Metal Roof Color Temperature
![metal roof color temperature](https://www.askthebuilder.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/front-view-560w-1.jpg)
These were the three pieces of metal I had painted. The black tape is an emissivity target to get accurate temperatures.
Metal Roof Color Temperature - Color Matters Big Time
I used my FLIR infrared camera to determine the temperature of three pieces of metal I had painted three different colors.
The experiment was done at the end of May 2020 in central New Hampshire. I took the photos just a few minutes after solar noon. The strips of painted metal had been in direct sunlight for about 30 minutes to heat up. It was a cloudless day.
One of my FREE newsletter subscribers, David Andersen, had provided great information to ensure the temperature readings were accurate. He's a level III thermographer and had been trained on how to take infrared photos. He pointed out that two things are important :
- the spot where the reading is taken needs to be a 1-inch by 1-inch piece of black tape. This gives true accurate readings between the three samples.
- the photos need to be taken in the shade so you're not getting a sun reflection temperature.
I had my camera all set up and then used a cookie baking sheet to create temporary shade for a second or two to take each photograph.
![metal roof color temperature](https://www.askthebuilder.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/side-view-560w.jpg)
I put the strip on a piece of plywood and tilted it to about a 5:12 roof pitch. This creates a realistic setting. The samples and wood were aimed directly south to get the maximum infrared rays from the sun.
![metal roof color temperature](https://www.askthebuilder.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/white-ir-target-560w.jpg)
The camera sensor is aimed at the black tape on the white painted metal. It's 104.7 F.
![metal roof color temperature](https://www.askthebuilder.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/black-ir-target-560w.jpg)
The FLIR camera is aimed dead center on the black painted metal. HOT! 152.7 F.
![metal roof color temperature](https://www.askthebuilder.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/green-ir-target-560w.jpg)
Here's the green painted metal. It's just a little cooler than the black. 147.1 F.
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