5V crimp is Florida's original exposed-fastener metal panel: 24" nominal coverage, two crimped ribs at each panel edge, and a flat pan fastened straight through with a sealing washer. It is not HVHZ approved. Every ERS 5V crimp panel we quote is for use outside the High Velocity Hurricane Zone (Miami-Dade and Broward), and that single fact should drive the order before price does.
What 5V crimp actually is
The profile gets its name from the crimped V-shaped ribs pressed into each panel edge. Between them sits a flat pan with a shallow center rib and, on some patterns, a resting channel that allows the panel to expand and contract with heat without oil canning or fastener strain. ERS stocks 5V in two substrates: 0.032" aluminum under Florida Product Approval FL24397.1, and 26 gauge Galvalume steel under FL24397.2 (standard fastening pattern) or FL24397.3 (an enhanced fastening pattern that raises the rated pressure). The aluminum carries a 23 ksi minimum yield strength; the steel is 50 ksi minimum, Galvalume coated. Finish options are Galvalume, SMP or PVDF on steel, and PVDF only on the aluminum.
Fastening is straightforward and exposed: on the aluminum panel, a #10 x 1-1/2" Woodbinder SS HiLo screw with a weather-seal washer, spaced at 12" on center across the panel (next to overlaps and the center rib) and 14" on center along the panel, over 1/2" plywood. The steel panel under FL24397.2 uses a #9 x 1-1/2" Woodbinder ST-XL screw at 12" across and 16" along, over 7/16" OSB, rated to a maximum design pressure of -52.5 psf. Add a second fastener at each overlap and rib under the FL24397.3 enhanced pattern, and the same steel panel goes to -63.5 psf. The aluminum panel rates -71 psf under its own approval. Those are all maximum design pressures for the assembly as tested, not allowable loads with a safety factor already built in the way our standing seam assemblies are, so do not treat a 5V number and a standing seam number as directly interchangeable on a spec sheet without an engineer reconciling the difference.
Minimum slope is 1/2":12 with lap sealant at the side laps, or 3":12 if you are running it without sealant. Most Florida re-roofs and new construction we quote use the sealed lap, which opens up lower-slope applications like porch extensions and additions.
Where 5V crimp shines in Florida
5V is the panel behind the look most people picture when they think "Old Florida metal roof": the crimped ribs on a cracker-style farmhouse, a Panhandle beach cottage, or a barn along a two-lane county road. Three things make it the right call on a real job, not just a nostalgic one.
- Cost. No clips, no field seaming, no seaming equipment mobilized to the jobsite. It is one of the cheapest routes to a real, code-approved metal roof we sell, and the saving lands in labor hours as much as in material cost.
- Coastal vernacular. Along the Panhandle and the Big Bend, from Pensacola to Destin to Panama City, 5V is the expected look on a huge share of the existing housing stock. Matching it on a re-roof keeps a neighborhood consistent instead of standing out for the wrong reason.
- Simpler install. A crew that knows how to run a screw gun in a straight line and manage overlaps can lay 5V fast. There is no learning curve around clip spacing or field seaming tools, which matters when you are staffing a crew for volume.
It also does well on ancillary structures: sheds, carports, barns, and detached garages where a concealed-fastener system is more panel than the job calls for.
Where it does not fit: the HVHZ
Here is the point we will not soften. 5V crimp, in both the aluminum and steel versions ERS stocks, is not HVHZ approved. FL24397.1, FL24397.2 and FL24397.3 do not carry an HVHZ or Miami-Dade compliance statement. If a job sits in Miami-Dade or Broward County, 5V is not an option at any price, on any budget, for any client who insists on it. We would rather lose that conversation up front than lose it at plan review after the panels are already crated for delivery. Inside those counties the panels that do carry HVHZ and Miami-Dade approval are our standing seam profiles (SL100, SL150, NS150, M100 and M150) and the 24 gauge PBR panel. Our HVHZ vs. non-HVHZ breakdown covers exactly what changes on an order once a jobsite crosses that county line, and it is worth reading before you quote anything in South Florida.
Outside the HVHZ, which is most of the state from Jacksonville down through Orlando, Tampa and out to Fort Myers, 5V is fully approved and a completely reasonable specification.
5V crimp against standing seam, honestly
We sell both, so we do not have a reason to oversell either one. Here is where they actually differ.
| Factor | 5V crimp | Standing seam |
|---|---|---|
| Fastener | Exposed, through the pan | Concealed under a clip and seam |
| HVHZ approval | Not approved, any gauge | SL100, SL150, NS150, M100, M150 all approved |
| Coverage | 24" nominal | 15.5" to 17" depending on profile |
| Install labor | Lower - no clips, no seaming | Higher - clip spacing and, on mechanical lock profiles, field seaming |
| Maintenance over time | Fastener washers age and eventually need attention | No exposed fasteners to maintain on the panel field |
| Typical use case | Value residential, agricultural, non-HVHZ | Coastal, HVHZ, higher-end residential and commercial |
Our standing seam page covers the six concealed-fastener profiles in full if that is the better fit for your job. For the exposed-fastener side of the catalog, 5V sits alongside PBR panel and rib panel; our PBR vs. R-panel guide and rib panel guide cover the other two exposed-fastener options in the same detail as this one.
Fastener maintenance: the tradeoff of an exposed-fastener panel
Every exposed-fastener panel, 5V included, trades a lower install cost for one ongoing responsibility a concealed-fastener roof does not have: the screws themselves live in the weather for the life of the roof. The weather-seal washer under each fastener is a wear item. Florida sun degrades rubber and neoprene faster than most of the country, and thermal cycling on a dark panel works the washer harder than it would on a shaded wall. That does not make 5V a bad choice - it makes periodic fastener inspection part of owning one, the same way it is for PBR and rib panel. We are not going to invent a replacement interval here that nobody has actually published; what we can say plainly is that an exposed-fastener roof needs that periodic attention and a concealed-fastener roof does not.
Practically, that means a 5V roof should go on a homeowner's or property manager's punch list after major storms and on a normal multi-year inspection cadence otherwise, checking for backed-out fasteners, cracked washers, and any lap that has opened up. It is a five-minute walk of the roof, not a specialty service call, and it is the one thing that keeps a 5V roof performing at the level its Florida Product Approval assumes.
Warranty terms and ordering through ERS
One thing we will not do is hand you a headline warranty number on 5V. There is a real, sourced material and finish warranty on our standing seam coil (20 years on AZ55 acrylic-coated Galvalume mill finish, 35 years on Kynar 500, 40 years on WeatherXL SMP), but that term is not documented the same way across 5V's gauge and finish combinations. Rather than round a number up or borrow the standing seam figure, we quote the warranty term for the exact panel, gauge and finish on your job when you order. If a supplier quote lands on your desk with a flat "35-year" or "40-year" claim on 5V and no documentation behind it, ask for the paperwork before you spec it. Full detail on how ERS structures warranty language is in our warranties page.
Every 5V panel we sell is fabricated to exact length by our Florida fabrication partners and delivered crated, the same as everything else in the catalog - see crated delivery for how that process works. There is no onsite roll forming as the standard process; that only happens on jobs that genuinely require it. When you are ready to spec a job, run it through Instant Metal Quote for panel counts, gauge and finish options, and a real delivery date.
