Product Catalog
The full Chris Industries line — sheet & coil, gutter systems, downspouts, accessories, and fabrication — with sizes and profiles.
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Downloads
Paperwork, ready when you are.
Specification Sheets
Product specs for gutters, downspouts, conductor heads, finials, and roof panels — ready to drop into your project documents.
Request spec sheetsSubmittal Sheets
Submittal-ready documentation for architects and GCs, including recycled-content certification for LEED packages.
Request submittalsSafety Data Sheets (SDS)
An SDS documents any potential hazards of working with a material and how to handle it safely — read the sheet before working with any metal or coating we supply. Available for everything we distribute, for your site-safety binder.
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AIA-approved continuing education
Earn CEU credits over lunch — we bring the seminar to your firm.
Chris Industries is approved by The American Institute of Architects to teach a Continuing Education seminar on the benefits of copper in construction. One lunch hour, real CEU credit, and answers from people who fabricate copper every day — not a slide deck from a sales office.
Copper knowledge
Why copper wins the long game.
70+ years, minimum
Copper costs more than aluminum up front — and then outlives it several times over. A properly installed copper gutter or roof should last at least 70 years. The cathedral at Hildesheim, Germany was roofed in copper in 1230 and served for over 700 years.
The only metal with natural color (besides gold)
Copper moves from bright penny to brown, to bronze, and finally to that unmistakable uniform green patina — a living finish no coating can fake. Want the aged look on day one? We stock pre-patinated copper.
Forms beautifully in any weather
Copper is exceptionally malleable. Zinc can fracture when formed below 45°F — a real problem in a Chicago January — and stainless is hard to work and sterile-looking. Copper does neither.
Corrosion resistance few metals match
In harsh urban-coastal environments, only titanium, 316 stainless, and Monel compare — at far higher cost or far harder forming. For architectural work, copper is the practical end of the durability scale.
8,000 years on the job
Copper is the third most-used metal in construction, has the highest recycling rate of any engineered material, is denser than iron, and is second only to silver in electrical conductivity. Every animal on Earth needs it to live — yet a single copper nail can kill a tree.
LEED & green building
Copper is a green building product.
Copper is 100% recyclable, which keeps it out of landfills at end-of-life — typically 70+ years after installation. The architectural copper sheet, strip, and coil we distribute is produced to ASTM B370 and contains 90–95% recycled content, sourced from certified industrial scrap.
Specifying a LEED project? We'll supply the recycled-content certification for your submittal package, and our AIA seminar covers copper's green credentials in depth.
Glossary
Talk sheet metal like you've done it 50 years.
- Annealing
- Heating and slowly cooling metal to toughen it and reduce brittleness.
- Anode
- The positive pole of an electrolytic cell — the electrode where oxidation occurs.
- ASTM
- The American Society for Testing and Materials — the body whose standards (like ASTM B370 for architectural copper) govern how materials are made and tested.
- Austenitic
- A nonmagnetic solid solution of ferric carbide or carbon in iron, used in making corrosion-resistant steel.
- Cathode
- The electrode opposite the anode; electrons enter here, creating the reduction side of the cell while the anode oxidizes.
- Conductor head (leader head)
- The decorative collection box where a gutter outlet or scupper meets the downspout — equal parts function and ornament.
- Corrosion
- The electrochemical deterioration of a metal caused by atmospheric or induced chemical reactants.
- Electrolyte
- A solution that conducts electrical current. Rainwater carrying salts picked up from the atmosphere is an electrolyte — which is why metal pairings on a roof matter.
- Expansion coefficient
- The rate a material expands relative to a change in temperature — the reason long metal roofs need floating clips.
- Fatigue
- Damage that develops from repeated or cyclical stresses below the material's tensile strength, leading to eventual rupture.
- Ferrous
- Containing iron.
- Flux
- An etching compound that prepares metal surfaces for soldering by removing oxides and scale.
- Galvanic corrosion
- Corrosion created when two dissimilar metals touch and rainwater completes the circuit — the reactive metal sacrifices itself to the noble one. It's why we match fastener metals to the system.
- Galvanize
- Coating steel with zinc for corrosion protection.
- K-style (Ogee) gutter
- The most common gutter profile, with a flat back and a decorative crown-molding face.
- Kynar / PVDF
- A fluoropolymer (Teflon-family) finish — Kynar 500 / Hylar 5000 — applied to steel and aluminum; the fade- and chemical-resistant standard for commercial metal work.
- Malleable
- Metal that is easily formed or shaped — copper's signature trait.
- Oil canning
- Visible waviness in flat metal surfaces. Controlled with tension-leveled coils, floating clip design, and pencil-ribbing. An aesthetic characteristic, not a defect.
- Patina
- The surface oxide, carbonate, sulfate, or chloride that develops on metal — on copper, the prized progression from penny-bright to brown to green.
- Temper
- The hardness and strength produced by mechanical working and thermal treatment.
- Tensile strength
- The maximum tension a material can withstand without tearing — its ultimate strength.
- Terne
- A lead-tin alloy coating.
- Terne II
- A zinc-tin alloy coating — the modern, lead-free successor (as on Terne-coat stainless, TCS II).
- Valley
- The flashing channel where two roof planes meet — W, V, or hemless profiles that carry water to the gutters.
- White bronze
- The copper alloy nickel silver — also called German silver or dairy bronze.
- Yield strength
- The stress a material withstands without permanent deformation; for copper alloys, the stress producing a 0.5% extension under load.
FAQ
Asked on jobsites, answered here.
How long does a copper gutter or roof last?
A properly installed copper gutter or roof should last at least 70 years. The cathedral at Hildesheim, Germany was roofed with copper in 1230 and stayed in service for over 700 years. Copper costs more than aluminum up front, but its lifespan usually makes it the cheaper system over time.
Will my copper turn green, and how fast?
Yes — that's the patina, and it's protective, not decay. Copper moves from bright penny to brown and bronze over the first years, then develops its uniform green patina over decades. Want the aged look immediately? We stock pre-patinated and pre-oxidized copper.
Is copper a green building material for LEED projects?
Copper is 100% recyclable and has the highest recycling rate of any engineered material. The architectural copper we distribute typically contains 90–95% recycled content, which can contribute to LEED recycled-content credits. Ask us for the certification letter for your submittal.
What are custom lengths and why do they save money?
We roll-form gutter and downspout to the exact lengths your job needs instead of fixed 10-foot sticks. Crews spend no time cutting long pieces or splicing short ones, use fewer rivets and screws, and you don't pay for offcuts that end up in the dumpster.
Do you work with homeowners, or only contractors?
Both. Most of our orders come from roofing and sheet metal contractors, but we regularly help home and building owners with the function and design of their projects — and we can coordinate with your installer.
How fast will I get a quote?
Within 24 hours on business days. Send the quote form with a sketch, photo, or takeoff attached — or call (800) 356-7922 between 6:30 AM and 3:00 PM Central, Monday through Friday.