Metal Construction Association: products, EPDs, and the spec gap
The Metal Construction Association is not a manufacturer. It’s a U.S. trade group whose members make metal wall and roof systems at scale. That matters when you need Environmental Product Declarations fast. Here’s what MCA covers with industry‑wide EPDs today, where coverage has lapsed, and how that affects winning specs on projects aiming for LEED v5 and owner carbon targets.
Who the Metal Construction Association is
MCA is a U.S. trade association that promotes metal in the building envelope and convenes manufacturers across walls and roofs. They don’t sell products. Their site clusters member offerings into insulated metal panels, metal composite material, roll‑formed single‑skin cladding, and multiple roofing types. For a sustainability hub with their declarations, see the MCA EPDs page at metalconstruction.org/epds.
What product families MCA’s EPDs cover
MCA sponsors industry‑wide EPDs that represent an average across multiple member manufacturers for three families:
- Insulated metal panels for walls and roofs.
- Metal composite material panels.
- Roll‑formed aluminum and steel cladding used on roofs and walls.
These are the core cladding systems many members produce. Across member brands, the combined SKU universe easily runs into the hundreds and spans profiles, thicknesses, finishes, and cores.
EPD coverage snapshot in 2025
All three MCA industry‑wide EPDs were issued on April 1, 2020 with five‑year validity that ended April 1, 2025 (MCA IMP EPD, 2020; MCA Roll‑Formed Cladding EPD, 2020; MCA MCM EPD, 2020). The insulated metal panel EPD lists UL as program operator and confirms the dates on page 1 (MCA IMP EPD, 2020).
What that means on jobs is simple. Industry‑wide data remains useful for context, but many owners and AEC teams now prefer active, product‑specific EPDs for submittals and for meeting carbon tracking under LEED v5, which USGBC ratified on March 28, 2025 (USGBC, 2025).
Where coverage is strong and where gaps show
Strong: MCA’s three association EPDs give designers cradle‑to‑gate data for the dominant metal cladding families, so a project team can benchmark early.
Gaps: the EPDs are currently out of validity, and they don’t extend to accessories, fasteners, trims, sub‑girts, or plant‑specific results. If a spec or owner standard calls for product‑specific EPDs, relying on these association documents can leave a compliance hole. In education, healthcare, logistics and data center work, that hole can cost weeks and, worse, the spec.
The risk in one sentence
When an industry‑wide EPD lapses and a competitor shows a fresh, product‑specific EPD, the project team’s accounting often favors the competitor’s panel without touching price.
A likely best seller without a current MCA EPD
Insulated metal panels are a marquee category for MCA’s members. The association EPD for IMPs is past its April 1, 2025 validity. By contrast, manufacturers like Kingspan and Metl‑Span have recently published new, third‑party‑verified, plant‑specific IMP EPDs that show substantial GWP reductions compared to older baselines, for example a 35% reduction at a common 3‑inch thickness in a 2023 set verified by SCS Global Services (SCS Global Services, 2023).
Competitors you’ll meet on specs
- IMPs: Kingspan, Metl‑Span and CENTRIA regularly appear on U.S. shortlists.
- MCM: ALUCOBOND, Reynobond, and ALPOLIC. Arconic’s Reynobond FR 4 mm has a North America EPD valid to May 23, 2030 (EPD International, 2025).
- Roll‑formed single‑skin: ATAS, PAC‑CLAD Petersen, McElroy, MBCI. In Europe, association EPDs for profiled sheets and polyurethane‑core sandwich panels were refreshed to EN 15804+A2 in 2024, which signals the market’s expectation for current declarations even at the association level (PPA‑Europe/IBU, 2024).
Commercial stakes under LEED v5
LEED v5 raises the focus on decarbonization, including embodied carbon across enclosures. While disclosure paths remain familiar, teams lean toward product‑specific Type III EPDs to document material choices cleanly inside submittals and carbon dashboards (USGBC, 2025). EPDs helps manufacturers avoid penalty factors in embodied‑carbon accounting that show up when no verified product data exists.
What a practical EPD game plan looks like
- Refresh the three MCA industry‑wide EPDs so designers have a current baseline. It keeps metal systems visible in early WBLCA work and supports member brands that are still building product‑specific coverage.
- In parallel, prioritize product‑specific EPDs for high‑volume SKUs like 2 to 4 inch IMP wall panels and most‑specified MCM assemblies. Start with the plants that feed national distribution so one document covers the most projects.
- Pick a partner that handles data collection across utilities, production, waste, and coatings with white‑glove execution and is program‑operator agnostic. That shortens timelines and prevents internal bottlenecks.
- If time is tight, publish a limited‑scope set for priority thicknesses and profiles, then expand coverage in tranches each quarter. That phased approach wins specs without waiting for a monolithic, year‑long project.
Closing thought
MCA unites a big, diverse product universe. Getting thier EPD story current again unlocks more early shortlist decisions in markets that now expect verified, up‑to‑date product data.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are MCA’s Environmental Product Declarations current in 2025 and can they be used on projects?
MCA’s three industry‑wide EPDs for insulated metal panels, metal composite material, and roll‑formed cladding were issued April 1, 2020 with five‑year validity ending April 1, 2025. Many owners and AEC teams prefer active, product‑specific EPDs for submittals and LEED v5 tracking, so treat the association documents as background and publish or source product‑specific EPDs for priority SKUs (MCA IMP EPD, 2020; USGBC, 2025).
Which competitors already show recent product‑specific EPDs in these categories?
Insulated metal panels: Kingspan and Metl‑Span have recently released new third‑party‑verified EPDs, with Kingspan’s 2023 set showing a 35% GWP reduction at a common thickness under SCS verification (SCS Global Services, 2023). MCM: Arconic’s Reynobond FR 4 mm has a North America EPD valid through 2030 (EPD International, 2025).
Why do product‑specific EPDs matter under LEED v5?
LEED v5 increases emphasis on decarbonization, including embodied carbon across enclosures. Product‑specific Type III EPDs streamline submittals and embodied‑carbon accounting compared to generic or expired association EPDs, improving the odds of being selected without price concessions (USGBC, 2025).
About the Author
Walker Ryan is a climate-tech entrepreneur focused on driving industrial decarbonization through better data. As the founder and CEO of Parq, he helps manufacturers generate high-quality, third-party–verified carbon disclosures at scale—accelerating a traditionally slow and expensive process. Before starting Parq, Walker led over $200 million in sustainability-focused investments as VP of Strategy & Growth at ReStream Solutions, following earlier experience in investment banking at Deutsche Bank. He brings a rare mix of capital markets expertise and hands-on sustainability knowledge to tackling the infrastructure of industrial emissions.
