Cost Guide
Roof Replacement Cost: 2026 Price Per Square
What a new roof costs per square in 2026: asphalt, metal, and tile installed ranges, tear-off and decking add-ons, and how to compare three roofing bids.
11 min read
Most homeowners replace a roof once or twice in their life, and every bid arrives in a different format. Roofers price the work in squares rather than square feet, and once you can convert a quote into dollars per square you can compare three of them in about ten minutes. Here is what the work actually costs in 2026 and where each dollar goes.
What a new roof costs in 2026
For a standard residential re-roof with architectural asphalt shingles, plan on $450 to $800 per square installed, which is $4.50 to $8.00 per square foot of roof surface. That figure includes tear-off of one existing layer, disposal, synthetic underlayment, new drip edge and flashing, the shingles, labor, and cleanup. It does not include decking replacement, structural work, or the permit.
A typical single-family house needs 18 to 30 squares, so most full asphalt replacements land between $9,000 and $22,000, with a national middle around $12,000 to $17,000.
Three more anchors worth memorizing: tear-off and disposal of one layer runs $100 to $175 per square, decking replacement runs $70 to $140 per 4x8 sheet installed, and the permit is usually $150 to $600.
Roofing is priced by the square, and pitch drives the labor
One roofing square equals 100 square feet of roof surface. Material comes packaged for it: architectural shingles typically run three bundles per square, and heavier designer profiles run four or five. Crews estimate both material and labor in squares, so the square count is the single number that makes bids comparable.
The number that trips people up is that roof surface is not the same as house footprint. A 1,600 square foot ranch does not have 16 squares of roof. It has the footprint plus overhangs, multiplied by a pitch factor, plus waste for hips, valleys, and starter courses.
| Roof pitch | Slope multiplier | 1,600 ft² footprint becomes |
|---|---|---|
| 3/12 | 1.031 | ~1,650 ft² (16.5 squares) |
| 4/12 | 1.054 | ~1,686 ft² (16.9 squares) |
| 6/12 | 1.118 | ~1,789 ft² (17.9 squares) |
| 8/12 | 1.202 | ~1,923 ft² (19.2 squares) |
| 10/12 | 1.302 | ~2,083 ft² (20.8 squares) |
| 12/12 | 1.414 | ~2,262 ft² (22.6 squares) |
Run your own footprint and pitch through the Roofing Shingle Calculator to get squares and bundle counts with a waste allowance, and use the Roof Pitch Calculator if you need to measure the slope from the ground or the attic. For regional pricing, the roofing cost by state data shows how far a national average moves once you localize it.
How pitch, stories, and access drive labor
Labor is usually the largest line on an asphalt job, and three site conditions move it more than anything else.
Pitch. Up to about 6/12 a roof is walkable and a crew moves fast. Above that, they slow down and start setting equipment. Expect steep-slope surcharges roughly like this: 7/12 to 9/12 adds $50 to $125 per square, 10/12 to 12/12 adds $125 to $250 per square, and anything above 12/12 requires roof jacks or staging and can add $250 to $450 per square.
Stories. A second story typically adds 10 to 20 percent to labor because everything gets carried or hoisted higher and fall protection takes longer to rig. A third story or a walkout basement side that makes one elevation effectively three stories can add 20 to 35 percent.
Access. If the dumpster cannot sit within tarp-throwing distance of the eave, someone is carrying debris. Long carries, narrow side yards, mature landscaping that needs protection, and no-parking streets commonly add $300 to $1,000 to a job. Complexity counts too: every dormer, skylight, chimney, and valley is slow, cut-heavy work.
Material tiers and what each costs installed
The material choice is the biggest single swing in the budget. These ranges are installed cost including tear-off of one layer, standard underlayment, and labor, and they exclude permits, decking repair, and structural upgrades.
