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Metal roof cost calculator

Metal spans a wider installed range than any other residential covering — $7.00 to $19.00 a square foot — and almost all of that spread is the panel system, not the metal. Pick the style and the calculator prices the installed panels and the tear-off separately.

Two-colour print of metal panels beside a partly clad roof
Panels stacked beside a roof half clad.
Metal roof, installed

Panel system drives the price far more than gauge or colour does. Pre-filled with the 21-square worked example in standing seam.

No fastener penetrates the weather plane. Site-formed panels cut delivery cost on long runs.

$15,750 – $66,150

21 squares · $7.00 – $30.00 per sq ft installed

LineLowHigh
Panels installed, trim and clips included$14,700$63,000
Tear-off, 1 layer$1,050$3,150
Installed total$15,750$66,150

Why the trim line matters more than the gauge

On a metal roof the panels are the easy part. Ridge caps, eave and rake trim, valley metal, sidewall and endwall flashing, foam or metal closures, clips and the right fasteners are what make it a finished roof — a bid that does not list them is not a bid for one. The bands above are installed prices, so a complete quote carries all of that inside them. Gauge (residential panels run 22 to 29 gauge, the lower number the thicker sheet) and the coating system move the price less than the panel style does.

Which system to price

The style choice is the decision that moves this number, and it is made on more than price — attachment, thermal movement, minimum slope and warranty all differ. The standing seam vs exposed fastener comparison lays those out side by side, the standing seam cost guide covers site-formed against shop-formed panels, and how metal roofs are installed shows where the labour in the price goes.

Metal over shingles is sometimes legal, rarely wise

Many jurisdictions permit a metal roof over one existing layer of asphalt. It saves tear-off but it hides the deck, traps the old covering’s granules against the panel underside and complicates any future warranty claim. Set the tear-off line to zero above only if your inspector and your manufacturer both agree in writing.

Against asphalt on the same roof

The same 21 squares in architectural asphalt runs $8,400 to $16,800 installed. Metal typically costs two to three times as much up front and lasts at least twice as long, which is a different arithmetic rather than a worse one — the side-by-side comparison runs it over a sixty-year horizon.

Related

Sources

  1. Fixr, Roof Replacement Cost (updated 4 February 2026) — read 2026-10-18
  2. Fixr, Metal Roof Cost (updated 23 January 2026) — read 2026-10-18
  3. Fixr, Asphalt Shingle Roof Installation Cost (updated 21 January 2026) — read 2026-10-18