooner than a tan or gray.
- Hand over the warranty paperwork. Explain that coverage ends if the building changes owner.
- Keep records. Note the shipment date, installation date, order number, and invoice number, and photograph the roof at install as a baseline.
- Protect the finish. Sweep off shavings, and don’t adhere accessories to the coating without checking the warranty.
Choose Your Color Before You Order
Panels are rolled to order, so settle the color first. Preview combinations in the 3D Colorizer, browse the 33 standard colors and 11 crinkle finishes, and stop by the Penrose location to see color chips, since screens vary from the final product. If you’re still choosing gauge, our 24, 26, and 29 gauge guide can help.
Choose a Color You’ll Love for Decades
Legacy Metal Center rolls 100% USA-made steel panels to order in Penrose, Colorado, with 33 standard colors, 11 crinkle finishes, matching trim, and a manufacturer’s coating warranty. Delivery covers Colorado and beyond.
Not sure which color or finish fits your project? Tell us where you’re building and we’ll help you choose. Request a quote, call (719) 784-1949, or contact our team.
Metal Roof Fading and Chalking FAQ
