The core trade: asphalt shingles cost $4.50–$8 per square foot installed and last 20–25 years; metal costs $7–$16 and lasts 40–70. You’re choosing between paying less now or paying less over your ownership of the house. This is the full comparison — worked lifetime math, the insurance and energy factors that shift it, a climate-by-climate guide, and the two myths that refuse to die.
Side by side (2026)
| Asphalt shingles | Metal | |
|---|---|---|
| Installed cost/sq ft | $4.50 – $8 | $7 – $16 |
| Typical home total | $9,000 – $14,000 | $14,000 – $27,000 |
| Lifespan | 20 – 25 yrs | 40 – 70 yrs |
| Maintenance | Moderate (repairs, moss) | Minimal (fastener check) |
| Wind rating | 110 – 130 mph | 140+ mph |
| Fire rating | Class A (most) | Class A, non-combustible |
| Insurance | Standard | Often 5 – 35% discount |
| Summer cooling | Absorbs heat | Reflective coatings cut costs 10–25% |
| Resale recoup | ~60 – 68% | ~55 – 61% |
Run both for your exact house: shingle calculator and metal roof calculator — the metal page shows the asphalt comparison live.
The 50-year math, worked out
Take a typical 1,700 sq ft roof at national mid-range prices, held for 50 years (today’s dollars, ignoring inflation on both sides equally):
Asphalt path
- Roof #1 at year 0: $11,500
- Repairs and maintenance over each roof’s life: ~$1,500 per roof
- Roof #2 at year ~22: $11,500
- Roof #3 at year ~44: $11,500
- 50-year total: ≈ $37,500–$39,000
Standing-seam metal path
- Roof at year 0: $20,000
- Fastener/sealant service twice: ~$1,200
- Insurance savings at even 10% on a $2,000 premium: –$10,000 over 50 years
- Cooling savings at ~$120/yr in a warm climate: –$6,000
- 50-year total: ≈ $21,200 before savings, ≈ $5,000–$15,000 net after them
What tips it toward metal
Hail, wildfire, and hurricane states. Class 4 impact-rated metal survives hail that totals shingle roofs, non-combustible panels matter enormously in fire country, and insurers reward both — the 5–35% discounts compound every single year you own the home.
Solar plans. Standing seam takes panel clamps with zero roof penetrations — the best solar mounting surface there is — and the roof outlives the panels, so you never pay to remove and reinstall solar for a reroof (a $3,000–$6,000 hidden cost of putting panels on aging shingles).
Snow country. Metal sheds snow loads shingles hold (budget for snow guards over doorways, ~$500–$1,500).
Hot climates. Reflective “cool roof” coatings cut summer cooling 10–25% — real money in Texas and Arizona.
Forever homes. A metal roof installed at 45 is plausibly the last roof you ever buy.
What tips it toward shingles
Budget reality. The $10,000+ difference is real money that might do more elsewhere in the house — or in an index fund.
Selling within 10 years. Buyers pay for “new roof,” not “new metal roof,” at nearly the same premium — you’d be gifting the next owner 40 years of roof you paid for.
Crew availability. A great shingle crew beats a mediocre metal crew every time, and great metal installers are genuinely scarcer. Bad metal installation (oil-canning, leaky penetrations, wrong fasteners) squanders the entire premium — vet metal bids twice as hard.
Complex, cut-up roofs. Many valleys, dormers, and hips inflate metal’s labor cost disproportionately; a simple gable is where metal pricing shines.
HOA restrictions. Some still prohibit or restrict metal — check before falling in love. (Metal shingles and stone-coated steel, which mimic traditional looks, often pass where panels don’t.)
Which metal? A 60-second guide
| System | $/sq ft | Best when |
|---|---|---|
| Exposed-fastener ribbed | $7 – $10 | Budget metal; accept screw re-tightening ~yr 15 |
| Metal shingles | $8 – $13 | HOA neighborhoods; traditional street look |
| Stone-coated steel | $9 – $14 | Tile/shake look at half tile’s weight |
| Standing seam | $10 – $16 | Hidden fasteners, solar plans, the 50–70 yr play |
Two myths, retired with facts
“Metal roofs are loud in rain.” Over solid decking and underlayment — the way houses are built — metal measures within a couple of decibels of asphalt. The loud version is metal over open framing: a barn, not your house.
“Metal attracts lightning.” It doesn’t — lightning strikes the tallest object regardless of material. If struck, metal is actually safer: it’s non-combustible and disperses the energy rather than igniting.
One honest weakness to hold against those retired myths: hail can cosmetically dent metal without causing leaks — and many policies carry cosmetic-damage exclusions for metal roofs. In hail country, read that clause before buying, and consider textured or stone-coated profiles that hide dings.
The verdict
Under 10 years of ownership → shingles, architectural grade (see the grade comparison — never 3-tab). Forever home, hail/fire state, or solar plans → metal, standing seam if budget allows. In between → run both calculators, then ask your insurance agent one question — “what’s my discount for a Class 4 metal roof?” — because that single number often decides the middle cases.