RoofRangeBaseMetal roof vs shingles cost
The useful comparison holds roof size constant and swaps material bands — asphalt mid about $500 per square plus tear-off mid $150, versus metal mid $1,000 plus the same tear-off (all as of 2026-07). Noise, resale taste, and forty-year warranty talk belong in your kitchen-table decision; this page is the dollar step-up on the same footprint. Run your squares once, toggle material, and watch the mid gap. On many 20-square houses that gap lands near $10,000 all-in before steep pitch or standing seam pushes metal higher. Lifetime cost is a different spreadsheet — install day cash flow is what this band shows.
Runs in your browser No signup Estimate only — not a contractor quote
Tear-off
Remove existing roof before install
Low
$16,000
Mid
$23,000
High
$33,000
When to use — and when not to
When to use
Final material fork on a replacement where both bids are on the table. Explaining to a co-owner why metal quotes run higher on the same house. Checking whether a metal bid sits outside both low and high bands.
When not to
You already committed to asphalt only → asphalt roof replacement cost. Standing seam detail and panel type → standing seam metal roof cost or steel roof cost.
Assumptions
Same squares for both sides; tear-off on for a honest redo comparison. Asphalt $350 / $500 / $700 and metal $700 / $1,000 / $1,400 installed per square; tear-off $100 / $150 / $250. Table dated 2026-07.
Worked examples
20 squares, asphalt mid + tear-off mid vs metal mid + tear-off mid
Asphalt mid ≈ $13,000; metal mid ≈ $23,000 (~$10,000 step)
That step is install-day cash — insurance and energy rebates are separate conversations.
20 squares, metal low vs asphalt high (ranges overlap slightly)
Low metal ≈ $17,000 all-in; high asphalt ≈ $19,000 all-in
Overlap does not mean “same price” — read warranties and scope on written bids.
How it calculates
asphalt_redo ≈ squares × ($350–700 + tearoff) vs metal_redo ≈ squares × ($700–1400 + tearoff)
Compare apples to apples — same squares, same tear-off assumption, different material band.
- Enter roof area once in squares or sq ft — do not change size between toggles.
- Read asphalt mid with tear-off on: squares × ($500 + $150) in the 2026-07 table.
- Switch to metal and read squares × ($1,000 + $150) — note the mid gap, not just which is higher.
- Bias metal toward high if standing seam; bias asphalt toward high if architectural shingles on a steep roof.
Common traps
- Lifetime cost and resale preference vary by neighborhood — install band does not capture either.
- Energy credits and insurance discounts depend on carrier and product — not in the table.
- Exposed-fastener metal can sit lower than standing seam inside the metal band.
- Steel versus aluminum pricing lives inside metal — see steel roof cost for panel nuance.
Next tool
Metal-only path → metal roof cost.
Asphalt redo → asphalt roof replacement cost.
Neutral tool → roof cost calculator.
FAQ
On install day, metal usually lands higher in our 2026-07 table — mid metal all-in near $1,150 per square versus asphalt mid all-in near $650. Low metal and high asphalt can overlap on paper, but standing seam on a steep roof still tends to beat architectural shingle bids in real markets.