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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 roughly twice the money and three times 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$350–$590$475–$1,875$825–$1,300$1,200–$2,225
Service life15–20 yr22–30 yr30–45 yr40–70 yr
Weight per square≈200 lb≈240 lb≈100 lb≈110 lb
Minimum pitch2:122:123:120.5:12 (seamed)
Fastener through weather plane
Repairable by a general roofer
Walkable after install
Colour / profile choicenarrowwidewidewide
Typical material warranty20–25 yr30–50 yr25–40 yr30–50 yr

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 weighs less than half of asphalt, sheds snow, cannot burn, and lasts two to three times as long. Against that: it costs roughly double, 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 sixty-year arithmetic

On a 21-square roof, architectural asphalt at the bottom of its band is about $9,975 and gives you twenty-five years. Standing seam at $25,200 gives you fifty. Over sixty years the asphalt house buys two roofs and pays two tear-offs; 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 quoted, 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, Roof Replacement Cost (updated 4 February 2026) — read 2026-09-04
  2. International Building Code 2021 §1507.2, asphalt shingles — read 2026-09-04