Barge capping is the flashing that closes the raked edge of a roof, where the sheeting runs out over the gable end. It caps the exposed sheet ends and the barge board underneath, keeps wind-driven rain out of the roof cavity, and stops uplift getting under the sheet edge in a southerly.
It is a simple part with an unforgiving tolerance. If the fold angle does not match the roof pitch, the capping either sits proud of the sheeting and telegraphs every fixing, or it pulls down onto the ribs and oil cans along the whole gable. That is why we roll ours to the pitch on the drawing rather than to a nominal 90 degrees.
Barge capping is folded to order at our Revesby factory, in the same materials as the roof it is finishing.
Most Sydney jobs come down to four shapes. The names vary between suppliers, so send a section if you are unsure.
Two-break barge (standard gable barge). A simple angle with a return leg down the fascia or barge board and a top leg that sits over the sheet ends. The workhorse profile on corrugated and trimdeck residential re-roofs.
Three-break barge with a kick. Adds a small down-turn on the outer edge so water breaks away from the barge board instead of tracking back underneath it. Worth specifying on exposed elevations and anywhere the gable faces the prevailing weather.
Concealed-fix or capped barge. Used with standing seam, snaplock and nailstrip cladding where visible fixings are not acceptable. The capping clips or is fixed through a hidden leg, and the finish is entirely dependent on how straight the fold is.
Curved barge. For barrel vault and curved gable ends. This is its own product because it has to be rolled rather than folded. See curved barrel vault barge.
If none of those match your detail, we fold to your drawing. See custom fabrication or send the section to our in-house CAD team.
A few things decide whether a barge lasts the life of the roof or leaks in five years.
Match the fold angle to the actual pitch, not the design pitch. Re-roofs in particular are rarely at the pitch on the old plans. Measure it on site before you order. A degree or two either way is absorbed by the capping’s flex; five degrees is not.
Lap in the direction of fall, and lap generously. Barge cappings run down a rake, so every lap is a potential entry point under wind pressure. Lap the upper piece over the lower one so water and gravity work with the joint rather than against it.
Seal the lap, do not rely on the fold. A bead of neutral-cure roof and gutter sealant in the lap before you fix it costs almost nothing. Fulaseal 700 Roof and Gutter is the one most of our trade customers pick up with their capping.
Fix into the barge board, not into the sheet edge. Fixing through the pan of the sheeting at the rake is a common shortcut on small jobs and a common source of call-backs.
Do not mix metals. Copper swarf on Zincalume, or unwashed galvanised fixings on a Colorbond barge, will stain and then corrode. Use fixings compatible with the substrate, and sweep the roof daily.
Follow the installation standard. In Australia, metal roof and wall cladding installation, including flashing lap and fixing requirements, is covered by AS 1562.1 and the relevant NCC provisions. Check the current edition for your job, and confirm the wind classification before you finalise fixing centres.
We roll barge capping in the same range we roll every other flashing:
Match the barge to the roof sheet. A Colorbond Basalt roof with a Zincalume barge reads as a mistake from the street, and the two age at different rates.
Text your order through on 0499 935 654 or call 02 9771 3777 and we will confirm girth, gauge and colour before anything goes on the brake.
Barge is one part of the weathering package. The pieces it usually gets ordered alongside:
Ordering the whole set at once means the colour batch matches. Ordering the barge three weeks later does not guarantee that.
Browse the full flashings service page for the complete profile range.
What is the difference between barge capping and barge flashing?
None in practice. Both terms describe the flashing that caps the raked gable edge of a metal roof. “Barge capping” is more common among Australian roofers, “barge flashing” among specifiers and architects. HMR uses them interchangeably.
What angle should barge capping be folded to?
To the actual roof pitch measured on site, not the pitch on the plans. On re-roofs the two often differ. Give us the measured pitch and we fold to it.
Can you make barge capping to match an existing profile?
Yes. Send a section, a photo with a rule against it, or a sample offcut and we will match the girth and breaks. Custom profiles are folded from your drawing or drawn up by our in-house CAD team.
How do you stop a barge capping leaking?
Lap in the direction of fall, seal the lap with a neutral-cure roof and gutter sealant, fix into the barge board rather than the sheet edge, and make sure the fold angle matches the pitch so the capping sits flat on the ribs.
Do you deliver barge capping across Sydney?
Yes. We manufacture in Revesby and supply roofers, builders and trade customers across the Sydney metro area. See areas we service.
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