If you’re looking to purchase a carport to protect your car, carports come in two types: polyethylene canopy and metal. Both products are popular and have the same format, which is a portable garage with a peaked roof and partial sides. Both have a powder-coated or galvanized steel tubing frame to support the top.
A metal carport, in addition to having a galvanized steel frame, has a steel roof, which, when being installed, has holes already in place for the rest of the carport frame. The roof itself is made of 29 gauge steel with 80,000 KSI strength. The steel roof is coated with silicon, which allows the metal roof to have a limited warranty of up to 20 years. Aside from lasting many years, roof coated in silicon can support up to 40 pounds of snow per square foot and will not need frequent coats of paint. In addition, as no wood or plastic is involved, the metal roof will not attract termites. For the vehicles you are protecting with the carport, the metal coated with silicon, naturally, is water and rust proof and will protect your vehicles from the sun, as steel is not affected by UV rays.
A polyethylene canopy carport offers all of the same protection but in different ways. Although a polyethylene carport has the same galvanized or powder-coated steel tubing frame, the canopy is made from heavy-duty polyethylene. To protect the vehicles covered, a polyethylene canopy is UV treated, sometimes on both sides, and is occasionally given anti-fungal treatments. Polyethylene, because it is a woven material, is breathable, so moisture under the carport roof will not become trapped and cause dry rot and mildew, and is also waterproof and tear resistant. As a carport canopy, the polyethylene can withstand large amounts of snow and winds up to 95 MPH.
Price wise, a metal carport is a long term investment and, if you have multiple cars and seasonal vehicles, it is a wise investment, as the carport will outlast most vehicles. A polyethylene canopy carport, while ranging from $300 to $1300 depending upon the size of the carport, is as effective as a metal carport but the polyethylene canopy will need to be replaced over time, although the galvanized or powder-coated steel frame will be intact.
