With so many siding options available today, how do you choose the best for your home? Most homeowners can get the aesthetic they want from a variety of different choices. For example, you can get the look of natural wood through real wood, engineered wood, woodgrain steel siding, and more.
This means that the final choice between types of siding comes down to other factors — like durability. So what is the most durable siding type? Below, we’ll explore vinyl, engineered wood, fiber cement, and steel so that you can choose the best siding for your home’s exterior.
What Is the Most Durable Siding?
Durability isn’t just about lasting a long time. Truly durable siding materials need to:
- Resist extreme weather conditions.
- Avoid issues like warping, cracking, and rotting.
- Possess some level of fire resistance.
- Be able to maintain a great appearance with minimal maintenance.
Combined, these factors will determine how well your siding will hold up over the years — and how much maintenance you’ll need to plan for.
Below, we’ll compare some of the most popular siding choices today so you can see which are the most durable siding options available.
Vinyl Siding
Among the choices on this list, vinyl siding is generally considered the least durable option. It’s a popular choice because it tends to be cost-effective and comes in a broad variety of colors, but performance-wise, it is lacking in a couple of areas.
Here’s what you can expect from vinyl siding:
- Moisture resistance: Vinyl siding is moisture-resistant, so it won’t rot or mold — though it may grow a layer of mildew or algae that will need to be power washed away.
- Weather resistance: Vinyl is the most prone to cracking or suffering damage from extreme temperatures, high winds, and hail.
- Fire resistance: Vinyl offers nothing in the way of fire resistance.
Where vinyl shines is its affordability and the fact that it’s a relatively low-maintenance option. You’ll need to power wash it once or twice a year to remove grime, mildew, or algae growth, but beyond that, you shouldn’t have to do much with it. Most vinyl siding lasts between 20 and 30 years (and sometimes only 10 in certain areas) before colors fade or it takes enough impact or weather damage that it needs to be replaced.
Engineered Wood Siding
Engineered wood siding is more durable than vinyl, but less durable than other home siding options. Here’s how it handles the elements:
- Moisture resistance: While engineered wood is treated against moisture and damage from termites and other pests, the treatment’s protection wanes with time, allowing mold and rot to develop. This makes engineered wood the weakest option against moisture.
- Weather resistance: Compared to vinyl, engineered wood boasts higher resistance to impacts like hail, extreme temperatures, and high winds.
- Fire resistance: It’s also somewhat more fire-resistant than vinyl.
These increased resistances come with a big tradeoff: Engineered wood siding comes with relatively high maintenance needs. Not only will it need yearly cleanings, but you’ll also have to repaint every few years, to keep the color fresh and the wood sealed against the elements. The lifespan is about the same as vinyl siding too — about 20 to 30 years with careful maintenance.
Fiber Cement Siding
Fiber cement offers a major upgrade to both vinyl and engineered wood siding on all three durability factors:
- Moisture resistance: Fiber cement offers a lot more in the way of moisture resistance than engineered wood since it won’t rot (but moisture can cause it to flake or degrade around the edges as it ages).
- Weather resistance: It’s also much more durable than vinyl or wood against harsh weather like hail, wind, and extreme temperatures.
- Fire resistance: Fiber cement siding offers improved fire resistance over vinyl and wood.
Where maintenance is concerned, fiber cement will require more attention than engineered wood, but less than vinyl. Expect to clean it yearly, and you’ll also need periodic repaintings. However, since paint and primer adhere well to fiber cement, you shouldn’t need to repaint it quite as often as engineered wood.
It also lasts a bit longer than wood or vinyl. Expect to get between 30 and 50 years out of fiber cement siding.
Steel Siding
Steel siding is the most durable option of all. Here’s why:
- Moisture resistance: Steel siding is completely impervious to moisture. You’ll never need to worry about mold or rot with any type of metal siding.
- Weather resistance: TruLog steel siding offers a Class 4 impact rating, which is the highest rating possible for exterior siding. It also provides superior wind resistance, and it won’t warp or crack under extreme weather conditions.
- Fire resistance: Since steel is nonflammable, TruLog steel siding has a Class A fire rating, which is the best fire resistance possible in a siding product.
Even better, steel siding is virtually maintenance-free. Upkeep consists of rinsing it off with a garden hose a couple of times yearly to remove dust and dirt — but you shouldn’t need to invest in expensive power-washing equipment to remove thick layers of grime.
You can also check painting off your home improvement list since steel never needs to be repainted. Choose from among many color shades to enjoy aesthetic appeal that won’t fade.
Steel siding also has an incredible lifespan. You can expect it to last between 40 and 70 years or even longer.
Is Steel Siding Better Than Fiber Cement?
In a head-to-head comparison of two of the most durable siding options, steel siding offers many advantages over fiber cement. The following breakdown can help you decide between the two.
Weather Performance
Both materials offer good durability, but steel wins out due to better impact resistance and zero susceptibility to moisture damage. Fiber cement can be punctured or chipped by hail and other impacts, and the elements mean that you’ll need to repaint every 10 to 15 years, whereas steel siding never needs to be repainted.
Steel siding is also designed to hold up in extreme temperatures, wind, rain, and snow. While fiber cement is weather-resistant, moisture and freeze-thaw cycles can cause it to expand, chip, and flake, particularly where moisture can seep in around the edges of the material.
Fire Resistance
Fiber cement is known for its fire resistance — but so is steel. Both TruLog steel siding and many popular fiber cement brands carry Class A fire resistance ratings, which is the highest rating possible. Either is an excellent choice for new siding in fire-prone areas or areas where you need to meet strict building codes.
Cost and Installation
Fiber cement is also heavier and more labor-intensive to install than steel. It often requires specialized tools like masonry saws and fasteners to correctly cut it and hang it. Steel siding from TruLog is designed for easy installation without compromising on quality.
Costs are comparable between these two materials, with products like James Hardie Board fiber cement siding averaging between $2 and $6 per square foot, and TruLog pricing coming in between $4.25 and $8.50 per square foot. However, the easier installation of steel siding means it will cost much less to install.
How Long Does Steel Siding Last?
Between its excellent weather resistance, fire resistance, and overall durability, steel siding comes out above all other siding solutions. But how long does it truly last?
Most brands will last you anywhere between 40 and 70 years or more. Here at TruLog, we’re so confident that our siding will go the distance that we offer a limited lifetime warranty and a 30-year paint protection warranty.
Refer to the chart below for a quick comparison of the average lifespans, fire resistance, weather resistance, and maintenance needs of the most common siding materials.
| Siding Material | Average Lifespan | Fire Resistance | Weather Resistance | Maintenance Needs |
| Vinyl | 20 to 30 years | Poor | Fair | Medium |
| Engineered Wood | 20 to 30 years | Fair | Fair | High |
| Fiber Cement | 30 to 50 years | Good | Good | Medium-High |
| Steel | 40 to 70+ years | Excellent | Excellent | Low |
TruLog Steel: The Most Durable Siding for Your Home
And there you have it. While vinyl, engineered wood, and fiber cement do have some advantages of their own, none of them can match the durability, weather resistance, fire resistance, or low maintenance needs of TruLog steel siding. Steel is the right siding choice if you want decades of performance and lasting curb appeal.
To learn more about TruLog steel siding or to start planning your next siding project, download our product catalog.
