There are a lot of “faux” copper finishes available now and while some of them scream imitation copper, others are quite good. Comparing to the cost of solid copper, most of the heavier finished steel options will look very affordable. Some locations are served best by the corrosion-resistance and classic appearance of copper, but if you’re experiencing frequent and damaging hail, my guess is that you’re not in a coastal location so a copper-lookalike in a heavy gauge steel may offer a great alternative to the real thing.

 

There is also a lot of variation in the look of solid copper. It can range from shiny copper penny when new, to dark gray brown, to varieties of green and turquoise in the oldest installations. If you can send along photos of the copper roof that you’re trying to emulate, I’m sure we can find a finish that will come very close in appearance.

 

Lastly, I just wanted to say that give hail of sufficient size and intensity, there’s hardly a building material that won't show some damage. It’s true that the copper we use for roofing applications is softer than most of the steel that is used, and so it’s likely to be more readily dented. However, even the heaviest commonly used gauge of steel roofing can still be dented in a bad hail storm - just not as badly

 

Here is a close-up photo and an installation image of our “Faux Copper” finish to one of our metal tiles. The pattern is readily apparent in the close-up, but as you can see from the photo, it begins to blend into a solid copper. The reason I am always challenged by the “fake copper” finish is that they’re necessarily just so darned regular. One of the ways you can tell real copper from imitations is that the real thing always has some variation in the rate of patina - even if it’s just a green streak thanks to a passing bird depositing a memento. 
There’s just no way for the existing metal finishing lines to replicate the inconsistency of an actual exposed copper roof.