One of the most common roofing materials in the Philippines, the galvanized iron or GI sheet was introduced to the Philippines sometime in the 1950s. It was brought about to answer the need for materials for the boosting post WWII construction industry and it was also a “dollar-saving” because it boosted the international dollar reserves of the country.
Historically, the GI sheet was first developed in 1829. Henry Palmer, the inventor, made the first corrugated iron in London. Originally made from wrought iron, the invention of this material provided a strong, corrosion-resistant material that was light enough for logistics to easily transport to different parts of the world. Paving the way for the innovation of prefabricated structures improvised by skilled workers, this material became popular in the United States, Chile, New Zealand, and Australia and later India.
The process of galvanizing steel sheet or the ‘hot dipping’ process of coat steel sheet with zinc and producing rolled sheets or stripes was developed in 1837 in France and England.
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