Cost & hiring
What roofers charge per square, by material and region
Roofers price in squares, and a quote is a stack of per-square figures. Here are the published ranges, where they come from, and what moves a price within them.
The unit is the square
A roofing square is 100 square feet of roof surface. Roofers measure the roof, add waste, and price per square: material, labor, tear-off and disposal, plus fixed items like the permit. Converting any quote to a price per square, after taking out extras like gutters, is the fastest way to compare it with another quote or with a published range. The cost per square calculator does the conversion.
The published ranges
These are national installed prices, materials and labor together, from published 2025 cost surveys (HomeGuide, Fixr, Angi), before tear-off. They are ranges because real prices are: the same roof can cost half again as much in one city as in another.
| Roofing | Installed per square | Per square foot |
|---|---|---|
| Asphalt, three-tab | $350 to $550 | $3.50 to $5.50 |
| Asphalt, architectural | $450 to $800 | $4.50 to $8.00 |
| Asphalt, designer / luxury | $600 to $1,100 | $6 to $11 |
| Metal, exposed fastener | $800 to $1,500 | $8 to $15 |
| Metal, standing seam | $1,200 to $2,500 | $12 to $25 |
| Cedar shakes | $700 to $1,400 | $7 to $14 |
| Synthetic slate or shake | $900 to $1,700 | $9 to $17 |
| Concrete tile | $1,000 to $2,000 | $10 to $20 |
| Clay tile | $1,500 to $3,000 | $15 to $30 |
| Natural slate | $1,500 to $4,000 | $15 to $40 |
| Flat membrane (EPDM, TPO, PVC) | $500 to $1,000 | $5 to $10 |
Tear-off and disposal add about $100 to $200 per square per layer. A permit is typically a few hundred dollars. Decking replaced after tear-off is priced per sheet.
What moves a price within the range
| Factor | Effect on labor | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Pitch 7/12 to 9/12 | about +30% | Roof jacks, harnesses, slower work |
| Pitch 10/12 and up | about +60% | Staging; every course worked from planks |
| Two storeys | about +10% | Hoisting, longer ladders, more staging |
| Cut-up roof | +10 to 20% waste and time | Hips, valleys, dormers, more cuts |
| Region | about −15% to +30% | Wages, insurance, demand, permits |
| Season and backlog | varies | Storm seasons push prices up |
Labor is roughly half or more of most quotes. A crew’s billed rate covers wages (the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports median roofer pay in the mid-$20s per hour), payroll taxes, workers’ compensation, which is among the highest of any trade, liability insurance, equipment, overhead and margin. The labor cost calculator rebuilds the labor line from hours.
An architectural reroof, from the ranges
2,200 square feet, 10% waste (24.2 squares), walkable, one storey, one layer torn off, $300 permit.
- Roofing: 24.2 × $450 to $800 = $10,890 to $19,360
- Tear-off: 22 squares × $100 to $200 = $2,200 to $4,400
- Permit: $300
- Total: $13,390 to $24,060, about $609 to $1,094 per square of roof
From the replacement cost calculator, which splits materials and labor and applies pitch, storeys and region.
Where the money goes
On an asphalt reroof, roughly 40 to 45 percent of the installed price is material (shingles, underlayment, ice barrier, starter, cap, drip edge, flashing, vents and nails) and the rest is labor, equipment, overhead and margin. A roofer’s materials for a 24-square architectural roof cost something like $5,000 to $6,000 at supply-house prices; the labor and the business around it make up the rest. That split explains two things about quotes. First, a cheaper shingle saves less than people expect, because the labor to install it is the same. Second, the biggest differences between quotes for the same roof are in labor, overhead and margin, which reflect the contractor’s insurance, crew, warranty and workload. The estimate builder shows the same split from the contractor’s side, with overhead and profit made explicit.
Metal, tile and slate cost more for different reasons
Metal costs more mostly in material and, for standing seam, in labor for the clips, seams and trim; the metal roof cost calculator breaks it down by system and gauge. Tile and slate cost more in material, labor (three to six times the hours per square) and often in structure: a roof built for shingles may need reinforcement before it carries tile. Their prices make sense over their lives, which is the subject of the lifespan guide.
Comparing quotes
Put each quote on the same footing before comparing prices:
- Same squares. Ask how many squares each quote is for, and whether waste is included.
- Same scope. Tear-off and layers, underlayment type, ice barrier, drip edge, flashing replacement, ventilation, disposal, permit, cleanup.
- Same products. Shingle line and grade, accessories from the same system (some warranties require it).
- Same contingencies. Price per sheet of decking and per square of an unexpected extra layer.
- Same warranty. Workmanship years, and any manufacturer system warranty.
Then divide by squares. A quote far below the range usually leaves something out; one far above it should explain why. How to read a roofing estimate lists what a complete quote contains, and tear-off, layers and the dumpster explains the line most often left vague.
Insurance and storm work
After a hailstorm or windstorm, demand spikes, prices rise and out-of-town contractors arrive. A quote written for an insurance claim may be priced from the insurer’s estimating software rather than the contractor’s own costs. This site gives no insurance advice beyond reading your policy and talking to your insurer before signing anything.
When to repair instead
Small, localised problems on a roof with years left are repairs, typically a few hundred dollars each; the repair cost calculator prices them, and repair or replace sets them against a new roof. The disposal part of any replacement comes from the tear-off calculator.