How much does a metal roof cost per square?

Exposed-fastener corrugated typically runs $600 to $1,100 per square installed. Standing seam steel runs about $1,200 to $2,500 per square, and standing seam aluminium or stone-coated steel sits at the upper end. A square is 100 square feet of roof surface, not floor area.

Is standing seam worth double the cost of corrugated?

On a house you intend to keep, usually yes. Standing seam has no field penetrations and its concealed clips let panels expand and contract, so it commonly lasts 40 to 60 years with no fastener maintenance. Exposed-fastener panels need their gasketed screws inspected periodically and typically re-screwed at 10 to 15 years.

Can metal go over an existing shingle roof?

Many codes allow one layer of metal over one layer of shingles, and it saves the tear-off line item. It is still usually worth removing: it lets the roofer inspect the deck for rot, avoids telegraphing the shingle pattern through the panel, and keeps the assembly weight down. Two existing layers must come off.

Steel or aluminium near the coast?

Aluminium, within roughly a mile of salt air. Steel depends on a coating and will rust from any cut edge, scratch or fastener hole once salt reaches it. Aluminium self-passivates. Specify aluminium or stainless fasteners and clips as well, since mismatched metals fail at the connection first.

Does roof pitch change the price?

Twice over. A steeper roof has more surface area for the same footprint — a 12:12 is 41% larger than the footprint against 5% for a 3:12 — and above about 8:12 the crew needs staging and fall protection, which slows the work by a quarter or more.

Is a metal roof noisy in rain?

Not over a solid deck with underlayment, which is how residential metal is installed. The noise people remember comes from panels screwed to open purlins over an unlined barn, with nothing between the metal and the air below.

Metal Roof Cost Calculator

Enter your roof footprint and pitch, pick the panel system, and get a low-to-high installed cost plus a cost per roofing square. The breakdown separates panels, underlayment, trim and flashing, fasteners, tear-off and labor.

Building footprint under the roof(sq ft)

Plan area, not roof surface — the pitch below converts it.

Roof pitch

Rise in inches per 12 inches of run.

Metal type

Panel gauge

Lower number is thicker metal. 24 gauge is standard for standing seam.

Roof complexity

Underlayment

Metal gets hot — standard felt degrades under it.

Existing layers to tear off(layers)

Enter 0 to install over the existing roof where code allows it.

Regional market

Estimated total cost

$24,467 – $44,885

17.9 squares of roof surface

Cost per squareOne square = 100 sq ft of roof surface: $1,368 – $2,509
Roof surface area: 1,789sq ft
Panels: $8,586 – $16,099
Underlayment: $984 – $1,328
Trim & flashing: $1,889 – $3,542
Clips & fasteners: $773 – $1,449
Tear-off & disposal1 layer: $1,610 – $3,578
Installation labor: $10,625 – $18,890

What this figure includes

This covers a professionally installed metal roof over a sound deck: panels, underlayment, ridge and eave trim, valley and wall flashing, closures, fasteners or clips, tear-off and disposal of the layers you specify, and labor. It does not include replacing rotten or undersized decking, new fascia or soffit, gutters, skylights, chimney rebuilds, snow retention, structural work for a heavier assembly, permits (which vary widely), or painting. Complex penetrations, solar mounts and curved panels are quoted separately.

How this is calculated

The formula

Metal roofing is priced on roof surface, not floor area, so the first step is the pitch conversion:

Roof area = footprint × slope factor

A 4:12 roof is 1.054 times its footprint. A 12:12 roof is 1.414 times — the same house needs 40% more metal. From there:

Total = (panels + trim + fasteners + underlayment) + tear-off + labor

Panels are priced per square foot and then multiplied by gauge and by complexity, because a cut-up roof wastes metal at every valley and hip. Trim and flashing run about 22% of panel cost and fasteners or clips about 9%. Labour is priced per square foot of surface and rises with both complexity and pitch — above 8:12 the crew is on staging or harnesses and the day's output drops.

Exposed-fastener versus standing seam

This is the decision that moves the number most, and the two systems are not the same product at different prices.

