Gutter coil is the flat strip of painted or natural metal that a gutter machine roll-forms into a seamless K-style gutter. The coil decides the gutter’s weight, how well it resists dents, how it copes with salt air, its color and how it ages. Painted aluminum suits most houses, painted steel suits gutters that take abuse, and copper suits buildings where natural metal is the point.
Architectural Metal Panels roll-forms 5-inch and 6-inch K-style gutters from aluminum, steel and copper coil in our New Brunswick shop, with end caps, miters and downspout parts. Your installer hangs them. This guide compares the three metals so you can pick the coil before you order. For sizing, see 5-inch vs 6-inch K-style gutters.
How do aluminum, steel and copper gutter coil compare?
Aluminum is the lightest and does not rust. Steel is the stiffest and resists dents most. Copper is the only one meant to be left unpainted. The table sums up the trade-offs.
| Question | Aluminum | Steel (Galvalume) | Copper (16 oz) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight | Lightest; about a third of steel at the same thickness | Heavier than aluminum | One pound per square foot of sheet |
| Dents | Dents most easily from ladders, limbs and hail | Stiffest; resists dents and ladder marks | Softer than steel; dents can show |
| Rust | Does not rust | Protected by its metallic coating and paint | Does not rust |
| Near salt water | Often the safer choice | Coil warranties often exclude sites near salt water | Patina forms; keep its runoff off other metals |
| Finish | Painted | Painted | Natural metal, unpainted |
| How it ages | Paint can chalk and fade over the years | Paint can chalk and fade over the years | Bright, then brown, and in time often green |
| Joints | Usually riveted and sealed | Usually riveted and sealed | Usually soldered |
Is aluminum right for most houses?
For many houses, yes. Aluminum is light, does not rust, comes painted and is easy for installers to handle in long runs.
Its weak spot is dents. A ladder set against the gutter, a falling limb or hail can crease an aluminum front face, and thicker coil resists that better than thin coil. The coil thickness is listed on your written quote, so you can compare quotes on the same basis.
Near the ocean, Raritan Bay or the back bays, aluminum is often the safer choice, because steel coil warranties commonly exclude sites close to salt water. Our guide to metal roofing near the Jersey Shore covers those distances.
When should you choose steel gutter coil?
Choose steel when strength matters more than weight. Painted steel holds its shape under ladders, sliding snow and ice better than aluminum, which suits commercial buildings, barns, garages and houses with metal roofs.
The steel we work with is Galvalume, which carries an aluminum-zinc alloy coating under the paint. Galvanized steel, the other common type, carries a zinc coating. Either way the coating protects the steel, so deep scratches from ladders or hardware are where trouble starts. Inland, steel is a sound choice. Near salt water, check the coil maker’s warranty for the job address first.
If your roof panels come from our shop as well, the gutters can go on the same order. See standing seam roof panels for the roof side.
Are copper gutters worth it?
Copper gutters are worth it when the look is the point: historic houses, copper roofs and bays, and owners who want gutters that age with the building. We run copper mostly in 16 oz, which means 16 ounces of copper per square foot of sheet.
New copper is bright and salmon-colored. It darkens to brown and, over many years, can turn green, at a pace set by exposure. Copper does not rust and is left unpainted. Its joints are usually soldered, so check that your installer works with copper before you order it.
Our post on 16 oz copper and zinc sheet explains weights and patina in more detail. Our copper and zinc sheet metal page shows the other natural-metal parts we fabricate.
Where should copper runoff go?
Never onto steel, aluminum or zinc. Metal Sales’ Galvalume warranty excludes areas that receive runoff from copper or lead flashing and areas in contact with copper. Water flowing from a painted steel roof into a copper gutter is generally acceptable, as long as the metals do not touch. A copper gutter that drains onto a lower Galvalume roof, or an aluminum gutter under a copper bay roof, is a problem.
Which paint finish should painted gutters have?
The painted finishes we work with are PVDF (Kynar 500 type) and SMP. PVDF holds its color and resists chalking longer, and SMP is the more economical finish.
Finish warranties come from the coil maker, and terms vary by product and color. Our warranties page explains how they work. Your color and finish are confirmed on the quote. Custom, non-stock colors carry a minimum quantity, which your quote shows.
Which hangers and fasteners go with each metal?
Use hangers, straps and screws of the same metal as the gutter, or one its maker approves. Dissimilar metals in contact can corrode in wet weather, and gutters stay wet.
- Aluminum gutters: aluminum hangers, with stainless steel screws where the maker allows them
- Steel gutters: coated steel or stainless steel hangers and screws
- Copper gutters: copper or brass hangers and fasteners suited to copper
The same rule applies to flashing that sheds into the gutter. If you need metal flashing or drip edge to go with the gutters, it can be formed in the same metal on the same order.
How do you order K-style gutters in the coil you chose?
Send the coil metal and color, the gutter size, and each run’s length, with corners, end caps and downspouts. You get a written quote within 24-48 hours, and there is no minimum order.
- Your installer measures the runs and lists the corners and downspout outlets.
- Send the list through the quote form, email info@architecturalmetalpanels.net, or text a photo of the sketch to (732) 236-8750.
- We reply with a written quote, or with questions if something is missing.
- We roll-form each run to length and make the end caps, miters and downspout parts.
- The order is delivered within about a 5-hour drive of the shop, or picked up during office hours, Monday–Friday 7 AM–5 PM.
Have a lower written quote for the same parts? Send it with your request and we will match or beat it.
Gutter coil questions
What is gutter coil?
Gutter coil is a long, flat strip of aluminum, steel or copper wound into a roll. A gutter machine unrolls it and forms it into a K-style gutter at the length of each run, so the gutter has no seams along the run.
Which gutter coil lasts longest?
Copper has the longest service record and is left unpainted, so there is no paint to fade. Painted aluminum and steel depend on their coating and the site; near salt water, aluminum usually holds up better than steel.
Is aluminum or steel gutter coil better near the Jersey Shore?
Aluminum is usually the safer choice near salt water, because steel coil warranties often exclude sites close to the ocean or a bay. Check the coil maker’s warranty for the job address before ordering steel.
Can a copper gutter go on a house with a steel roof?
Yes, if water flows from the steel into the copper and the two metals do not touch. Copper runoff must never reach Galvalume, galvanized steel, aluminum or zinc below, because it corrodes them.
What gutter colors can I order?
Painted aluminum and steel come in the coil maker’s stock colors, in PVDF or SMP finishes. Custom, non-stock colors carry a minimum quantity, shown on your quote. Copper is natural metal and is not painted.
Gutter coil
Picked your gutter metal?
Send the coil metal, color, gutter size and run lengths your installer measured. We reply with a written quote within 24-48 hours for K-style gutters roll-formed to length in our New Jersey shop.