| Roofing material | Installed per square | Installed per ft² | Typical service life | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3-tab asphalt | $350–$550 | $3.50–$5.50 | 15–20 years | Being phased out of most product lines; rarely worth the savings |
| Architectural asphalt | $450–$800 | $4.50–$8.00 | 25–30 years | The default residential choice in most of the US |
| Premium / designer asphalt | $700–$1,150 | $7.00–$11.50 | 30–40 years | Thicker mat, better wind rating, slate or shake look |
| Exposed-fastener metal panel | $500–$950 | $5.00–$9.50 | 30–45 years | Cheapest metal; screws and washers need re-torquing at 15–20 years |
| Stone-coated steel shingle | $900–$1,500 | $9.00–$15.00 | 40–50 years | Metal durability with a tile or shake profile |
| Standing-seam metal | $1,000–$1,800 | $10.00–$18.00 | 40–60 years | Concealed fasteners, best wind and snow performance |
| Cedar shake | $800–$1,500 | $8.00–$15.00 | 25–35 years | Restricted in some wildfire zones; needs maintenance |
| Synthetic slate or shake | $900–$1,600 | $9.00–$16.00 | 40–50 years | Composite, light enough for standard framing |
| Concrete tile | $900–$1,600 | $9.00–$16.00 | 40–50 years | Heavy; framing must be verified |
| Clay tile | $1,200–$2,500 | $12.00–$25.00 | 50+ years | Heavy, brittle underfoot, regionally concentrated |
| Natural slate | $1,500–$3,500 | $15.00–$35.00 | 75+ years | Specialist trade; few crews can do it well |
One note on the heavy materials. Concrete and clay tile weigh roughly 600 to 1,100 pounds per square against 225 to 350 for asphalt, and slate is heavier still, so switching an asphalt roof to tile or slate is a structural question rather than a finish question. Have a licensed engineer evaluate the framing, and let the locally adopted code govern.
If you are pricing metal, the Metal Roofing Calculator will give you panel counts and trim linear footage, and the metal roofing cost by state data shows the regional spread.
Tear-off, disposal, and the decking change order
Tear-off is billed per square and runs $100 to $175 for a single layer, with each additional layer adding $50 to $100 per square. Disposal is sometimes bundled and sometimes separate; a 20 to 30 yard dumpster for a residential re-roof runs $400 to $900, and some markets bill by the ton instead.
The decking is where budgets break. Nobody knows what the sheathing looks like until the shingles come off, and rot around chimneys, valleys, and eaves is common on older roofs. Get a per-sheet unit price written into the contract before work starts. A fair number is $70 to $140 per 4x8 sheet of 1/2 or 5/8 inch CDX plywood or OSB, installed. Without that number in writing, the change order comes back at time and materials, often $150 to $250 a sheet, and you have no leverage because your roof is open.
Scale matters here. A 23-square roof is about 72 sheets. Replacing eight bad sheets costs $560 to $1,120, which is annoying. A full re-deck runs $2.50 to $4.50 per square foot, which on 2,300 square feet is $5,750 to $10,350, and that is a different project. Homes with 1x6 plank decking or spaced sheathing often need a full plywood overlay before modern shingles can be nailed properly, so ask about that during the estimate rather than discovering it on day one.
Carry a 10 to 15 percent contingency on any roof over 20 years old.
Underlayment, flashing, and ventilation
These are the parts that actually keep water out, and they are the easiest place for a cheap bid to hide savings.
- Synthetic underlayment: $12–$30 per square in material. Felt is cheaper and worse.
- Ice-and-water shield at eaves and valleys: $1.50–$3.00 per square foot installed. Cold-climate jurisdictions commonly require it to extend a set distance past the interior wall line; the locally adopted code governs the exact requirement.
- Drip edge: $2.50–$5.00 per linear foot installed. Required by most modern residential codes and frequently missing on old roofs; your locally adopted code governs.
- Step flashing: $8–$16 per linear foot. Chimney counterflashing and a cricket run $300–$1,000.
- Pipe boots: $35–$85 each installed.
- Ridge vent: $9–$20 per linear foot. Box vents $60–$120 each. Powered vents $300–$700.
- Valley metal: $6–$14 per linear foot for an open metal valley.
Ventilation is cheap and load-bearing on your warranty. Most manufacturers require balanced intake and exhaust, and a roof that cooks because the soffits are painted shut fails early with no warranty recourse. The conventional target is 1 square foot of net free vent area per 150 square feet of attic floor, or per 300 where you have a vapor retarder and a balanced intake-to-exhaust split. Attic ventilation is code-governed, so treat that as a planning figure and let your locally adopted code and a licensed roofer or building official set the requirement for your assembly. The Attic Ventilation Calculator sizes it, and any roofer worth hiring raises the subject before you do.
Permits, insurance claims, and warranty fine print
Permits. Most jurisdictions require a permit for a full re-roof. Budget $150 to $600, though some cities charge over $1,000 or bill a percentage of contract value. The inspection typically checks layer count, ice barrier, drip edge, and nailing pattern. If a contractor suggests skipping the permit, that is your answer about the rest of their work.
