Fiber Cement Siding vs. Steel Siding: A Comparison for Homeowners

With all the siding options available today, it can be difficult to choose the right material for your home. The best siding is one that has been designed to endure over decades — while maintaining your home’s curb appeal. Added bonuses include lower costs and siding that requires minimal maintenance to keep it in great shape.

That’s why we’re going to compare fiber cement siding versus steel. Both are solid choices as exterior siding for your home — but steel offers a few advantages that fiber cement just can’t match. Read below to learn more about both types of siding and to discover why TruLog steel siding comes out on top.

What Is Fiber Cement Siding?

Fiber cement siding is an engineered product made using ingredients like cellulose fibers, Portland cement, sand, and water. While some manufacturers may use differing proportions of ingredients or their own specialized additives, this is the basic mix that makes up most fiber cement. 

Using these ingredients, manufacturers press the material into a variety of shapes and sizes, often adding patterns like woodgrain or other textures to the surface during the pressing or molding phase. For example, James Hardie siding comes as Hardie board, which you can use to install board and batten siding, and Hardie planks, which can be turned into lap siding.

How Is TruLog Steel Siding Made?

TruLog’s steel siding is carefully designed to deliver the utmost in durability, performance, and good looks. Here’s what construction looks like:

• Each panel starts with a tough, 26-gauge cold-rolled steel base that receives a galvanizing treatment designed to prevent rust and corrosion. 
• On top of that, we apply a pretreatment and primer coat to ensure lasting paint adhesion, even in tough weather conditions. 
• Next comes a top coat of color — and if you choose one of our HD Woodgrain shades, the siding will feature an HD printed layer to give the siding a beautifully realistic wood look. 
• Last comes the Electron Beam Clear Barrier Protection coat, which is designed to protect the siding’s finish and prevent the colors from fading, even after decades of normal UV exposure. 
• All siding panels are backed by a foam layer that provides the siding with an exceptionally high insulating rating of R-4, making this an energy-efficient option. 

TruLog steel siding is a panel product, too. This means that each piece measures 12 feet in length and will cover nine inches of height on your exterior walls. Despite its size, however, TruLog’s design keeps it lightweight, which makes it easy to install without sacrificing durability.

Which Siding Is Easier to Install: Steel or Fiber Cement?

Steel siding is much easier to install than fiber cement (or even wood siding or vinyl siding, for that matter). Below, we’ll show you the basics of installing fiber cement siding versus steel so that you can see what makes steel the better choice.

How to Install Fiber Cement Siding

Where installation is concerned, fiber cement siding presents a few challenges. First and foremost, it’s heavy — and that makes it difficult to work with. It’ll be harder to haul up and down ladders, and it’s more challenging to hold it in place while fastening it to your home.

Fiber cement also requires some specialized cutting equipment. You’ll need a circular saw fitted with a sawblade designed specifically for cutting fiber cement. With Portland cement and sand as primary ingredients, the cutting process creates tons of particulates and dust. Be prepared to wear a respirator and goggles, even when working outdoors, to protect your airways and eyes.

Fiber cement also takes a lot of fastening to hold it in place. This facet of the installation process alone can be extremely labor intensive, especially if you’re using screws and a power drill instead of the added expense of a rented air compressor and siding nailer. Keep in mind, too, that fiber cement requires specialized fasteners that are designed for maximum holding power specifically when used with fiber cement.

Siding installation is just the beginning of this job. Once the cladding is complete all the way around your home, the next stage of the process begins: caulking all the gaps, priming the siding material, and then adding two or three coats of paint. Even if you hire siding contractors and painters to do the job, it can represent weeks of work.

How to Install TruLog Steel Siding

Compared to fiber cement siding, TruLog steel is far easier to install. Even though it’s lightweight, the panels are big enough to help you cover large amounts of square feet quickly. Many homeowners find they can go the DIY route with steel siding rather than relying on contractors to do the job.

You won’t need any specialized tools for this job, either. Metal snips are sufficient to cut tracks, moldings, and even siding panels — though if you want to make the process even easier, you can invest in some ferrous blades for a jigsaw or circular saw to make larger cuts quickly.

When it comes to the actual installation process, TruLog steel siding goes together as a system. For example, if you’re installing TruLog board and batten siding, you’ll also need to purchase the matching J-channels, starter strips, and sill trim. These accessories are designed to make installation easy. 

You’ll typically begin with a starter strip, which locks the first panel in place on your home. After that, the rest of the panels will snap into place using an interlocking design plus a few fasteners to keep them secure — no gaps, warping, or other concerns to worry about.

How Long Does Fiber Cement Last Compared to Steel?

