Red brick
Charcoal and black are the safest roofs for red brick. They let the brick be the colour. Dark brown works if the brick leans orange, and slate grey works if it leans purple. Avoid roofs with a red or rust tint, because two reds that almost match look like a mistake.
Orange or salmon brick
Warm brick wants a roof with brown in it. Weathered wood shingles, bronze metal and dark brown blend the orange into the rest of the house. A pure black roof on orange brick can look harsh in bright sun, though it works on a house with a lot of white trim.
Tan, buff and cream brick
Light brick takes almost anything. Black gives a modern edge, brown keeps it traditional, and green or slate blue gives a cottage feel. This is the brick where a coloured metal roof, forest green or slate blue, looks intentional rather than loud.
Painted or limewashed brick
Once brick is painted white or grey, treat it like a white house. Black and charcoal are the usual picks. If the paint is a warm white, brown and bronze roofs sit better than pure black.
Mixed brick and siding
Many ranches and split-levels have brick on the bottom and siding above. Match the roof to the siding, not the brick, because the siding is closer to the roofline and the eye compares them first.
Try it on your own brick
Brick varies so much that no chart can tell you. Upload a photo from the street and try charcoal, brown and one colour you would never normally pick. The render keeps your brick exactly as it is and changes only the roof.