Insurance. A storm claim changes the math entirely. The two things to read in your policy are the deductible and whether you carry replacement cost value or actual cash value. Replacement cost pays the full new-roof cost minus deductible, with recoverable depreciation released after the work is completed and invoiced. Actual cash value pays the depreciated value only, which on an aging roof can leave you covering most of the bill. Ordinance-and-law coverage, if you have it, pays for code upgrades the adjuster’s original scope missed. Supplements for items the adjuster left out are routine and a good contractor handles them for you.
Warranties. There are two and they cover different things. The manufacturer material warranty covers defects in the shingle only, usually prorates after a set number of years, and often requires the full manufacturer system with certified installation to reach its advertised term. Upgrading to an enhanced system warranty typically adds $500 to $2,000 to a bid. The contractor workmanship warranty covers installation errors, runs anywhere from 1 to 25 years, and is only as good as the company standing behind it. Ask how long they have operated under the same name and entity. A 25-year workmanship warranty from a three-year-old company is a marketing number.
Repair or replace?
Repair when the damage is contained. A single leak at a pipe boot or chimney, wind damage to one slope, or a section under about 100 square feet on a roof less than 12 years old is a repair, and most repairs run $400 to $1,500.
Replace when the failure is systemic: three or more active leaks, widespread granule loss with exposed fiberglass mat, curling or cupping across whole slopes, a roof at 80 percent or more of its rated life, decking that feels soft underfoot, or a second layer already installed. Patching a roof near the end of its life rarely pays. New shingles will not color-match weathered ones, and you spend $1,200 to buy 18 months.
How to compare three roofing bids line by line
Ask every bidder to break out the same items, then compare them side by side rather than comparing bottom lines:
- Square count and the pitch used. If two bids disagree on squares, one of them measured wrong.
- Layers of tear-off included, and the per-square price for an unexpected extra layer.
- Underlayment brand and type, and where ice-and-water shield goes.
- Drip edge included or not.
- Flashing: new or reused. A bid that reuses chimney and step flashing is not comparable to one that replaces it.
- Valley type: closed-cut, woven, or open metal.
- New pipe boots versus reusing the old ones.
- Ventilation plan, including intake.
- Nails per shingle. Four is standard, six is the high-wind pattern most manufacturers require to honor their wind rating.
- Decking unit price per sheet, in writing.
- Permit: who pulls it and who pays.
- Cleanup, including a magnetic nail sweep, and where the dumpster sits.
- Warranty: workmanship years, manufacturer tier, crew certification.
- Insurance: current general liability and workers’ compensation certificates naming you as certificate holder.
- Payment schedule. A reasonable deposit is 10 to 30 percent; nothing large is due before material is on site.
Then divide each total by the square count. Once scope is normalized, three honest bids in the same market usually collapse to a real spread of $50 to $150 per square. A bid that is 35 percent under the others is not a better price, it is a different scope, and it is worth finding out which line item is missing.
Mistakes that blow the roofing budget
- No decking price in the contract. The most common roofing change order in the country, and the most avoidable.
- Reusing flashing to save $200 to $600. Chimney and sidewall flashing is where roofs leak. You will pay for it twice.
- Skipping or unbalancing ventilation. It voids material warranties and shortens shingle life by years.
- Choosing the overlay on a roof you intend to keep for two decades.
- Large deposits to a storm-chase crew. After a hail event, out-of-state outfits appear, take 50 percent down, and are unreachable when the workmanship claim arrives.
- Ignoring gutters, fascia, and soffit. With the roof open, replacing rotted fascia costs a fraction of what it costs later. Budget $8 to $25 per linear foot.
- Buying on price with unequal scopes. Three bids in three formats are not three prices for the same thing.
- Forgetting the post-storm surge. In a hail-hit market, expect 20 to 40 percent above normal pricing for a season.
Everything above is a national range, and roofing labor is one of the most regionally variable trades in residential construction. The same 24-square architectural asphalt roof can be $11,000 in a low-cost inland market and $24,000 in a coastal metro with high wage floors, expensive disposal, and wind-zone requirements. Use these figures to sanity-check a quote and to spot a scope missing a line item, then get three on-site estimates from licensed, insured local roofers and let the written scope decide it.