Are metal roofs loud when it rains?

Why a house roof and a barn roof sound different

Most of the worry behind are metal roofs loud when it rains comes from barns and patio covers. There, only air sits between you and the metal.

Panel maker ATAS makes the same point. A panel fastened over open framing is louder than one on a solid roof deck, because the deck absorbs and muffles the sound.

A metal roof on a house is a stack of layers. ATAS notes that most steep-slope metal products go on over decking and underlayment. McElroy Metal says the attic insulation has the biggest effect on how much outside sound reaches your rooms.

McElroy also says thicker panels absorb impact better than thin ones. Steel generally beats aluminum here, it adds, because steel is heavier and denser.

What the decibel tests show

The figures most roofing sites quote come from a study by the Acoustic Group at Luleå University in Sweden. McElroy Metal and ATAS both cite it.

One caution: we couldn't find the original Luleå paper, only manufacturers citing it, so treat these as industry-reported numbers. Both manufacturers argue the 6 dB gap between shingles and metal is too small for most people to notice.

A university lab test in Brazil gives a harder number for bare metal. Researchers at Unisinos ran the ISO 10140 heavy artificial rain, 40 mm (about 1.6 inches) per hour, on single 0.5 mm metal roof sheets. They measured 67.2 to 74.2 dB(A) of sound intensity.

Adding a glass-wool layer between two metal sheets cut the rain noise by 11 to 12.2 dB in matched pairs. Across all the samples, fibrous layers cut it by up to 22 dB.

A bigger empty air gap between the sheets did not help. Those were large commercial roofs, not houses, but the lesson carries over: fill the layers, don't just space them.

Orlando storms and metal roof noise

Orlando International Airport gets 51.45 inches of rain a year, and June through September each bring 6.37 to 8.05 inches (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). A roof here hears a lot of rain, so the layers under the metal earn their keep.

If you're asking are metal roofs loud when it rains because of those summer storms, the build matters more than the metal. A metal roof over plywood, underlayment and an insulated attic won't sound like the carport next door.

Rain noise by metal roof system

• Standing seam: Florida's residential code lets metal panels go on solid or spaced sheathing. Ask that the deck and underlayment be named in the written scope. See standing seam metal roofs in Orlando.
• Metal shingles: Metlok's pressed steel shingles go over synthetic underlayment on a plywood deck, so a solid layer sits under every course. More on metal shingles in Orlando.
• Exposed-fastener panels: on a house these can be attached directly or set on purlins. The City of Orlando's re-roof form lists "Metal - Direct Attachment" and "Metal with Purlins" as separate roof types. Read more on exposed-fastener metal roofs.
• Metal over old shingles: McElroy says the existing roof layer adds insulation and lowers sound further. Florida limits when that's allowed, covered in metal roof over shingles in Florida.

A purlin system leaves an air space under the panels. The Unisinos results suggest insulation, not empty air, is what quiets that space.

What to ask a roofer about rain noise

• What goes under the metal: a solid deck or purlins, and which underlayment?
• How much attic insulation is there now, and should it be topped up?
• For a vaulted ceiling with no attic, what sits between the panels and the drywall?
• Do you have skylights? ATAS says metal roof owners tell it they hear rain on their skylights, not the roof.

For owners who are sensitive to noise, McElroy suggests rigid insulation boards between the deck and the panels.

Pricing a quiet metal roof in Orlando

So, are metal roofs loud when it rains? Not when the deck, underlayment and insulation are done right, and those belong in the quote. Start with the system that fits your house in our metal roof types guide.

Then get prices from installers on the list of metal roofers in Orlando. Ask each one to spell out the deck, underlayment and insulation in writing.

Sources: ATAS International, Tech Tips: Sound emission of metal roofing; McElroy Metal, Are Metal Roofs Noisy When it Rains or Hails? (March 2026); Wittmann et al., Acoustic performance of rain noise in roofs with metal finishing, ENTAC 2022 (Unisinos); NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals, Orlando International Airport; City of Orlando, Residential Re-Roof Application; Metlok; Florida Building Code, Residential, 8th Edition (2023), Section R905.10 (ICC).