Roof Replacement Cost by Material (2026)
Installed prices run from $350 a square for three-tab asphalt to $3,000 for slate — but ranked by cost per year of roof life, the order changes. Both rankings, with the arithmetic shown.
Roofing prices are quoted per square — a 10 × 10 ft patch of roof surface, 100 square feet. That single convention hides the two things this guide makes explicit: your roof has more squares than your house footprint suggests, because pitch stretches area, and the cheapest material per square is not the cheapest per year of service.
The figures below are the same 2026 ranges published on the roof replacement cost calculator, which will run them against your own roof’s dimensions and pitch.
Cost by material
Installed cost per square, typical service life, and — the column worth reading twice — what a 15-square roof costs per year of life at mid-range prices.
Installed cost and lifespan by material, 2026
Per square installed, including tear-off of one asphalt layer.
| Material | Per square | Lifespan | Whole-roof cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-tab asphalt | $350–$500 | 15–20 yr | $300–$500 |
| Architectural asphalt | $450–$700 | 25–30 yr | $250–$400 |
| Impact-resistant asphalt | $550–$850 | 30–40 yr | $220–$390 |
| Standing seam metal | $900–$1,600 | 40–70 yr | $220–$540 |
| Concrete tile | $1,000–$2,000 | 50+ yr | $300–$600 |
| Slate | $1,500–$3,000 | 75–100 yr | $260–$560 |
The ranking that matters
Per year of roof life, architectural asphalt and impact-resistant asphalt are the value picks, and metal is competitive despite triple the sticker price. Three-tab — the cheapest roof you can buy — is among the most expensive per year, and it buys you a second tear-off and disposal bill 15 years sooner. Three-tab at $450 a square over 17 years is about $26 per square per year; architectural at $575 over 27 years is about $21.
How many squares is your roof
Footprint first: a 1,500 ft² single-storey house has a 1,500 ft² footprint, which is 15 squares — flat. Pitch stretches that. At a common 6/12 pitch the multiplier is 1.118, so the real roof is about 16.8 squares; at 10/12 it is 1.302 and 19.5 squares. Going from 4/12 to 10/12 on the same footprint adds 23% to the area and therefore 23% to every material line.
Pitch also moves labour: above 9/12, crews typically add a steep-pitch surcharge of 20–50% because of staging and fall protection. And below 2/12 the saving in area reverses entirely — shingles are not rated for it, and the roof needs a membrane system that costs more per square than asphalt.
The roof pitch calculator converts rise-over-run into the multiplier, and the roofing calculator turns footprint plus pitch into squares and bundles — the two numbers every quote is built on.
Worked whole-roof examples
A 15-square roof (typical for a 1,500 ft² house at moderate pitch), replaced with one layer of tear-off, 2026 installed ranges: three-tab asphalt $6,000–$9,000; architectural asphalt $8,000–$13,000; standing seam metal $14,000–$25,000.
On a typical asphalt replacement the shingles themselves are only 25–35% of the bill. Labour takes 40–50% at $200–$400 per square, tear-off and disposal 10–15% at $100–$150 per square per layer, and accessories — underlayment, ice-and-water shield, drip edge, ridge vent, starter — another $50–$100 per square that early quotes routinely omit.
What else lands on the invoice
| Item | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Tear-off, per square per layer | $100–$150 |
| Decking replacement, per 4 × 8 sheet | $70–$120 |
| Ice and water shield, per square | $50–$80 |
| Ridge vent, per linear foot | $8–$15 |
| Chimney flashing | $300–$800 |
| Steep-pitch surcharge, over 9/12 | 20–50% on labour |
| Permit | $150–$500 |
The line that blows budgets
Decking. Tear-off frequently uncovers rotted or delaminated sheathing that must be replaced at $70–$120 per sheet before anything goes back on, and no honest contractor can quote it precisely in advance. Ask for the per-sheet rate in writing and budget a handful of sheets; finding out at $200 a sheet mid-job is the single most common reason a roofing invoice beats its quote.
Repair or replace
If the roof is under about 15 years old, the damage is confined to one plane, and the decking is sound, a repair at $400–$1,500 usually makes sense. Widespread granule loss, curling across the whole roof, or leaks in multiple places mean the material itself is at end of life — repairs at that stage are money spent twice, because the surrounding shingles fail next season.
The awkward middle case is a 18–22 year old three-tab roof with one leak: repairable, but every dollar goes into a surface with a few years left. Price the repair against the per-year cost of replacement before defaulting to the patch.
Comparing quotes so they can actually be compared
Four numbers make any two roofing quotes directly comparable: the square count, the per-square rate, the number of layers being torn off, and the per-sheet decking rate. Ask for all four. A quote that resists stating its square count has guessed the area; one that omits the decking rate has moved the risk onto you.
Then check the square count yourself — footprint, pitch, multiplier, squares. It takes two minutes with the calculators below, and a contractor whose count matches yours has measured the same roof you own. That agreement, more than any price, is the sign of a quote you can trust.
Run the numbers for your project
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to replace the roof on a 2,000 ft² house?
At a moderate 6/12 pitch a 2,000 ft² footprint is about 22 squares of actual roof. In architectural asphalt that is roughly $10,000–$16,000 installed in 2026 including one layer of tear-off; three-tab runs $8,000–$11,000 and standing seam metal $20,000–$35,000.
What is the cheapest roof material?
Three-tab asphalt, at $350–$500 per square installed — but per year of roof life it is one of the most expensive options, because it lasts 15–20 years against 25–30 for architectural shingles that cost only $100–$200 more per square.
Is a metal roof worth the extra cost?
Per year of life, often yes: standing seam at $900–$1,600 per square lasting 40–70 years works out at $220–$540 per year for a 15-square roof — overlapping architectural asphalt. It wins outright if you will stay in the house past the first asphalt replacement it lets you skip.
How long does a roof replacement take?
One to three days for a typical asphalt roof with a competent crew and decent weather — tear-off and dry-in the first day is standard practice so the house never sleeps exposed. Tile, slate and complicated rooflines run longer.
Where these figures come from
Costs in this guide are 2026 US planning ranges, consistent with the figures published on the roofing calculators and their named sources. The constants behind every calculation are listed on the methodology page and asserted by automated tests on every build; corrections are logged on the changelog.
Prices vary with region, access and season. Use this guide to plan and to sanity-check quotes — not as a substitute for one.