Cut Edge Corrosion Treatment
South Yorkshire

South Yorkshire's steel industry heritage has left a lasting mark on the region's commercial building stock. The same era that produced the steel also produced the factories, sheds, and industrial units that housed the workforce, many of which are still in use today. The profiled metal roof sheets installed on these buildings during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s were cut to length on site, leaving exposed raw metal edges. Over decades of exposure to South Yorkshire's wet and often acidic atmospheric conditions, these cut edges are now the primary point of failure on thousands of commercial roofs across Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, and Doncaster.

Cut edge corrosion begins at the bottom edge of each roof sheet where water runs off and the exposed metal is in permanent contact with moisture. The galvanised coating degrades first, followed by rust propagation into the base metal of the sheet. Left untreated, corrosion spreads several centimetres up the sheet face, compromises the structural integrity of the profile, and eventually causes through-sheet corrosion that allows water ingress into the building. The critical insight is that treatment works, and works economically, when applied at the early to mid stages of corrosion. By the time sheets are perforating, the cost-benefit equation shifts towards re-sheeting.

Our cut edge corrosion treatment process can include cleaning and degreasing, mechanical preparation, rust-inhibiting primer, reinforced mastic tape and a compatible topcoat system. The specification depends on the roof condition and system selected. A 20-year guarantee may be available on qualifying systems, subject to written terms.

From our Hellaby, Rotherham headquarters, we cover South Yorkshire for cut edge corrosion treatment. We assess standard metal roof profiles, including standing seam and through-fixed systems. Free site surveys and fixed-price quotations are available.