Metal shingles are manufactured to resemble wood shakes, Spanish and mission tile, slate, and Victorian metal tiles. Most are made from painted or coated steel or aluminum that has been pressed or formed into realistic shapes.

Some metal shingle roofing materials are amazingly convincing in appearance. Producers of painted metal products reduce tell-tale sheen by texturing the metal, layering the finish, and giving granulated-stone topcoats. These products, typically tile or slate lookalikes, are hard to distinguish from the real thing.

Metal shingle systems are manufactured in large panels (typically about 4 feet long) designed for quick installation or as single shingles meant to be applied individually. Most panel types can be installed over one or two layers of existing roofing; the individual type requires tear-off so it can be applied to a firm, flat roof deck.

Residential roofing contractors are the tradespeople who install metal shingle systems, though many who install wood, tile, asphalt, and other more conventional products don’t install metal. Because metal roofing requires slightly different techniques, some manufacturers or distributors require metal roofing contractors to be accredited by taking a few factory-taught classes before they will allow their contractors to install their products.

Here are a few popular brands of metal shingle systems:

• Gerard roofing is actually galvanized steel with a tile-colored finish of stone granules made in two patterns, facsimile shake and tile, and a variety of colors. The stone-finished shingles run from $3 to $4 per square foot or more if tear-off is required.

• Decrabond, by Carter Holt Harvey, is a tile facsimile with a granulated-stone finish. Unusually shaped Colortile, by the same manufacturer, is galvanized steel with a baked-on acrylic finish (actually a series of seven coatings). Though available in only six standard colors, custom colors may be special ordered subject to a minimum order size.

• Met-Tile, made from painted 26-gauge galvanized steel, is a tile lookalike that ranges from $1.65 for panels only to $3.20 per square foot for a complete package (materials only); most applications run about $3.

• Prestige Copper Shingles from Petersen Aluminum Corporation are made up of real copper bonded to an asphalt-shingle base. They offer the elegant look of a real copper roof at about one-third the price ($5 to $7 per square foot, materials only).

• Zappone manufactures aluminum and copper shingles shaped to resemble wood shakes. About half of the shingles sold are owner-installed—a relatively simple but time-intensive job. Material pricing runs from $1.75 to $4 per square foot for aluminum and from $4 to $7 for copper, depending on the roof’s complexity (the number of accessories needed dramatically affects cost). You can install copper accents without putting on an entire copper roof by ordering copper ridge caps, drip edges, valleys, or other accessories and combining them with a different roof material such as wood shingles. Zappone also manufactures half-sized copper shingles for use on bay windows, cupolas, gazebos, and the like. You can shingle a bay window with these for less than $300.

• Alcoa makes two varieties of aluminum shakes that resemble wood shakes and slate or tile. Both patterns may be applied over up to two layers of some existing roofing materials. Alcoa offers a lifetime, non-prorated limited warranty that’s transferable when you sell the house.