What a new roof should cost by material, including tear-off — so you can check a quote against something.
Roof Replacement Cost Calculator
Inputs
A 6/12 roof rises 6 inches for every 12 inches of run.
Tear-off is charged per layer. Enter 0 for new construction.
Results
Estimated installed cost
$6,641 – $9,593
squares × $350–$500 per square, plus tear-off at $100–$150 per square per layer
Calculated with BuildCalculators.com
A roof replacement quote has three moving parts: the area, the material, and how much of the old roof has to come off first. Get the area right and the rest is arithmetic — which is what makes a wildly varying set of quotes possible to interrogate.
Everything is priced per square. Once you know your square count, any quote can be reduced to a per-square figure and compared directly.
area = footprint × pitch multipliersquares = area × (1 + waste ÷ 100) ÷ 100squares × $ per square (by material)squares × layers × $100–$150It normalises everything. A $12,000 quote on a 15 square roof is $800 per square; the same money on a 25 square roof is $480. Without the square count you are comparing totals for roofs of different sizes, which tells you nothing.
Removing one layer of shingles runs $100–$150 per square. A roof with two existing layers costs twice that to strip, and produces twice the disposal weight. Many jurisdictions cap total layers at two, so a second layer usually forces a full strip.
Decking replacement is the big one. It cannot be quoted until the old roof is off, and at $70–$120 per sheet it is the most common reason a job exceeds its estimate. A good contractor states a per-sheet rate up front rather than pretending it will not happen.
Roofing is labour-heavy, and labour is local. The same roof can differ by 40% between a rural area and a major metro. Storey count matters too — a three-storey roof needs more staging than a bungalow of identical area.
A standard full replacement with one layer removed.
$8,117 – $12,544
The spread is real, not padding. The low end is a competitive rural quote; the high end is a metro crew on a two-storey house.
Budget shingles, same house, same tear-off.
$6,641 – $9,593
About $1,500–$3,000 less than architectural — but three-tab lasts 15–20 years against 25–30, so it is more expensive per year of service.
A small roof, but with double tear-off.
$4,341 – $6,679
Tear-off is roughly a third of this job. Two layers is where stripping stops being a minor line item.
2026 US averages, material and labour, before tear-off.
| Material | Per square | Lifespan | Cost per year, 15 sq roof |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Skylight reflashing, each | $300–$600 |
| Steep-pitch surcharge, over 9/12 | 20–50% on labour |
| Permit | $150–$500 |
The headline number matters less than the cost per year of service. A cheaper roof that lasts 15 years is more expensive than a dearer one that lasts 30, and the gap widens if you pay for tear-off twice.
Three-tab at $450 per square over 17 years is about $26 per square per year. Architectural at $575 over 27 years is about $21. The dearer roof is cheaper, and you avoid a second tear-off and disposal bill inside the same period.
On a typical asphalt replacement, shingles are 25–35% of the total, labour 40–50%, tear-off and disposal 10–15%, and accessories the rest. Negotiating shingle brand alone moves a minority of the bill.
Ask for the square count, the per-square rate, the number of layers being removed, and the per-sheet decking rate. Those four numbers make any two quotes directly comparable and expose the ones that have guessed the area.
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 multiple leaks mean the material is at the end of its life and repairs are money spent twice.
Two quotes for the same roof should agree on the square count. If they do not, at least one has measured wrong — and that is worth knowing before you look at price at all.
Nobody can see the decking until the old roof is off. A quote with no stated per-sheet rate is a quote with an open-ended line item in it.
It saves tear-off now and costs more later: the new shingles run hotter and fail sooner, hidden decking damage stays hidden, and the eventual strip costs double. Most codes cap it at two layers for good reason.
Lifespan is the other half of the equation. Divide cost per square by expected years of service and the ranking usually changes.
A roof without adequate intake and exhaust ventilation cooks its own shingles from underneath and can lose a third of its rated life. It is a small line item that protects the largest one.
Asphalt shingles typically run $350–$700 per square installed in 2026 before tear-off, so a 15 square roof lands around $6,000–$13,000. Metal is $900–$1,600 per square and tile $1,000–$2,000.
$100–$150 per square per layer. A 15 square roof with one layer is $1,500–$2,250; with two layers it doubles, and stripping often reveals decking that needs replacing at $70–$120 per sheet.
On cost per year, often yes. Metal at $1,200 per square over 50 years is about $24 per square per year against architectural asphalt at $575 over 27 years, roughly $21 — comparable, and you avoid a second tear-off entirely.
Roofing is labour-heavy and labour is local, so the same roof can differ 40% between rural and metro areas. Ask every quote for its square count: if they disagree, at least one has measured wrong.
Most codes allow up to two layers, but it is usually a false economy. The new shingles run hotter and fail sooner, hidden decking damage stays hidden, and the eventual strip costs twice as much.
Three-tab 15–20 years, architectural 25–30, impact-resistant 30–40. Ventilation, climate and installation quality move those figures more than shingle grade does.
Repair if the roof is under about 15 years old, the damage is on one plane and the decking is sound — typically $400–$1,500. Widespread granule loss, curling across the whole roof or multiple leaks mean replacement.
Decking replacement is the main one, since nobody can see it until the old roof is off. Also check whether the quote covers permits, chimney flashing, skylight reflashing and ventilation upgrades.
Roof Replacement Cost by Material — 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.
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It is a planning estimate. It does not replace an engineer, a site visit or a written quote — confirm quantities with your supplier before ordering.