UNIKMA, a leading supplier of solutions for low-rise buildings, held its 10th anniversary professional tournament among roofing companies from Russia and Belarus. The key elements driving the success of the competition were the professionalism of the participants and the quality of NLMK Group’s premium polyurethane-coated rolled steel.

As per a long standing tradition, NLMK acted as the event’s sponsor, providing materials for the competition as well as the prizes.

The tournament’s chief judge, Andrey Fedorov, pointed out an important qualification criterion: “We make sure that participants already have experience of working metal on real projects and understand how it behaves in practice.”

A Technological Challenge and High Standards

The double lock welt seams are traditionally considered the ultimate test of craftsmanship in roofing. This year, 48 companies took part in the championship. Builders came from the Republic of Belarus, Moscow and the Moscow Region, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Ryazan, and other Russian cities.
The edition of 2026 offered participants a significantly increased level of difficulty: the teams had to integrate pointed-arch windows into the roof slope and install a ventilated ridge on a hipped roof element.
The jury board emphasized the knowledge-sharing value of the event: “Crucially, there is no standard way to approach such a task. Everyone completes the assignment and the complex elements in their own way,” Andrey Fedorov noted. “That’s a huge advantage for the industry: you can learn from your colleagues’ experience and then apply it on your own projects.”
NLMK’s metal got to demonstrate its performance on the job: the seams turned out straight and neat, installation was quick and clean, and the appearance of the coating was as good as new even after complex work.

Expert Assessment of the Material

During the tournament, participants and judges evaluated the performance of polyurethane-coated rolled steel (50 μm thickness, Z275 zinc coating class) under extreme strain.

Key Expert Findings:

1.  Ductility and ease of installation: Pavel Dorodny (KMK) praised the coating’s high adhesion and the essential mechanical properties of the rolled steel: “Overall, the metal cuts quite well — not too hard and not too soft. I liked how the metal bent: the paint didn’t flake off, there were no cracks. There was another highlight of working this metal. There was a lock installation that we had to redo. We unfolded the metal that had already been bent twice and bent it again — it didn’t tear and didn't show any damage.”
2. Resistance to mechanical damage: Pavel Styopin (judge, owner of the company Pavel Styopin Welt Seam School) highlighted the pre-painted steel’s scratch resistance: “Overall, the metal performed very well: it has high scratch resistance and good ductility. The steel makes it possible to execute complex junctions, including welted valleys (a standing-seam roof construction element that ensures watertightness where two slopes join on a radius).”
3. Aesthetics and richness of colour: The steel of different colourways — dark grey, terracotta, metallic green — demonstrated colour uniformity and resistance to glaring on complex bends.

Robust protection and superior aesthetics

As part of the tournament’s business programme, Maria Gavrilenko, Chief Specialist at NLMK Trading House, delivered a presentation on advanced rolled product lines for the construction sector. Special attention was given to NLMK’s long-term warranties:

• Up to 45 years: warranty against perforation corrosion,

• Up to 25 years: colour retention warranty.

These commitments reaffirm the reliability of NLMK rolled steel under real-life conditions.

Competition Results

The jury board evaluated the work based on watertightness, the amount of through-fasteners used, and overall craft level of execution.

NLMK Group congratulates the winners and notes with appreciation the high level of professionalism among all contenders. Events like these generate immediate feedback from experts and improve NLMK’s products to further advance the roofing industry.

Work with Material Proven by Professionals

NLMK’s premium polyurethane-coated rolled steel combines an aesthetic look and feel with proven reliability. If you strive for quality that stands up to any challenge, choose the solutions that have been put through rigorous testing.
Use the link for more details about NLMK’s pre-painted steel or call Sales at +7 (800) 511 30 39.