What’s included?
Ask about removal, underlayment, flashing, ventilation, disposal and cleanup—not just the shingles or panels.
A LITTLE CLARITY BEFORE THE FIRST QUOTE
A new roof is a big decision. Start with a budget you understand.
Try the details. Compare the materials.
Keep the decision yours.
Based on published national cost guides.
Sources reviewed September 23, 2026. View sources
SAME ROOF. DIFFERENT POSSIBILITIES.
Installation only, using 2,460 sq ft of estimated roof. Removal, fees and your buffer are separate.
A cheaper covering isn’t automatically the better fit. Ask about slope, weight, local requirements and the complete roof system.
THE SIZE THAT REALLY MATTERS
Two homes can have the same living space and very different amounts of roof. More floors usually means a smaller footprint—not more roofing.
Have roof measurements? Use them above. It removes the biggest assumption in this calculator.
Both examples: 2,000 sq ft of total floor area, equal-size floors, a 6:12 slope and a 10% overhang allowance. No garage or porch.
A SMALLER JOB MAY BE ENOUGH
A leak or a few damaged shingles doesn’t automatically mean a new roof. These national repair ranges help frame a different conversation.
How to weigh repair vs. replacement$360–$1,550
Ask for the leak source, the proposed repair and any water-damaged materials to be listed separately.
Per repair job, not per square foot. Diagnosis, urgent service and additional damage may cost extra. These ranges aren’t additive.
Source: Angi roof repair guideMAKE THE NEXT CONVERSATION COUNT
Take your budget with you. Then ask each roofer to price the same work.
Ask about removal, underlayment, flashing, ventilation, disposal and cleanup—not just the shingles or panels.
Get the price for damaged decking, how extra work is approved, and who handles permit fees.
Compare the product warranty and workmanship coverage. They protect different things.
A FEW USEFUL ANSWERS
Roofing cost per square foot,
real-world scope and useful next steps.
House size alone is not enough. A two-story home may have much less roof than a one-story home with the same living area. For 2,000 square feet of actual roof surface, the architectural shingle installation range used here is $8,000–$17,000. Removing existing shingles adds an estimated $2,000–$8,000. Permits, hidden damage and other work may be extra. Use the calculator to separate these assumptions.
Usually not. Living area counts floors; roof area measures the roof surface. Slope, overhangs, garages and porches can change the roof area. If you have a measurement report or roofer’s estimate, select “Roof area” and enter its measured surface area. Do not enter material order quantities that already include waste.
One roofing square equals 100 square feet of roof surface. A 2,000-square-foot roof is 20 squares. A contractor may order extra material for cuts and waste; that order quantity is not the same as measured roof area.
Published national prices cover different jobs and local labor markets. Access, roof details, product choice and hidden damage affect the quote. We show the source range instead of presenting its midpoint as a typical price. Your local written estimates may fall outside it.
The installation ranges used here are $10–$18 per roof square foot for steel or aluminum standing-seam metal, compared with $4–$8.50 for architectural asphalt shingles. These are different roof systems. Compare the same roof area, removal, flashing, ventilation and warranty scope before choosing.
The national installation range used here is $4–$14 per square foot of roof, or $8,000–$28,000 for a measured 2,000-square-foot roof. Removing an existing flat roof adds a separate $1–$5 per square foot allowance. TPO, EPDM, modified bitumen and other systems can have different prices. Ask a roofer to specify the membrane, insulation and drainage, then compare the same scope.
Use measured roof area for a manufactured home, split-level, mixed roof or other layout that does not fit the equal-floor assumption. Coatings, structural roof-overs and specialized systems are not priced here. For condos or shared roofs, first confirm responsibility with the association. This calculator does not assess structural suitability or divide a building-wide cost among owners.
No. These are national published ranges, not local contractor bids. A ZIP code alone cannot price the work your roof needs. Your location matters for labor, permits and material requirements; a local roofer can price those details after reviewing the property.
A leak alone does not establish that a roof needs replacement. Its cause, the roof’s overall condition and the extent of damage matter. See the repair-cost examples on this page and ask a roofer to explain whether a targeted repair can address the problem.
More questions? Browse the roofing FAQ & glossary.
For home size, we divide above-ground floor area by the number of stories, add any garage or porch footprint, then allow for overhangs and slope. Floors are assumed equal in size. The slope factor is the square root of one plus (rise ÷ 12)². Flat / low-slope uses a factor of 1 as a planning approximation. Measured roof area and roofing squares skip these adjustments entirely.
Roof area × the selected installation rate gives the installation range. We add the applicable removal range and your fee allowance, then apply your chosen buffer to that subtotal. Displayed ranges round outward to the nearest $100. Small rounding differences between displayed line items and totals are possible.
The default 2,000 sq ft home, one story, 6:12 slope and 10% overhang allowance are an editable example—not data about your property. The overhang and buffer percentages are calculator assumptions you control, not published averages. No separate material-waste multiplier is added to installed-area rates.
Hidden damage, structural reinforcement, asbestos or other hazardous removal, solar removal and reinstallation, major insulation or drainage changes, gutters, financing and applicable taxes are not priced. Fees are excluded unless you add an allowance. Tile and metal removal have no sourced allowance in this version. Extra labor for height, steepness or difficult access is not separately priced. These jobs and roofs with multiple old layers may exceed the ranges. This tool does not diagnose a roof or determine what material a structure can support.
Our price inputs come from Modernize’s architectural-shingle guide and Angi’s material-specific guides. We checked the specific material tables and their scope; they are not local bids or a survey conducted by RooferDirectory. NRCA informs the quote-comparison guidance. These organizations do not endorse this calculator.
Architectural asphalt shingles including installation: $4–$8.50 per roof sq ft. Uses the architectural-shingle row, not the wider range for all asphalt grades.
Source updated 2026-09-01. Checked 2026-09-23.Installed steel: $10–$16; aluminum: $11–$18 per roof sq ft. Our $10–$18 band covers these two metals, not copper or zinc.
Source updated 2026-05-30. Checked 2026-09-23.Installed concrete tile: $9–$18 per roof sq ft. Structural reinforcement is not included.
Source updated 2026-09-09. Checked 2026-09-23.Flat-roof size table: $4–$14 per roof sq ft. A broad system range, not a product-specific membrane quote. Removal: $1–$5 per roof sq ft.
Source updated 2026-07-08. Checked 2026-09-23.Additional asphalt removal and disposal: $1–$4 per roof sq ft. Multiple existing layers can cost more; decking and structural repairs are separate.
Source updated 2026-09-01. Checked 2026-09-23.National job ranges by repair type. These are separate jobs, not costs to add together.
Source updated 2026-08-03. Checked 2026-09-23.Guidance for comparing detailed proposals, scope, materials and warranties. Not a source of calculator prices.
Read the calculator’s sources and method as plain text
See something that needs correcting? Let us know.