Aluminum Siding Claims and Discontinued Stock

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Aluminum siding was widely installed on Minnesota homes from the 1960s through the 1980s, prized at the time for its light weight, resistance to rot, and low maintenance compared to painted wood. Many of those original installations remain in place today, sometimes painted over more than once, and they continue to surface in hail claims because aluminum, unlike steel, has a relatively low yield strength and deforms easily under impact. Original panels were typically formed from coil stock in a nominal thickness thinner than most steel products, and that thinness, combined with the metal’s inherent softness, is a large part of why aluminum has such a distinctive relationship with hail compared to other cladding materials still found on older homes throughout the region.

That low yield strength is central to how aluminum siding responds to a hailstorm. Stones that would leave only a superficial mark on steel can produce a clear, measurable dent in aluminum, and a broad hailstorm can leave a dense field of small dents across an exposed elevation, sometimes described as an orange-peel or oil-canning appearance when the panel has also lost some of its original flatness. Because the material dents readily, an appraiser examining an aluminum-sided home typically looks at dent density and distribution relative to elevation exposure and compares it against other soft metals on the property, such as gutters, downspouts, and window wrap, to build a consistent picture of the storm’s effect.

Age plays a larger role with aluminum siding than with most other cladding types still in common use. A panel installed four or five decades ago has often faded, chalked, or been repainted, and its original factory finish is long gone in most cases. That history affects how a repaired section will look next to the surrounding field, since new aluminum stock, even if available, is unlikely to match a heavily weathered or repainted surface without a full repaint of the affected elevation or the entire house. Some owners have also had their aluminum siding professionally refinished with a sprayed coating at some point in its service life, which adds another variable to how a new panel, even one of correct profile and gauge, would appear once installed next to the existing field.

Discontinued profiles are the more persistent problem. Most manufacturers stopped producing residential aluminum lap siding in the profiles common decades ago, and remaining supply is limited to salvage stock, custom fabrication, or specialty suppliers that may not carry a matching lock profile, panel width, or exposure. Documenting this unavailability is a routine part of building an accurate scope, since it directly affects whether spot repair is a realistic option or whether a broader replacement approach is the only way to restore a uniform appearance to the wall.

A practical evaluation often includes contacting several regional suppliers and the original manufacturer, where it can still be identified, to confirm whether the specific lock profile and panel width remain in production anywhere in the industry, along with photographs comparing the existing panel’s exposure and butt thickness against any proposed substitute. Checking a protected reference surface, such as siding tucked beneath a porch roof or behind a rear addition, can also help establish what the material’s original color and texture looked like before decades of chalking and fading, which is useful context when evaluating how closely any available replacement can realistically match.

This article is general education about how the appraisal process commonly works. It is not legal advice, and specific procedures can vary by state and policy.

Russ Lis is a working property insurance appraiser and umpire based in Minnesota, serving clients nationwide. Contact Appraisal Resolution.