Lead (Pb)
Lead is a non-ferrous metal, a metal without iron as its main constituent. The chemical element lead has the symbol Pb (Plumbum) and atomic number 82.
Ingestion of lead in the form of dust or fumes and prolonged exposure to the pure form of lead can cause health damage It is therefore also good to take the element lead (Pb) of the lead sheet distinguishable. Lead sheet in the form as marketed by Uzimet is safe to use and has no harmful health risks, as long as the material is not ingested orally or nasally.
Sheet Lead
The use of (sheet) lead dates back to ancient times. The Romans applied lead on a large scale, including for fixing natural stone parts in houses and bridges and for making water pipes, water tanks and roof coverings. In the Netherlands, lead has been used since the 12th century.
Thanks to its easy machinability, low melting point, great durability and the many applications for which it can be used, sheet lead has earned an excellent reputation as the material for making watertight joints in construction, especially where different materials come together on roofs and facades.
The sheet lead that Uzimet makes is actually a copper lead alloy. Our sheet lead consists of 99.95% pure lead, supplemented with copper. By adding this small percentage of copper, the tensile strength of the sheet lead improves and deformation decreases.
Specific features:
Melting point: ± 327°C
Color: shiny blue-white, turning blue-gray by oxidation. Sheet lead can turn increasingly darker and even almost black under the influence of atmospheric pollutants.
Quality: at normal temperatures, sheet lead is soft, ductile, stretchable and tough. It is easily deformed, forged and crushed.
Characteristics: sheet lead should not be processed below 5°C, as there is a risk of cracking. It has excellent sound damping properties due to the combination of large mass with low elasticity
Mechanical properties:
Even at normal temperatures and low stresses, shape changes can occur in lead sheet. When heated, lead sheet expands; when cold, it shrinks again.
Specific gravity:
At 20°C = ± 11.34; that is, a sheet of lead sheet of 1 mm thickness and 1 m² area weighs 1134 grams
Coefficient of thermal expansion:
0.03 mm/m°C. in full sunlight, the surface temperature of sheet lead can reach 80°C, i.e. 1 m of sheet lead extends 80 x 0.3=2.4mm. For a gutter or roofing of 10 m length, this is 24 mm
Packaging requirements/safety data sheet
Within the European Union, there is legislation regulating the classification, labeling and packaging of chemical substances and mixtures to inform consumers and workers of the hazards.It is based on the United Nations Global Globally Harmonized System (GHS). This legislation is known as CLP, which stands for Classification, Labeling and Packaging.
Lead (Pb) is classified as a substance under the CLP regulation based on toxicology.
Because solid lead sheet has no harmful properties, it is not necessary to provide a safety data sheet (also known as an SDS) for construction applications (including rolled and sheet lead sheet). The use of lead sheet in construction is safe and poses no risk to the environment or health.
Life cycle analysis (LCA).
On behalf of Uzimet, an LCA is regularly made by various independent agencies such as TNO and LBP|Sight, most recently in 2025. This consistently shows that the use of sheet lead is a very sensible and sustainable choice. “Sheet lead has a much lower environmental impact over its entire 75-year lifespan than other solutions, such as plastic, recycled plastic or plastic with aluminum,” they conclude, “and I’m not talking about a little, but really a lot lower.”
In part, this is due to longevity. “Sheet lead lasts up to 75 years. That’s much longer than the alternatives. Those have to be replaced sooner and that has a big impact on the sustainability score.” Also important is that Uzimet uses only recycled lead in the production of sheet lead. As a result, Uzimet’s sheet lead is truly a circular product.
To measure the impact of a (building) material on the environment, a so-called “MKI score” has been created. This environmental cost indicator shows the cost per 1 m² of material used. The score of lead sheet is significantly lower, at € 0.32 per m², than many other materials. Compared to some materials, the difference is even 7x favorable!
This determination of the EQI includes leaching. An issue that is often (wrongly, it turns out) used by other providers as a counter-argument to sheet lead. Leaching of lead (runoff to the environment) has thus been investigated and found to be much lower than previously thought:
How much sheet lead washes out?
- Old estimates: ±5 g/m² per year.
- Recent TNO study (field measurements): ±1 g/m² per year.
Environmental risk
- According to TNO and LBP|Sight, this amount poses no risk to the environment, even if rainwater is released directly into the environment.
- Leaching varies by position (southwest side more than east side) and is lower with vertical application and overlaps.
Why is there discussion?
- Lead is a heavy metal and could theoretically contribute to water pollution.
- Policies (Water Framework Directive) encourage low-emission products and discourage use of leaching metals, but certified sheet lead meets environmental requirements and may be used as usual.
Summary:
Leaching of lead is limited and, according to recent studies, not an environmental problem if properly applied and certified.
National Environmental Database (NMD).
Based on the LCA, a product map for sheet lead from Uzimet has now been added in the National Environmental Database, as well as for calculation tools such as GPR Material. This allows developers and architects to determine the environmental cost for a building and all that goes with it.
Stichting NMD is an independent organization that enables an unambiguous calculation of the environmental performance of buildings in the Netherlands. To this end, we manage and maintain the National Environmental Database and the Bepalingsmethode Milieuprestatie Bouwwerken.
Leaf lead and health
Health, safety and environment are central to Uzimet and our chain partners, customers and suppliers. Our lead sheet is part of the REACH consortium of lead metal with the designated use of “Installation and maintenance of lead sheet by professional users”. From this legislation (a European regulation dealing with the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals) the aforementioned CLP classification is determined.
Sheet lead is safe to use when used as directed; do not ingest it, use gloves and wash your hands with bare hands after handling.
In 2025, a comprehensive chemical safety study by REACH determined that the impact for working with lead sheet is very low on lead in blood (LIB) levels for workers who are frequently exposed to lead. Even for workers who work with lead for 40 years, 5 days a week.
- A gradual increase in blood lead levels of 1.43 µg/dL for female workers and 1.45 µg/dL for male workers is predicted based on the worst-case scenarios
- These LIB levels are well below the new EU limits and REACH consortium health-based thresholds, demonstrating that the installation and maintenance of lead sheet by professionals does not pose a risk to workers.
So the use of lead sheet in, say, construction, is absolutely safe. What we find is that some manufacturers and distributors of alternative materials like to create confusion about the use of lead sheet. This is because they confuse essential issues and thus spread fake news. Uzimet likes to stick to the facts:
- Sheet lead is significantly more environmentally friendly than many alternatives
- Sheet lead can be infinitely reused
- Sheet lead retains its value in Euros at all times, even after removal
- Sheet lead has centuries of tradition as an excellent waterproofing, insulating and radiation shielding material
- Sheet lead is safe to use, there are no harmful health hazards even with prolonged working with the material