The most popular roofing material in America vs. the most popular type of metal roofing. A bit like comparing apples and oranges. There are several common criteria where Architectural Asphalt shingles and Standing Seam compare and contrast. Let’s explore!
Cost Asphalt vs. Metal
All roofs have a hefty price tag. There’s the cost of the materials and supplies itself, plus labor, building permits and warranty provided by professional contractor. Roofers always price materials and labor by the square. 100 square feet equals 1 (roofing) square.
On average, professional roofers charge between $250 and $500 per square for common roof applications such as 3-tab (low-end), architectural and premium shingles. — That’s quite a gap, but the price varies by geographic location, experience of the roofer, familiarity with the product and competition among roofers in your area.
Architectural and Premium Shingles: The cost to install architectural shingles (labor and material included) comes in around $350 to $550 per square.
Standing seam Kynar-500 coated Aluminum or Steel: both field-locked and snap-locked panels, the overall installation cost is $850 to $1200 per square.
Cost of Materials Comparison:
The average cost for typical architectural shingles from manufacturers such CertainTeed, GAF, Owens Corning, and Tamko, ranges between $120 to $160 per square.
Most Kynar 500 coated standing seam panels tarts at $175 per square, but generally range in price from $300 to $500 for 100 sq. ft. of materials and trim. The smaller the order the higher the price per sq. ft.
For material alone, standing seam is roughly twice the cost of architectural shingles.
Installation costs are almost double for standing seam compared to architectural shingles. The cost of labor for standing seam may also depend how the metal panels are fastened.
Snap-locked panels require less effort and tools, than the alternative method of field-locked panels. A pro will always prefer to go with field-lock standing seaming installation because it is inherently more reliable.
Bottom line:
On cost alone, architectural shingles are an obvious winner. Yet, there is far more to a roof than the price you pay to install it.
