Diamond shingle roofing is a covering of diamond-shaped metal plates — losanges in French — laid to overlap like scales and fixed to the boarding with clips. In Dutch such a roof is called a losangedak.
The material is usually zinc, and copper is common too. There are also hexagonal versions and plastic imitations. Where the lower point of the diamond stands proud, the effect is known as dragon scale or dragon skin.
Where you see it
- Spires, domes and dormers on churches and historic buildings
- Round and curved roof surfaces that flat bays cannot follow
- Modern facade cladding as an accent, for example on a bay window or a dormer cheek
- Bay windows, garden buildings and carports as a distinctive finish
Why diamonds rather than bays?
The strength of the system lies in the small elements:
- Freedom of form — small diamonds follow a dome, a cone or a curved surface effortlessly; long standing-seam bays do not
- Movement of metal — each plate can expand and contract independently, which prevents stress building up in the covering
- Repair — a damaged plate can be swapped out without opening up the whole surface
Points to watch
- Pitch — a diamond covering is not a waterproof membrane but a water-shedding scale layer. It belongs on a sufficiently steep surface; on shallower pitches an underlay that carries water, or a different system, is needed
- Substructure — a closed, dry and flat boarded deck is essential; unevenness shows through the metal immediately
- Ventilation — zinc and copper need a ventilated air space behind them. Without it, underside corrosion follows
- Fixing — only with clips of the same or a compatible metal, never with visible fixings driven through the face
- Metal combinations — never place zinc downstream of bare copper: copper-bearing run-off attacks zinc
Diamond shingle work is specialist craft work. A small garden building or facade panel is feasible with ready-made plates, but for a spire or a large roof you call in a metal roofer.
Related terms
- Slate roof
- Slate
- Roof boarding
- Roof pitch
- Dormer
Want to learn more about construction terms? Visit our knowledge base at fredsdiyplans.com.