Custom Sheet Metal Work
Custom Sheet Metal Fabrication in Dallas-Fort Worth
Coping, flashing, box gutters, trim and panels, sheared and bent in our own sheet metal shop in Forney, TX. Architectural Metal Panels handles custom sheet metal fabrication for Dallas-Fort Worth homeowners, roofers, general contractors and property managers, then delivers the metal or installs it with our own crews.
- 26+ years in business
- Lifetime warranty
- Free written estimates
What does our Forney sheet metal shop fabricate?
Almost any metal piece a roof or wall needs that a lumberyard does not stock. Most of it is edge metal and water control: the parts that keep rain out where a roof meets a wall, a parapet, a chimney or a gutter. Every piece is measured for one building and bent to that measurement.
- Metal coping: cleated or face-fastened parapet caps in 22- and 24-gauge steel or .040 and .050 aluminum, sloped to the roof, with a splice plate under every joint.
- Metal flashing: step, headwall, sidewall, valley, kick-out and counter-flashing, bent to the exact pitch and brick coursing of your roof.
- Box gutters: built-in gutter liners for older homes and large commercial box gutters with conductor heads and sized scuppers.
- Downspouts and conductor heads: rectangular and round downspouts, collector boxes and leader heads in matching metal.
- Chimney caps and crickets: full-cover chimney caps and the small saddles that split water around the uphill side of a chimney.
- Fascia and column cladding: wrapped fascia, column covers and beam wraps that put a factory finish over wood or steel.
- Drip edge and trim: eave and rake drip edge, gable trim, ridge caps, Z-closures and transition trim to match any roof panel.
- Standing seam panels and wall panels: roof panels roll-formed to length and the AMP wall panel profiles, cut and trimmed in the same color.
If your piece is not on that list, send a sketch or a photo. Most of what leaves the shop started as a measurement taken on a job site in Forney, Rockwall or Mesquite, and the roof trim fabrication for every metal roof we install runs through the same brake.
Sheet Metal Services
Which custom sheet metal service do you need?
Each product below has its own page with sizing, materials and the failures we see most in North Texas. Many jobs combine two or three, and one shop making all of them means every piece matches.
Metal Coping
Parapet caps that shed water toward the roof, with cleats sized for North Texas wind.
Metal Flashing
Step, valley, headwall, kick-out and counter-flashing bent to your roof, not pulled off a shelf.
Box Gutters
Built-in and commercial box gutters, liners, expansion joints and downspout sizing for DFW rain.
Seamless Gutters & Drainage
Residential K-style gutters roll-formed on site and sized for 1 to 2 inches of rain an hour.
Soffit & Fascia
Rotted fascia replaced or wrapped in metal we bend to fit each board.
Metal Wall Panels
ACM, corrugated and the AMP profile line, with matching trim fabricated in the same shop.
Standing Seam Metal Roofing
24-gauge Kynar panels with every piece of edge metal made to match.
Commercial Metal Roofing
Low-slope standing seam, R-panel and re-roofs with coping and flashing packages from one source.
Shop & Materials
What equipment and materials does the shop run?
A brake, a shear and roll formers do most of the work, and the metal is the same 24-gauge Galvalume, .032 and .040 aluminum, copper and zinc we put on roofs. Here is what that means for your order.
Equipment in plain words
- Brake: a long bending machine that folds flat sheet into coping, flashing and trim profiles. Long runs are bent in single pieces wherever the stock length allows, which keeps splices out of the middle of a run.
- Shear: cuts coil and sheet to size with a straight, clean edge that takes a hem without cracking the paint.
- Roll formers: shape standing seam roof panels and gutter profiles to length from coil, so a long panel arrives as one piece with no end laps.
- Hand tools and seamers: hemmers, notchers, hand seamers and soldering gear for the corners, end caps and copper work a machine cannot finish.
Materials and gauges
| Material | Common thickness | Typical use | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Painted Galvalume steel | 24 and 26 gauge | Roof panels, trim, drip edge, flashing | 24 gauge is the DFW standard for hail; 26 gauge for budget trim and R-panel accessories |
| Heavy Galvalume steel | 22 gauge | Commercial coping, wide fascia covers | Stiffer against oil canning and wind flutter on wide faces |
| Aluminum | .032, .040 and .050 inch | Coping, gutters, fascia cladding, column covers | Never rusts at cut edges; .040 and .050 for coping and wide covers |
| Copper | 16 and 20 ounce | Crickets, bay roofs, chimney caps, historic gutters | Soldered joints; weathers from brown toward green over years of DFW sun |
| Zinc | 0.7 and 0.8 mm | Architectural accents and standing seam | Self-healing surface; needs a vented substrate and careful detailing |
Finishes
Painted steel and aluminum come in Kynar 500 (PVDF) finishes with manufacturer chalk and fade warranties typically in the 30- to 35-year range, which matters under a Dallas summer UV index that routinely reaches 9 to 10. SMP paint is the budget option on light colors. Bare Galvalume, mill-finish aluminum, copper and zinc are left natural. Trim for a roof or wall project is cut from the same coil as the panels, so the color matches rather than almost matches. Finish and workmanship coverage are spelled out on our lifetime warranty page.
Who do we fabricate architectural sheet metal for?
Four kinds of customers with different needs. Homeowners usually want the piece installed; contractors usually want it on a pallet by Thursday.
