You have more options than you think when it comes to your gutters. Gutters come in various options to fit all homes and styles. We have described some of the most common types of gutters and materials in North America to make sure you get the gutters that suit your home best.
Different Types of Gutter Materials
Here is a list of the common gutter materials available to you. Each material has its benefits, so be sure to pick the one that works best for your home and local climate.
Aluminum Gutters
Two of the most significant selling points for this type of gutter are they won’t rust and are relatively low cost. Aluminum is the most common material used for gutters in the United States. This lightweight material is durable and reliable.
Usually, the aluminum comes in a metal coil stock that runs through a machine that shapes the coil and 
makes it to whatever length needed for the house. This creates a seamless gutter so leaky seams are no longer a problem.
These gutters come in different thicknesses or gauges, typically 0.32, 0.27, and 0.24; the higher the number, the thicker the gauge. Generally, the heavier gauge usually installed in climates more prone to harsher weather.
Aluminum gutters tend to come in lots of colors to complement the color scheme of your home.
Like aluminum, MasterShield gutter guard also comes in a variety of colors to fit your home’s aesthetic and color scheme. Your gutter guard can easily pair with your existing gutter system, so installation is smooth and easy.
Vinyl Gutters
This material is DIY friendly if you’re looking to install gutters yourself. Vinyl gutters are made up of shorter sections that snap together; no sealants required. This material is easy to clean and it doesn’t need to be painted.
Vinyl is better for parts of the country that don’t get frequent snowstorms since these gutters are not as strong as metal ones. Although vinyl gutters don’t rust or rot, they can become brittle over the years from UV rays from the sun and are prone to cracking in cold weather.
MasterShield gutter guards can be installed on vinyl gutters. The beautifully designed product is easily installed by one of our dealers and starts to protect your gutters immediately.
Copper Gutters
Copper is a beautifully rich looking metal that can be used for gutters because it’s a rust-resistant material with a very long lifespan. A copper gutter can last over 100 years if properly maintained and installed correctly under normal 
weather conditions. However, copper is one of the most expensive gutter materials available. With time, copper gutters get a patina effect (fading to a brown and then to a pale green), which some homeowners like.
Copper gutters are a beautiful addition to many homes. Some homeowners fear adding a gutter guard will ruin the look of their copper gutter system. But you won’t have this issue with MasterShield, because our gutter guard also comes in copper. Copper MasterShield will seamlessly fit in with your gutters and protect your gutter system while preserving the aesthetic of your home.
Steel Gutters
Steel is the most durable material for residential gutters. They are expensive and mostly used for fascia guttering or commercial gutters. This gutter type is better at resisting damages due to hail or snow storms compared to aluminum and vinyl gutters. But steel is not corrosion resistant and will rust when exposed to water. These gutters are always painted. Common in California and Oregon, you generally will not see a fascia board installed behind steel gutters, but just exposed rafter tails from the roof’s framing.
MasterShield gutter guard is made with stainless steel micro mesh filter, which pairs well with steel gutters.
Galvalume
It’s sleek curbside appearance and longevity makes it an excellent choice for some homeowners. Galvalume is made of a steel substrate with an aluminum and zinc coating. Unlike copper gutter, galvalume doesn’t change color with time, and it gives a neutral appeal to your home without disturbing your home’s aesthetic. Galvalume gives your home a modern look; however, it does come at a higher cost than gutters made out of aluminum, and vinyl.
Gutter guards can go on galvalume gutters; however, you will need a gasket to create a barrier between the two pieces of metal. This attachment avoids dripping and makes both products work in unison.
Different Types of Gutter Shapes and Sizes
Not only do gutters come in different materials, but they come in different shapes and sizes as well. Here’s a shortlist of popular styles.
K-Style Gutter
K-Style gutters are the most popular shaped gutter type in the US. It is sometimes referred to as an Ogee gutter. It typically comes in two sizes, 5 inches and 6 inches (referring to the width of the top of the trough’s opening.
The shape of the gutter allows the mounting hardware to hide inside the gutter. In the last 20 years, hangers have predominantly moved to hidden ones, before this gutters were hung with spikes and ferrules. The crown molding-like shape gives the gutter a stylish look that many homeowners appreciate.
MasterShield is designed to go on K-style gutters, so there should be no problem getting our gutter guard on your home. The design of MasterShield gutter guard can fit both 5 in and 6 in K-style gutters. MasterShield gutter guard should be pitched with the slope of your roof.
Half Round
This gutter style has been around for over a hundred years. It is most commonly used in Europe and historic homes. It consists of a semicircular trough with a curled front lip and traditionally comes in two sizes, 5 inches and 6 inches. Think of a pipe cut in half. Hangers for half round gutters typically go under the gutter and end over the curved front lip. There are hidden hangers for these gutters as well, but the exterior ones can be quite decorative.
The troughs of half-round gutters are shallower than K-Style gutters and do not carry as much water as their standard counterparts. Larger half rounds are used more frequently as a result. You often see half-rounds in copper or zinc-coated copper.
MasterShield can be installed on half-round gutters without a problem. This fall, call one of our dealers to add MasterShield gutter guards to your half-round gutter; help deals with annoying leaves and other fall debris.
Box Gutters
This shaped gutter is also known as square gutters; they have wide troughs. This style of gutters is not as standard for residential applications, but they are commonly found on commercial buildings.
Gutter guard installation is not typical for box gutters. The size of the gutter tends to require twice the traditional amount of product to fit across the gutter. We don’t usually recommend installing gutter guards on box gutters.
Fascia Gutters
Fascia Gutters are usually custom-made to combine your homes’ fascia board with its gutter system. Homes not built with a traditional fascia board are the best fit for this type of gutter system. This style gutters can be installed on steel and tiled roofs, though they are most common in residential situations.
Yankee/Internal Gutters
This style gutter was mostly used back in the 18th century. The simplicity of the design made it a great choice back then, but this style gutter is not commonly used with modern house designs. This style gutter is built inconspicuously so it can’t be seen along the house’s roofline. When they were popular, these gutters were made with a V- or U- shaped trough lined with metal, such as steel. This type of gutter system requires more maintenance and repairs than other contemporary styles.
MasterShield gutter guards can be installed on Yankee gutters, but they will require slight product modification. Call your local installer and they should have no problem modifying the product to fit the need of your home.
Options for Hanging Gutters
Gutters Hung with Straps
Today, most gutters hang with hidden hangers inside the gutters. However, some gutter installers use straps to hang 
their gutter when the roof has open rafter tails, like the ones shown in the image. These types of gutters do not hold well in winter climates.
Installing a gutter guard is difficult when your gutters hang with straps. Holes can be poked on a gutter guard to run the straps through the gutter guard. However, we recommend investing on a fascia board before installing a gutter guard. This addition will give greater support to your gutter system, as a whole, and makes installing gutter guards much simpler.
Gutters Hung With Wedges
Some homes have slanted fascia boards. The fascia board is the piece of wood in which a gutter screws. Gutters need to be straight to work correctly, so gutter installers add a wedge between the gutter and the slanted fascia board. This is usually a decorative feature based on the design of the roofline.
As long as the gutters are hung straight, gutter guards are easily installed on gutter hung with wedges.
There you have it, all the different options for gutter materials, shapes, sizes and hanging options used on the typical American home.