With a lifespan between 40 and 70 years or more, TruLog steel siding lasts longer than any other type of siding, even metal siding options like aluminum. Fiber cement siding is also considered one of the more long-lasting siding products available, but its lifespan is shorter than steel — 30 to 50 years with proper upkeep.

The difference comes down to durability and maintenance. Both TruLog steel siding and fiber cement siding boast some of the highest resistances in siding products. They each come with:

• Class A fire resistance ratings — both are considered non-combustible siding products
• Class 4 impact ratings, which make both incredibly durable against dents, cracks, and punctures
• High resistance against pest damage — termites and wood-destroying insects aren’t attracted to either material, and rodents will find both extraordinarily difficult to chew through compared to materials like wood or vinyl siding
• High resistance to elemental and weather damage like high winds and extreme temperatures 

Where fiber cement siding lags behind is in moisture resistance. While it is considered to be more moisture-resistant than some other types of siding, like wood, shingles, or stucco, much of that moisture resistance comes from the paint finish that keeps it sealed. In other words, regular repainting and recaulking is a must. If you allow the finish on fiber cement to wear, chip, or crack, water can infiltrate around the edges of the material, which will cause fiber cement to flake and crumble.

TruLog steel siding doesn’t suffer from this issue. It’s a low-maintenance siding product that is backed by a 30-year paint protection warranty. The durable, baked-on finish protects the steel against moisture — and that protection is further bolstered by galvanization, which keeps the metal protected in the rare cases where the siding suffers a scratch bad enough to expose the metal. 

Is Fiber Cement More Expensive Than Steel Siding?

Yes, fiber cement siding is typically more expensive than steel siding. The extra expense includes not only the upfront siding cost but also the maintenance and replacement costs that you can expect in the long term. We’ll compare costs below so that you know what to expect in both the short term and the long term.

Fiber Cement Siding vs. Steel Siding: Short-Term Costs

Where material costs are concerned, fiber cement and TruLog steel siding are roughly comparable: Fiber cement costs between $4.70 and $8.50 per square foot for materials whereas TruLog steel siding costs between $4.25 and $8.25 per square foot. 

Installation is where fiber cement siding starts to get drastically more expensive than steel. Depending on your region, you can expect to pay between $5 and $9 per square foot to install fiber cement. Meanwhile, some homeowners opt to go the DIY route with steel because it’s easy to install, which eliminates labor costs entirely. However, even if you do decide to hire a contractor to install steel, you can expect labor to be slightly cheaper — between $5 and $8 to install, since the material is easy to work with and doesn’t require specialized tools.

That may not look like a huge difference in labor costs — but keep in mind that TruLog steel siding is incredibly easy to install, whereas fiber cement siding is quite difficult to install. Where a contracting crew may have your steel siding installed in just a day or two, they may need to spend a week or more to install fiber cement.

And that’s before you consider the costs of priming and painting the siding. Since TruLog steel siding comes pre-finished, you won’t have to worry about this expense. If your new siding is fiber cement, then you’ll likely pay between $3 and $5.50 per square foot for the paint job.

Fiber Cement Siding vs. Steel Siding: Long-Term Costs

With fiber-cement siding, the expenses don’t end with installation costs. You’ll also have to consider long-term maintenance and eventual replacement. Fiber cement siding is indeed a relatively low-maintenance siding option — but it still needs to be repainted every few years to keep it looking great and to ensure maximum protection against moisture absorption. 

Before painting, you should also inspect the siding and replace any boards showing signs of moisture damage. On top of that, with a shorter lifespan, you can expect to pay more on replacement costs over the course of a lifetime since fiber cement siding will likely need to be replaced at least once.

Since TruLog steel siding is virtually maintenance-free, you can expect minimal upkeep costs over the lifetime of the siding. The no-fade finish will maintain your home’s curb appeal for decades without the need to repaint. You’ll need to rinse dust and dirt away with a garden hose once or twice a year to keep your siding looking fresh — but that’s a quick job that shouldn’t cost you anything. 

At most, you may need to make minor repairs after a catastrophic weather event, but the costs to smooth out dents, patch a scratch with an automotive paint pen, or even replace a damaged panel are quite low. And since the siding can last upward of 70 years, you may never need to worry about full replacement costs. 

Fiber Cement Siding vs. Steel Siding: TruLog Steel Comes Out on Top

Fiber cement siding is a good choice for your home’s exterior — but TruLog steel siding is even better. That’s because it’s a high-quality siding product with a longer lifespan than fiber cement, lower maintenance needs, and fewer costs, both in terms of installation and when it comes to long-term upkeep. 

TruLog siding is also available in a variety of styles and colors, giving you plenty of versatility so that you can get the exact right look for your home. If you’d like to explore the options available, download our free catalog.