How This Calculator Works
This calculator prices a metal roof by multiplying your roof area by a per-square-foot installed rate for the system you pick. Enter your roof’s measured area directly if you know it, or switch to “Estimate from home size” and enter your home’s total square footage, number of stories, and roof pitch instead. In footprint mode, the calculator divides by stories to approximate your footprint, then applies the same pitch-based geometry factor used across this site to convert that flat footprint into actual sloped roof surface area: a steeper roof always covers more surface than the same footprint on a shallow roof. Pitch has no other effect on the price shown here. Unlike this site’s roof replacement calculator, this page doesn’t add a separate steep-pitch labor surcharge on top of area, because the metal-roofing rate sources behind this page don’t publish a pitch-specific labor breakdown to source that surcharge from.
System choice is the biggest lever on price. Corrugated steel with exposed fasteners is the most affordable option, metal shingles sit in the next tier, and standing seam, the most commonly quoted “metal roof” system, costs more still. Zinc and copper are premium options priced well above any steel system, chosen for appearance and longevity rather than lowest cost per square foot.
Methodology
Every number on this page links to where it came from. Every system rate blends two independent sources’ own midpoints. Figures verified July 2026.
Corrugated, Shingles & Standing Seam
Two sources, each publishing a price-per-square-foot range for these three profiles:modernize.com/roof/metal/cost, checked 2026-07-17 (updated 2026-03-16), andcobexcg.com/metal-roof-cost/, checked 2026-07-17 (updated 2026-03-20). Each system’s rate below is the average of the two sources’ own midpoints:
| System | Modernize | cobexcg.com | Blended Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corrugated Steel | $4–14/sq ft | $5–12/sq ft | $8.75/sq ft |
| Metal Shingles | $6–21/sq ft | $6–14/sq ft | $11.75/sq ft |
| Standing Seam | $10–16/sq ft | $9–16/sq ft | $12.75/sq ft |
Zinc & Copper
These two premium systems are blended from a different second source, since cobexcg.com doesn’t cover them: modernize.com/roof/metal/cost again, paired with thisoldhouse.com/roofing/metal-roofing-cost (Homewyse data), checked 2026-07-17 (updated 2026-04-03).
| System | Modernize | This Old House | Blended Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zinc Standing Seam | $10–20/sq ft | $14–20/sq ft | $16.00/sq ft |
| Copper | $20–40/sq ft | $29–41/sq ft | $32.50/sq ft |
Why Stone-Coated Steel Is Omitted
Stone-coated steel is a real, commonly quoted metal roofing profile, but it doesn’t appear as an option on this page. cobexcg.com, one of the two sources behind the corrugated, shingle, and standing-seam rates above, does not publish a stone-coated steel figure at all. That leaves only a single source for it, and every other system on this page clears a 2-source blend bar. Rather than estimate a blended rate from one source, or borrow a standing-seam figure as a stand-in, this calculator leaves stone-coated steel out until a second corroborating source is found.
Methodology last updated 2026-07-17. Every rate and blend above lives as asourceNote next to its value in this site’s underlying rate data. Found a source that’s gone stale or a blend you think is wrong? Contact uswith the page and the number.
What Drives Metal Roof Cost
System is the dominant factor. Corrugated steel with exposed fasteners stays the cheapest way onto a metal roof, but it shows visible fastener heads and needs periodic fastener maintenance. Standing seam hides its fasteners under a raised seam and is the system most homeowners mean when they say “metal roof,” at a real premium over corrugated. Zinc and copper cost multiples of steel because the raw material itself costs more and both are chosen for a distinctive, weathering appearance as much as for performance.
Roof area scales the bill directly, and pitch feeds into that area whenever you estimate from your home’s footprint rather than a measured roof area, since steeper roofs cover more actual surface over the same footprint. Seehow roof pitch affects replacement costfor the geometry behind that. Tear-off of an existing roof isn’t priced on this page at all; combine this calculator’s material-and-install number with the roof replacement calculator’s sourced tear-off line item for a full replacement estimate.
Metal vs. Other Roofing Materials
Metal roofing costs more up front than asphalt shingles on nearly every system here, even the cheapest corrugated option. Homeowners choose metal anyway for its long service life, its resistance to wind and fire, and, on standing seam and premium systems, the look. See our metal vs. asphalt cost comparisonfor a full side-by-side on cost and lifespan value.
Worked Example
Take this calculator’s own default scenario: a 2,000 sq ft roof entered directly, standing seam. That’s 2,000 sq ft at $12.75 per sq ft, or $25,500. Apply the Low/High spread (0.85x to 1.15x, the same symmetric band used across this site’s calculators) and you get a Low estimate of $21,675, a High estimate of $29,325, and a $25,500 midpoint to budget around. Drop to corrugated steel at $8.75/sq ft and that same 2,000 sq ft roof falls to $17,500. Move up to copper at $32.5/sq ft and it climbs to $65,000, a 4x gap between the cheapest and most expensive system on an identical roof. Try it above with your own roof size and system.