- Homeowners: a chimney cap, a cricket behind a leaking chimney, new fascia cladding, or a full flashing package with a residential metal roof. We measure, fabricate and install, and the work carries our lifetime workmanship warranty.
- General contractors and architects: coping, column covers, wall panel trim and ACM accessories for storefronts, schools and medical buildings. We produce shop drawings from your details and ship or install to your schedule.
- Roofing contractors: trim, flashing and coping packages fabricated to your panel profile and color when you need a shop you do not have to own. Pick up in Forney or we deliver across the metroplex.
- Property managers: replacement coping, scupper boxes, conductor heads and downspouts for existing buildings, matched to what is there so a repair does not look like a patch.
Commercial customers can request a submittal package with shop drawings, color chips and product data sheets. Homeowners get a free written estimate.
How It Works
How does a custom sheet metal order run?
Measure, draw, bend, deliver. Most residential trim is ready within a few business days of final measurements; large commercial packages and copper work take longer and are scheduled once shop drawings are approved.
- Measure or send drawings. For homes we come out and measure the roof, parapet or chimney ourselves. Contractors can send plans, a detail sheet or field dimensions with a photo.
- Shop drawings for commercial work. Coping, column covers and wall panel trim get drawings showing profile, gauge, joint spacing and fastener layout for approval before any metal is cut.
- Fabrication. Pieces are sheared, bent and hemmed in the Forney shop, labeled by location, and bundled with splice plates, cleats and matching screws or rivets.
- Delivery or installation. Pick up at the shop, delivery to the site, or installation by our own crew alongside the roof or wall panel work.
Our owner brings 26+ years in metal roofing and sheet metal to every drawing. Every piece is checked against the drawing before it leaves the shop, and installed work is covered by our lifetime workmanship warranty.
Built for North Texas
Why does sheet metal have to be built for North Texas weather?
Because metal here moves more, gets hit harder and bakes longer than in milder climates. Every detail we fabricate answers one of those.
- Heat and thermal movement: DFW averages about 20 days a year at or above 100 degrees and still drops below freezing most winters, as it did for 89 straight hours in January 2024. A 40-foot run of steel coping grows and shrinks roughly a quarter inch across that swing, and aluminum about twice that, so we use splice plates, slotted holes and cleats instead of face screws that fight the movement.
- Hail: Texas has led the nation in major hail events for 11 straight years per NICB and Verisk. We default to 24-gauge steel and .040 aluminum on exposed faces because thin metal dents and shows every hit.
- Wind uplift: the May 28, 2024 storm brought gusts near 80 mph across DFW. Coping and edge metal are the first things wind grabs on a commercial roof, so cleat gauge and spacing matter more than the cap itself.
- UV: summer UV index readings of 9 to 10 chalk cheap paint within a few years. PVDF finishes hold color for decades.
The shop sits in Forney, minutes from Heath, Terrell and Garland and within an hour of most Dallas and Fort Worth job sites. See every city on our service areas page.
Homeowner Reviews
What Dallas-Fort Worth Homeowners Say About Architectural Metal Panels
Sheet Metal FAQ
Custom sheet metal questions from DFW customers
Do you fabricate sheet metal for other roofing contractors?
Yes. Roofers across Dallas-Fort Worth send us panel profiles, colors and field dimensions, and we fabricate trim, flashing and coping packages for pickup in Forney or delivery to the job. You get shop-quality metal that matches your panels without owning a brake and a shear.
What gauge should custom roof trim and coping be?
For North Texas hail and wind, 24-gauge steel or .040-inch aluminum on most trim, 22-gauge steel or .050 aluminum on wide commercial coping, and 26-gauge only on budget accessories. Thinner metal dents in hail, oil-cans on wide faces and flutters in wind.
How long does custom sheet metal fabrication take?
Standard residential trim, flashing and chimney parts are typically ready within a few business days of final measurements. Commercial coping and column-cover packages depend on shop drawing approval and quantity, and copper or zinc work is scheduled individually. We give a date with every quote.
Can you match the color of my existing roof or wall panels?
Usually. Painted Galvalume and aluminum come in a wide range of standard Kynar 500 and SMP colors, and we can order coil to match most major manufacturers. If the existing finish has faded, we bring color chips to the site so you can judge the match in daylight.
Do you install the metal you fabricate, or only supply it?
Both. Our crews install coping, flashing, box gutters, fascia cladding and panels across DFW, and we also supply fabricated metal to contractors who install it themselves. Installed work carries our lifetime workmanship warranty; supplied metal carries the manufacturer finish warranty.
Can you provide shop drawings and submittals for commercial projects?
Yes. For coping, column covers, ACM accessories and wall panel trim we produce shop drawings showing profiles, gauges, joint spacing and fastener layout, plus color chips and product data for the architect to review. Where the specification calls for tested edge metal, we note the tested assembly on the drawings.
Do you work in copper and zinc?
Yes. Copper crickets, chimney caps, bay roofs and gutters are soldered in the shop, and zinc is detailed for its need to breathe on a vented substrate. Both are premium materials scheduled individually, and we explain how each weathers in Texas sun before you commit.
Get Your Free In-Home Estimate
Tell us about your project and a Architectural Metal Panels specialist will call you back within one business day. No pressure, no obligation.
Or text a photo of your roof to (469) 569-3956
Prefer to talk now? Call (469) 569-3956. Fully Insured.
Need a piece of metal made right, not close enough?
Send a sketch, a photo or a set of plans and get a written quote from our Forney shop. Call (469) 569-3956 or request your estimate online.