Most residential metal roofs land between roughly 4 and 18 dollars per square foot installed. Exposed fastener panels sit at the low end, standing seam steel in the middle to upper part of that band, and copper or zinc well above it. Roof shape moves the number as much as size does.
Get Metal Roof Cost Guide connects you with licensed local companies. We are not a roofing contractor and do not perform the work ourselves.
The panel system is the single largest lever on the price, and the gap between the bottom and the top of this table is far wider than any discount you will negotiate.
| System | Typical installed range |
|---|---|
| Exposed fastener steel (corrugated, R panel) | $4 to $9 per sq ft |
| Metal shingle or stone coated steel | $9 to $16 per sq ft |
| Snap lock standing seam steel | $10 to $16 per sq ft |
| Mechanically seamed standing seam steel | $12 to $18 per sq ft |
| Standing seam aluminum | $12 to $20 per sq ft |
| Zinc | $20 to $35 per sq ft |
| Copper | $25 to $45 per sq ft |
For a fuller breakdown of what each line includes, see the complete metal roofing guide.
Because a metal panel wants to run in one unbroken line from ridge to eave, and anything interrupting that line has to be cut, flashed and sealed by hand.
Two houses with the same square footage can price thousands apart on shape alone. A simple gable is not a cut up roof with four dormers and a valley.
Beyond the system and the shape, four things do most of the remaining work. Gauge, because thinner steel costs less and dents more. Coating, since a PVDF finish carries a longer color warranty than a polyester one. Tear-off, which adds labor and disposal. And underlayment, which is invisible once the panels are on and is the wrong place to save money.
what a metal roof costs installed sets out how the whole job is sequenced, which is worth reading before you compare quotes line by line.
Roughly 4 to 18 dollars installed for most residential systems, with exposed fastener panels at the bottom of that band and standing seam toward the top. Copper and zinc sit well above it.
Standing seam often is, against an architectural shingle roof. An exposed fastener panel can land close to shingle pricing. The comparison depends entirely on which metal system you are quoting.
Usually slightly less, since setup and mobilization are spread across more area. Complexity works the other way and tends to matter more.
Labor, on most jobs. Panels and trim are a large material cost, but the flashing and detail work around valleys, penetrations and walls is where the hours go.
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