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Asphalt shingles vs metal roof

Best overall — architectural asphalt, on a house you will sell inside twenty years.

Best on a budget — 3-tab asphalt, and only where wind is not the design case.

Longest life — standing seam, at two to three times the money and at least twice the roof.

Shingle vs metal
Two-colour print of a roof half shingled and half metal
One roof split at the ridge: courses on the left, ribs on the right.

Our pick — Architectural asphalt: the default answer for a normal house on a normal budget

3-tab asphaltArchitectural asphaltExposed-fastener metalStanding seam
Installed $ / square$300–$500$400–$800$350–$2,600$700–$3,000
Service life15–20 yr25–30 yr50–70 yr50–70 yr
Dead loadlightlightlightestlightest
Minimum pitch2:122:12per panel sheet, ½:12–3:12per panel sheet, ½:12–3:12
Fastener through weather plane
Repairable by a general roofer
Walkable after install
Colour / profile choicenarrowwidewidewide
Material warranty25-yr limitedlifetime limitedpaint + substrate, by makerpaint + substrate, by maker

Asphalt: what you are actually buying

A mat impregnated with asphalt and surfaced with ceramic granules. Cheap to make, cheap to fit, repairable by anyone, and available in every colour a subdivision has ever demanded. Its life is set by heat and UV, which is why attic ventilation matters more to an asphalt roof than to any other kind. Detailed pricing is on the asphalt cost guide.

Metal: what you are actually buying

Coated steel, formed into panels and held down either through the face or by concealed clips. It is lighter than asphalt, sheds snow, cannot burn, and lasts at least twice as long. Against that: it typically costs two to three times as much, it needs a roofer who understands thermal movement, and a repair means a panel rather than a shingle. The metal cost guide breaks the systems apart, the standing seam vs exposed fastener comparison makes the choice inside metal, and how metal roofs are installed covers whether metal can go over your existing shingles. For a section of the roof below the shingle minimum, neither covering applies — that is membrane territory, compared in TPO vs EPDM.

The sixty-year arithmetic

On a 21-square roof, architectural asphalt at the bottom of its band is about $8,400 and is rated for 25–30 yr. Standing seam at the bottom of its band is about $14,700 and runs 50–70 yr. Over sixty years the asphalt house buys at least two roofs and pays a tear-off each time; the metal house buys one. The costs converge, and then metal wins — but only if you are still there. That is the whole decision.

Buying checklist

  • Confirm the square count is the same on every bid — footprint is not roof.
  • On metal, confirm the trim, closure and clip package is in the quote, not assumed.
  • On asphalt, confirm starter strip, ridge cap and all-new flashing are line items.
  • Check the pitch against the covering’s minimum before anything else.
  • Ask how long the installer has fitted this specific system, not roofs in general.

Related

Sources

  1. Fixr, Asphalt Shingle Roof Installation Cost (updated 21 January 2026) — read 2026-10-18
  2. Fixr, Metal Roof Cost (updated 23 January 2026) — read 2026-10-18
  3. Fixr, Roof Replacement Cost (updated 4 February 2026) — read 2026-10-18
  4. 2021 IBC §1507.2 asphalt shingles (slope, fasteners, attachment), as adopted in the Illinois Building Code 2021 (UpCodes) — read 2026-09-05