Understanding your result
The headline is the labor cost range with the worker-hours. The stats give the hours, the days for a crew of four and the labor per square. The breakdown separates install hours, tear-off hours, the total and the cost.
The figure to compare with a quote’s labor line is the labor per square. If a quote is far above it on a simple roof, ask what is included. The roofing time calculator turns the same hours into a schedule, the replacement cost calculator puts them in the whole price, and the estimate builder uses them for a roofer’s own quote.
How we calculate this
The hours per square are estimating figures, not measurements of your crew; they are the right order of magnitude and they scale correctly with material, pitch and height. A roofer with job records should enter their own. The estimate guide explains how labor lines are written.
The assumptions behind the numbers
| Assumption | Default | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Install hours per square | three-tab 1.0, architectural 1.1, designer 1.4, exposed metal 2.0, standing seam 3.0, cedar 2.5, synthetic 2.0, concrete tile 3.5, clay tile 4.0, slate 6.0, membrane 1.5 | Roofing estimating practice for a walkable roof |
| Tear-off | 0.4 h per square per layer (asphalt) | Estimating practice; about 1 h for tile |
| Pitch | 1.0 / 1.3 / 1.6 | Estimating practice |
| Storeys | 1.1 / 1.2 | Estimating practice |
| Billed rate | $45 to $85 per worker-hour | A broad range for US contractors; enter your local rate |
| Roofer wages | mid-$20s per hour median | US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (roofers) |
Assumptions last reviewed October 7, 2026.
The calculator does not include supervision, travel, cleanup days or weather delays. The pricing guide sets labor against materials.
Two worked examples
An architectural shingle reroof
24 squares, walkable, one storey, one layer off, $45 to $85 an hour.
- Install: 24 × 1.1 = 26.4 h; tear-off: 24 × 0.4 = 9.6 h
- Total: 36 h, about 1.1 days for four
- Labor: $1,620 to $3,060, $68 to $128 per square
Concrete tile on a steep two-storey house
32 squares, steep, two storeys, one layer of tile off at 1 hour per square, $55 to $95 an hour.
- Install: 32 × 3.5 × 1.3 × 1.1 = 160.2 h; tear-off: 32 × 1 × 1.43 = 45.8 h
- Total: 205.9 h, about 6.4 days for four
- Labor: $11,326 to $19,562
Where to find your inputs
Squares. With waste, from the shingle or roof area calculator.
Billed rate. From a contractor’s time-and-materials rate or your own books.
Layers. From the edge of the roof.
Common mistakes
- Using the wage as the rate. The billed rate includes overhead.
- One rate for every pitch. Steep is slower.
- Forgetting tear-off. It is a quarter of the hours on a reroof.
- Ignoring height. A second storey adds hoisting.
- Heavy materials at shingle hours. Tile and slate take three to six times longer.
- No weather allowance. The time calculator adds it.
Questions people ask
- How much is roofing labor per square?
- On a walkable architectural shingle reroof with one layer off, about 1.5 worker-hours per square including tear-off, so $68 to $128 per square at billed rates of $45 to $85 an hour. Steep roofs, two storeys and heavy materials raise it several-fold.
- How many hours does it take to roof a square?
- Estimating figures for a practised crew on a walkable roof: about 1 worker-hour for three-tab, 1.1 for architectural, 2 for exposed-fastener metal, 3 for standing seam, 3.5 for concrete tile and 6 for slate, plus about 0.4 hours per square per layer of asphalt tear-off.
- What do roofers earn versus what labor costs?
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports median roofer wages in the mid-$20s per hour. A contractor's billed rate is two to three times that, because it carries payroll taxes, workers' compensation (among the highest of any trade), liability insurance, equipment, overhead and margin.
- How long does a crew take to reroof a house?
- A crew of four on a 24-square walkable shingle roof with one layer off works about 36 worker-hours, about a day. The roofing time calculator adds weather and schedules it.
- Why does pitch change labor so much?
- Above about 6/12 the crew cannot walk the roof; they set roof jacks and planks, wear harnesses and move slower. Estimators add about 30 percent to labor from 7/12 to 9/12 and 60 percent above.
- Is tear-off labor separate?
- In this calculator, yes, so it can be compared with a quote's tear-off line. Tile and slate take longer to remove than asphalt; enter about 1 hour per square.