Folded zinc is zinc sheet that is folded or bent (set) into profiles such as gutter sections, drip edges, facade strips, window sills and cover caps. It is custom-folded zinc work used to make junctions and finishes watertight.
Application
Folded zinc is used wherever water must be neatly drained or deflected: as a gutter along the roof edge, as a cover cap on a wall or parapet, as a facade strip along window frames, and as a sill under windows and doors. The sheet-metal worker bends the flat sheet to the required angles and dimensions so that the profile fits the building detail exactly. In this way the underlying structure stays dry.
Characteristics
Zinc is a durable, weather-resistant material that forms a protective patina layer and lasts for decades. When folding, allowance must be made for the thermal expansion of zinc due to temperature differences; for this reason long runs are made with expansion joints and soldered or seamed connections. The folding is done on a press brake, along which the sheet is bent to a straight line. Comparable work in lead is also used for lead flashings and junctions.
Related terms
- lead
- gutter
- drip edge
- facade
- expansion joint
- ridge
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