An exposed-fastener panel — corrugated or R-panel — is screwed straight through the metal into the purlin or deck, with a neoprene washer under each screw head sealing the hole. Material and labour together run roughly half of standing seam. It goes down fast, it is repairable by anyone, and it is entirely honest on a barn, a shop, a porch or a budget-constrained house. The tradeoff is those washers: there are hundreds of them, they are the waterproofing, and UV and thermal movement degrade them. Plan to walk the roof every few years and re-torque or replace screws — a real maintenance item, roughly every 10 to 15 years for a full re-screw.

Standing seam hides its fasteners. Concealed clips hold the panel to the deck and the seam is folded or snapped over them. Nothing penetrates the water plane in the field of the roof. Just as important, the clips let the panel slide as it heats and cools — a 30-foot steel panel moves close to a quarter inch between a winter night and a summer afternoon, and a fixed fastener would eventually elongate its own hole. That movement tolerance, not just the hidden screws, is why standing seam lasts 40 to 60 years.

Coastal note: aluminium over steel

Near salt air, specify aluminium. Steel — even Galvalume, even painted — relies on a coating, and once salt spray finds a cut edge, a scratch or a fastener penetration, red rust starts and travels. Aluminium forms its own oxide layer and does not care. It costs roughly 30 to 40% more in panel price and it dents more easily, but within about a mile of the coast it is the only standing seam worth paying for. Ask for stainless or aluminium fasteners and clips too — a stainless panel with plated screws still fails at the screws.

A worked example

A 1,600 sq ft footprint at 6:12, standing seam steel, 26 gauge, some hips and valleys, high-temp underlayment, one layer of shingles to tear off, national pricing:

Roof area: 1,600 × 1.118 = 1,789 sq ft, or 17.9 squares
Panels: 1,789 × $4.00 to $7.50 × 1.0 × 1.2 = $8,587 – $16,101
Trim and flashing at 22%: $1,889 – $3,542
Clips and fasteners at 9%: $773 – $1,449
Underlayment: 1,789 × $0.55 = $984 – $1,328
Tear-off, one layer: 1,789 × $0.90 to $2.00 = $1,610 – $3,578
Labor: 1,789 × $4.50 to $8.00 × 1.2 × 1.1 = $10,626 – $18,891
Total: roughly $24,500 to $44,900, or about $1,370 to $2,510 per square

Switch to exposed-fastener corrugated and the same roof falls to roughly the low teens per square foot installed.

What a good quote names

The manufacturer and panel profile, the gauge, the paint system (a full PVDF/Kynar finish holds colour far better than a polyester "SMP" finish), the clip type, the underlayment product, and whether the panel warranty covers fade and chalk as well as perforation. Two quotes at the same price can be a 30-year roof and a 15-year roof.

Cost figures last reviewed 9 Sept 2026 · Panel material and installed labour per square foot of roof surface, by metal roofing system.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a metal roof cost per square?: Exposed-fastener corrugated typically runs $600 to $1,100 per square installed. Standing seam steel runs about $1,200 to $2,500 per square, and standing seam aluminium or stone-coated steel sits at the upper end. A square is 100 square feet of roof surface, not floor area.
Is standing seam worth double the cost of corrugated?: On a house you intend to keep, usually yes. Standing seam has no field penetrations and its concealed clips let panels expand and contract, so it commonly lasts 40 to 60 years with no fastener maintenance. Exposed-fastener panels need their gasketed screws inspected periodically and typically re-screwed at 10 to 15 years.
Can metal go over an existing shingle roof?: Many codes allow one layer of metal over one layer of shingles, and it saves the tear-off line item. It is still usually worth removing: it lets the roofer inspect the deck for rot, avoids telegraphing the shingle pattern through the panel, and keeps the assembly weight down. Two existing layers must come off.
Steel or aluminium near the coast?: Aluminium, within roughly a mile of salt air. Steel depends on a coating and will rust from any cut edge, scratch or fastener hole once salt reaches it. Aluminium self-passivates. Specify aluminium or stainless fasteners and clips as well, since mismatched metals fail at the connection first.
Does roof pitch change the price?: Twice over. A steeper roof has more surface area for the same footprint — a 12:12 is 41% larger than the footprint against 5% for a 3:12 — and above about 8:12 the crew needs staging and fall protection, which slows the work by a quarter or more.
Is a metal roof noisy in rain?: Not over a solid deck with underlayment, which is how residential metal is installed. The noise people remember comes from panels screwed to open purlins over an unlined barn, with nothing between the metal and the air below.