Cordless metal shears for roofing

Updated: October 2026

You are trimming a roof sheet, flashing, mesh, or a duct, and a sparking disc is the habit you want to drop. Cordless metal shears for roofing only help if the tool can follow the shape in front of you. A shear head that rotates is not a nibbler that rides ribs. The wavy-edge argument is on the nibbler versus shears page, and the cordless metal shears comparison holds prices and review counts. We did not cut a roof. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Our top picks

Badge	Product	Mechanism	Stated steel	Battery platform	Note	Price	Offer
Best overall	Bostar Bostar shear with 2× 4.0Ah	Shear	1.5 mm iron; 1.2 mm stainless (bullets)	Makita 18V LXT claimed, plus two packs in the bullets	5.8	about £75.99	View offer
	Bosch Professional Bosch Professional GSC 12V-13	Shear	Up to 1.3 mm in the bullets; no grade in the file	Bosch Professional 12 V (file voltage 10.8)	8.4	about £264.97	View offer
Best value	Deyitong Deyitong nibbler 2.0 mm, Makita	Nibbler	Size field 2.0 mm. Stainless bullet 0.048 inches	Makita 18V claimed (BL1830, BL1840, BL1850, BL1860)	7.1	about £106.99	View offer

Best overall

Bostar Bostar shear with 2× 4.0Ah

5.8/10about £75.99

View offer

Rank 2

Bosch Professional Bosch Professional GSC 12V-13

8.4/10about £264.97

View offer

Best value

Deyitong Deyitong nibbler 2.0 mm, Makita

7.1/10about £106.99

View offer

On this page

1.Corrugated and box profile
2.Flashing, mesh, and duct
3.What to do on site
4.Listings that mention roofs

Corrugated and box profile

Southern Sheeting, a UK cladding supplier, says power shears will not travel over the peaks and troughs of corrugated or box profile, and it points to a nibbler for radii, corners, and details. ITS makes the same split: a nibbler follows the shape without flattening ribs. A 360° handle on a Roadtime or Bostar shear lets you turn your wrist. It does not put a die on the rib. The reviewed Deyitong nibbler at about £106.99 has 4.3 from 62 reviews, a 2.0 mm size field, and a claimed Makita 18 V foot. UK reviews mention a slot of about 6 mm and one return after about 30 minutes. The two 2125 bodies at about £79.99 are the right mechanism for a rib and the wrong rows to treat as proven.

Flashing, mesh, and duct

Flat flashing and the end of a duct can be a shear, because there is no rib to climb. UK reviewers of the Bosch GSC 12V-13, about £264.97 and 4.6 from 101 reviews, name ductwork, galvanised sheet, and aluminium. Bosch's GB table allows 1.3 mm at 400 N/mm² steel and less as the steel gets harder, plus 2 mm aluminium at 200 N/mm². You still need a Bosch 12 V pack. The amazon row is bare. Mesh is a bullet, not a shared test. Bostar names wire mesh and corrugated roofing together, at about £75.99, with three ratings and no review text. A mesh strand is not a corrugation. Support is the sequence on the how to cut page.

Testsieger

Bostar Bostar shear with 2× 4.0Ah

5.8/10about £75.99

View offer

What to do on site

Cut on the ground when you can. Roofing Megastore's box-profile guide says to cut face down on padded supports and to brush swarf off so it does not rust-stain the face. Bag nibbler chips if the box has a debris bag, then brush the sheet anyway. Sparks are the reason those UK guides prefer a cold cut on coated metal. Working at height is a stop, not a tip. Do not learn a new head on a slope. If the cut is structural, hand it to a roofer. A bullet that says roof is not a review.

Listings that mention roofs

Bostar's bullets name corrugated roofing and a UK-plug charger, and nobody in the file describes a roof cut. Roadtime's shears, about £54.14 to about £56.99, name metal roof beside leather, and two contain a fabric-shear bullet. A rotating head does not follow peaks and troughs. Use the reviewed nibbler when the sheet is profiled and you already own the Makita packs it claims. Use the Bosch shear when the piece is flat duct or flashing and you already own the 12 V pack. Leave the about £54 shear for a scrap test, not for the first sheet on a customer's roof.

Common questions

Can a cordless shear cross a corrugation?

UK cladding guidance says a shear will not travel over the peaks and troughs of corrugated or box profile. A head that rotates through 360° changes your grip, not that geometry. A nibbler is the mechanism those guides name for the profile. Try a shear on an offcut only if you are prepared to stop at the first rib.

What tool for flashing and flat duct?

A shear, if the metal is inside a stated capacity and you can start at an edge. The Bosch GSC 12V-13 is the listing UK reviewers describe on duct, galvanised sheet, and aluminium, at about £264.97 bare. Thin flashing can still be tin snips if the run is short. A nibbler is the step when the surround must stay flat.

Should I cut on the roof or on the ground?

On the ground, face down, on padded supports, whenever the sheet can be moved. That is the box-profile practice Roofing Megastore prints, and it keeps swarf off the slope. Cut at height only when the piece cannot come down and you already know the tool. This page does not describe ladder work.

Which listing in this set is a nibbler for profiled sheet?

The three Deyitong bodies are the nibblers. The one with a UK review sample is the about £106.99 listing, 4.3 from 62, size field 2.0 mm, battery not included. The two 2125 models at about £79.99 have almost no UK text. A Roadtime shear is not this answer, even when the bullet says metal roof.

Does metal roof in a Roadtime bullet make it the roofing tool?

No. The bullet is a seller's job list on a shear with no reviews, and one of those bullets also says fabric shears. Southern Sheeting's limit still applies: shears do not follow corrugations. A roofing word on an unreviewed about £54 body is not a nibbler with a review sample.

When do I stop and use a roofer?

Stop if the sheet is thicker than the stated capacity, if the tool stalls, if you are still learning the head at height, or if the cut is structural. A cold-cut tool does not make a roof safe to walk. Hand over profiled sheet you cannot support on the ground.

Cordless metal shears buying guide