Updated 2026-09-07

Building Code Glossary

Metal Roof Shingle: Building Code Definition

How the IBC 2009, IRC 2009 define metal roof shingle, where the wording differs, and which chapters depend on the term.

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Last updated September 7, 2026 · Definitions quoted from the 2009 International Codes as transcribed in this site's building-codes collection, with the source chapter linked for each quotation. Usage counts are computed over the chapters hosted here, one copy per code. The [ICC code library](https://codes.iccsafe.org/codes) publishes the current model text and the [ICC adoption maps](https://www.iccsafe.org/advocacy/code-adoption-maps/) show which edition a jurisdiction has adopted; those sources control.

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Direct answer

Metal roof shingle is a defined term in the International Building Code (IBC) 2009, in Roof Assemblies and Rooftop Structures. The code's own words are: “An interlocking metal sheet having an installed weather exposure less than 3 square feet (0.279 m2) per sheet.” The IRC 2009 defines the same term with different wording, so the controlling text depends on which code governs the question in front of you — the comparison below sets the versions side by side. The term is used in 4 chapters of this corpus, most often in Roof Assemblies (IRC 2009), Roof Assemblies and Rooftop Structures (IBC 2009), Definitions (IBC 2009). These pages transcribe the 2009 model text; verify the definition against the edition and amendments your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.

Content and cited inputs reviewed by Scott Barrington, Harth founder and architectural technology specialist · Published 2026-09-07 · Updated 2026-09-07.

What does this term mean?

Metal Roof Shingle — IBC 2009, Roof Assemblies and Rooftop Structures:

An interlocking metal sheet having an installed weather exposure less than 3 square feet (0.279 m2) per sheet.

Labeled code-term definition diagram: Metal Roof Shingle: Building Code Definition — How the IBC 2009, IRC 2009 define metal roof shingle, where the wording differs, and which chapters depend on the term.

What must be verified before using this guidance?

Two of the I-Codes in this corpus define Metal Roof Shingle, and the wording is not identical — read the version that governs your question.

Code	Where it is defined	Definition
IBC 2009	Roof Assemblies and Rooftop Structures	An interlocking metal sheet having an installed weather exposure less than 3 square feet (0.279 m2) per sheet.
IRC 2009	Definitions	An interlocking metal sheet having an installed weather exposure less than 3 square feet (0.28 m2) per sheet.

Where metal roof shingle is used in the code

The term appears in 4 chapters of the 2009 I-Codes hosted here. The chapters that lean on it hardest are the ones to read next.

Chapter	Code	Mentions
Roof Assemblies	IRC 2009	14
Roof Assemblies and Rooftop Structures	IBC 2009	13
Definitions	IBC 2009	1
Definitions	IRC 2009	1

The term in use

How the code actually writes about metal roof shingle, quoted from the 2009 text hosted here:

Metal roof shingle roof coverings shall comply with Table R905.10.3(1).

— IRC 2009 §R905.4.4

Metal roof shingle roof coverings shall comply with Table 1507.4.3(1).

— IBC 2009 §1507.5.5

Metal Roof Shingle compared with Metal Roof Panel

These two are the closest pair in the 2009 I-Codes: about 70 per cent of their defining words are the same. The code states both and compares neither, so the difference is worth naming.

	Wording unique to it
Metal Roof Shingle (IBC 2009)	less
Metal Roof Panel (IBC 2009)	minimum

Everything else in the two definitions is shared. If a project turns on which of the two applies, those words are the whole of the test — and a local amendment that edits one of them without editing the other moves the boundary between metal roof shingle and metal roof panel.

Metal Roof Shingle: what to open, and in what order

Every row is a document this term depends on. The ICC code library and the ICC adoption maps cover the middle rows.

Check	Where	Confirmed
Read the definition in the adopted IBC	Roof Assemblies and Rooftop Structures
Read the definition in the adopted IRC	Definitions
Re-check the requirement that uses it	Roof Assemblies (IRC 2009)
Re-check the requirement that uses it	Roof Assemblies and Rooftop Structures (IBC 2009)
Re-check the requirement that uses it	Definitions (IBC 2009)
Re-check the requirement that uses it	Definitions (IRC 2009)
Local amendment to any of the above	Jurisdiction's amendment list

A research aid, not a code determination. The authority having jurisdiction decides which edition and which amendments apply.

Sources and method

Definitions quoted from the 2009 International Codes as transcribed in this site's building-codes collection, with the source chapter linked for each quotation. Usage counts are computed over the chapters hosted here, one copy per code. The ICC code library publishes the current model text and the ICC adoption maps show which edition a jurisdiction has adopted; those sources control.

Source links

Frequently asked questions

What is the code definition of metal roof shingle?

The International Building Code (IBC) 2009 defines it in Roof Assemblies and Rooftop Structures as: “An interlocking metal sheet having an installed weather exposure less than 3 square feet (0.279 m2) per sheet.” The 2009 model text is reproduced here; the definition that binds your project is the one in the edition your jurisdiction has adopted, as amended locally.

Which parts of the code depend on metal roof shingle?

In this corpus the term is used across 4 chapters, led by Roof Assemblies in the IRC 2009. Those are the sections whose scope moves if the definition is amended locally, so read them together with Chapter 2 rather than on their own.

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