About MRT

History of MRT

History

Stone-coated metal roof tiles (MRT) first appeared in New Zealand in 1954. Entrepreneur, Lou Fisher developed a pressed metal tile and used bitumen as a bonding agent to hold stone aggregate which was used to give the tiles their colour.

Over the years technology has improved and today products from the manufacturer last for 50 years or more.

Features

The main feature of MRT is that of design. Pressed steel sections form different profiles which provide the architect or home builder with a choice of architectural features. These can be similar to clay tiles, wood shake, natural slate and American Shingles. With a wide variety of colour choices available in each profile, MRT provides multiple choices in design to fit the majority of architectural needs.

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MRT Features
MRT Benefits

Benefits

There are multiple performance benefits when using MRT:

  1. Light weight - They do not add heavy load to a building, usually being 6-7 times lighter than a clay, slate or concrete roof

  2. Weather secure - With their interlocking installation feature, MRT are used extensively in areas subject to heavy rains and high winds, especially in hurricane prone regions.

  3. Fire Proof - One benefit of the materials used in the manufacture of quality MRT is that they don’t burn. In the event of fire, the roof will not contribute to fire and in the event of an external fire, the fire cannot penetrate the building through the roof. Quality international manufacturers will carry fire test certificates to show that the coatings used in their manufacture are also non-flammable and do not contribute in the event of a fire

  4. Long lasting - If the tiles are made from quality materials (see section “How MRT are Made”), they can last 50 years or more without the need for replacement. This can add considerably to the value of a building where future re-sale value is considered important to the buyer.