The Copper Top Vent is a two-piece chimney cap with a separate vented top and a solid base. The base wraps the chimney and the vented top sits above it — leaving a full open gap around the entire perimeter for airflow while keeping rain out from above. It's the cap I recommend when draft performance matters as much as weather protection.
Every CTV is hand-fabricated to your exact chimney dimensions in my shop in Berlin, NJ. No standard sizes. No stock inventory. Built to order.
What It Does
The two-piece design separates the weather barrier from the vent plane. The solid top lid keeps rain, snow, and debris out of the flue from above. The open gap between the top and base lets combustion gases, heat, and moisture escape around the full perimeter of the cap — not through a restricted screen zone. The result is lower draft resistance than a conventional cap with side-mount screen panels.
The base includes a stainless steel mesh screen in both the lower screen zone and the gap between top and base. Birds and debris stay out. Air moves freely. The lid is removable for flue access.
Two-Piece Construction
The base is a four-sided box with a premium flange at the bottom and a screen-covered opening at the top edge. The top is a flat lid with a standing seam overhang that sheds water outward and away from the vent gap. The two pieces nest together — the top rests on the base and is removable without tools.
Corner seams on both pieces are double-locked. The flange is brake-formed from the same sheet as the body — 8" rip, 1" exposed face, mitered corners. All fasteners are stainless steel. The screen is expanded stainless steel mesh for copper and stainless caps, aluminum mesh for Kynar and Galvalume.
Mount options: side mount (standard drip edge wraps the chimney crown) or top mount flange (sets on top of the crown). Side mount is standard for most masonry chimneys. Top mount is correct when the chimney crown is flush or the cap needs to sit above a wood chase top.
Cross-Brake Lid
The CTV top lid includes a cross-brake — two diagonal brake-formed ribs that run corner to corner across the underside of the lid. The cross-brake stiffens the lid panel against oil-canning and adds visual structure. On copper caps, the cross-brake lines will patina at the same rate as the rest of the lid and become more visible as the surface develops color.
Material Options
16 oz Copper — The reference material for this cap style. Copper CTVs develop a distinctive two-tone patina as the flat surfaces and the brake-formed ribs weather at slightly different rates. Both pieces — base and top — are the same alloy and will color together over time.
Kynar Aluminum (.032) — PVDF Kynar 500 coating in any standard color: Matte Black, Matte White, Dark Bronze, Weathered Zinc, Charcoal Grey, Copper Penny, and more. Holds color indefinitely. Lightest weight option.
24-Gauge Galvalume Plus — Zinc-aluminum alloy coated steel. Mill-finish silver-grey. Most economical option. Correct choice when cost is the primary driver.
Stainless Steel 2B 304 — 24-gauge 304 alloy, 2B mill finish. Best choice for coastal locations or high-corrosion environments. Heavier than aluminum, dimensionally stable in temperature extremes.
Specs
- Cap style: Copper Top Vent (CTV) — two-piece, vented gap perimeter
- Screen: Dual zone — lower screen + vent gap screen
- Lid: Solid with cross-brake, removable
- Mount options: Side mount (drip edge) · Top mount flange
- Drip edge height: 2" – 5" (3" standard, side mount only)
- Flange: Premium, 8" rip, 1" face, mitered
- Size range: 24" × 24" minimum · 48" W maximum · 120" L maximum
- Materials: Copper · Kynar Aluminum · Galvalume · Stainless Steel
- Fasteners: Stainless steel throughout
- Made in: Berlin, NJ
Installation
Side mount CTVs set on the chimney crown with the drip edge wrapping the outside. Measure the outside of the chimney at the crown — not the flue tile. Width is always the shortest dimension. Add at least ¼" to each measurement so the cap seats without binding.
Top mount CTVs set the flange on top of the crown. Use a closed-cell backer rod and elastomeric sealant at the flange-to-crown joint. The top piece lifts off for flue access without disturbing the base.
Questions about which mount type is right for your chimney? See Top Mount vs Side Mount — Which One Do You Need? or call (609) 352-9840.
Wood-Framed Chase
The CTV works on wood-framed chases with the top mount flange option. The flange sets on the chase top board — seal the perimeter with elastomeric caulk and back-prime any exposed wood before installation. If the chase top is deteriorating, address that before capping. A new cap on a failing deck is a short-term fix.
Not sure if the CTV is right for your application? Call or text (609) 352-9840.
Shipping
Copper Top Vent caps ship LTL freight in a custom-built OSB crate. The two-piece design ships assembled — top nested on base — in a single crate. Freight cost depends on cap size and delivery ZIP and is quoted separately. I use ABF Freight for most shipments.
Typical lead time is 2–3 weeks from order confirmation. Call or text (609) 352-9840 if you have a hard deadline.
About Archaic Metal
I'm Sean. I've been working copper and sheet metal since 1994, trained under master coppersmith Stephen L. Foss at Ye Olde Tin Shop in Haddonfield, NJ. Archaic Metal has been my operation since 2011 — one person, one shop in Berlin, NJ. Every cap I sell is one I fabricated. No outsourcing, no batch runs sitting on a shelf. Your cap is built to your dimensions after you order it.
More on how I build caps: How Chimney Caps Are Made · Copper vs. Aluminum
Built to your chimney. Every Copper Top Vent cap is custom fabricated in Berlin, NJ. Enter your dimensions above to see your price — or call / text (609) 352-9840 for a freight quote to your door.