Types

• Aluminum
  Lightweight, corrosion-resistant metal supplied as extrusions, sheet, and plate, used for window and door frames, curtain wall, roofing, and cladding.
• Brass
  Copper-zinc alloy, about twice as much copper as zinc, used for hardware, plumbing fittings, valves, and architectural trim.
• Bronze
  Copper alloy, typically 88 percent copper and 12 percent tin, with aluminum, silicon, or phosphorus variants, used for sculpture, doors, bearings, and architectural cladding.
• Cast Iron
  Iron-carbon casting alloy with 1.8 to 4 percent carbon, used for drain, waste, and vent piping, drains, fixtures, and boilers.
• Copper
  Ductile, highly conductive metal supplied as tube, sheet, and wire, used for water and drain piping, roofing, flashing, and electrical conductors.
• Cor-ten Steel
  Weathering steel that forms a stable rust patina in service, used for architectural panels, bridges, and exposed structural steel.
• Lead
  Dense, soft, toxic metal used as sheet lead for flashing, roofing, cladding, sound control, and radiation shielding.
• Nickel Alloys
  Nickel-base and nickel-bearing alloys such as Monel, nickel silver, and cupronickel, used for corrosion-resistant and decorative architectural metalwork.
• Stainless Steel
  Corrosion-resistant steel with at least 10.5 percent chromium, used for fixtures, piping, door hardware, trim, and roofing.
• Steel
  Iron-carbon alloy with up to 2.14 percent carbon, supplied as shapes, plate, tube, and sheet for structural framing, decking, and enclosures.
• Titanium
  Strong, light, highly corrosion-resistant metal used for architectural roofing, cladding, and fasteners where long life matters.
• Wrought Iron
  Nearly carbon-free iron with fibrous slag inclusions, forged into historic gates, railings, and structural members, and now rare.
• Zinc
  Low-melting, self-patinating metal used as rolled titanium-zinc roofing and cladding and as the protective coating on galvanized steel.

Code reference

Always verify the adopted code edition and local amendments for the project jurisdiction.

Governing editions

Structural and cladding metals

• IBC 2024, Section 2002.1: aluminum complies with AA ASM 35 and the Aluminum Design Manual (AA ADM) (aluminum)
• IBC 2024, Section 2202.1: structural and composite steel designed per AISC 360; floor vibration per AISC Design Guide 11 (steel)
• IBC 2024, Section 2202.2: seismic design per AISC 341 where required (steel)
• IBC 2024, Section 2204.1: cold-formed steel members per AISI S100 (steel)
• IBC 2024, Section 2206.1: cold-formed steel framing per AISI S240; nonstructural members per Section 2206.2 and AISI S220 (steel)
• IBC 2024, Table 1404.2: minimum exterior covering thickness: aluminum siding 0.019 in., corrosion-resistant steel 0.0149 in., cold-rolled and lead-coated copper 0.0216 in., copper shingles and high-yield copper 0.0162 in. (aluminum, steel, copper)

Roofing metals

• IBC 2024, Section 1507.4: metal roof panel slopes: 3:12 lapped without sealant, 1/2:12 with sealant, 1/4:12 standing seam
• IBC 2024, Table 1507.4.3: roof metal materials: aluminum ASTM B209; cold-rolled copper ASTM B370 at 16 oz per sq ft for sheet systems and 12 oz per sq ft for preformed shingles; high-yield copper 12 oz per sq ft; galvanized steel ASTM A653 G-90; stainless steel ASTM A240 300 Series (aluminum, copper, steel, stainless steel)

Plumbing piping metals

• IPC 2024, Table 702.1: cast iron drain, waste, and vent pipe to ASTM A74, A888, or CISPI 301 (cast iron)
• IPC 2024, Tables 605.3 and 605.4: copper water pipe and tube, including ASTM B88 (copper)
• IPC 2024, Table 308.5: hanger spacing: copper pipe 12 ft, cast iron 5 ft or 10 ft (copper, cast iron)
• IPC 2024, Section 605.2: lead content of pipe, fittings, and fixtures limited to 8 percent generally (lead, brass)
• IPC 2024, Section 605.2.1: potable water components limited to 0.25 percent lead per NSF/ANSI/CAN 372 (lead, brass)
• Safe Drinking Water Act, Section 1417 (as amended by Public Law 111-380, effective January 4, 2014): "lead free" means a weighted average of 0.25 percent lead over wetted surfaces for pipes, fittings, and components, and 0.2 percent for solder and flux; the EPA final rule of September 2020 requires third-party certification (lead, brass)

Referenced standards

Sources

• UpCodes: 2024 IBC Chapter 20 aluminum, https://up.codes/viewer/department-of-defense/ibc-2024/chapter/20/aluminum
• UpCodes: 2024 IBC Chapter 22 steel, Chapter 22 Steel: Department of Defense Building Code 2024 | UpCodes
• UpCodes: 2024 IBC Chapter 15 roof assemblies, Chapter 15 Roof Assemblies and Rooftop Structures: Department of Defense Building Code 2024 | UpCodes
• UpCodes: 2024 IBC Chapter 14 exterior walls, https://up.codes/viewer/department-of-defense/ibc-2024/chapter/14/exterior-walls
• NSF: Safe Drinking Water Act requirements, https://www.nsf.org/knowledge-library/safe-drinking-water-act-requirements
• Virginia Department of Health: Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act, https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/drinking-water/reduction-of-lead-in-drinking-water-act/