The cost of roof replacement ranges between $4.50 and $8.50 per square foot. The price starts with choosing a low-end (cheap) 3-tab shingles on a roof in good condition to selecting the most expensive designer shingle on a roof that needs a complete tear-off and a few sheets of decking replaced.
How Much Does a New Asphalt Shingle Roof Cost?
The total cost to install a new asphalt shingle roof can range from $7,200 to $15,300, depending on the choice of shingles, project scope/difficulty, and your home’s location.
The average home size in the US is around 2,200 to 2,500 square feet. However, since many are multi-story homes, the average roof square footage is 1,600 to 1,800 square feet. The house often has a 2-story portion plus a one-story section with a garage, or it might be just a 2-story home with attached 1-story garage.
When the slope of the roof is accounted for, the range we use for our estimates is 1,600 to 1,800 square feet of roof surface that needs to be covered.
Given this range of scenarios, the total cost of a new asphalt shingle roof is $7,200 to $14,220.
Why the Wide Range for Roof Replacement Price?
Because there are a lot of variables. And they are explained on this page, providing the info you need to closely estimate what you’ll pay based on the shingles you select, whether you do a complete tear-off or just add a layer, the steepness and features of your roof and other roof replacement cost factors.
What is the Average Cost of a New Roof?
Let’s narrow that price range a bit. Most homeowners choose a popular architectural shingle like Owens Corning Duration, GAF Timberline or CertainTeed Landmark.
Installed costs for these shingles are $5.00 to $6.50 per square foot, or $8,000 to $11,700 total on a typical home.
Atlas, Malarkey (the best shingles nobody has heard of), Tamko, IKO and all the rest make shingles in this range too.
Prices in this range cover more than 85% of jobs when there is no significant roof damage beneath the shingles that must be repaired.
Roof Replacement Cost Details – What’s Included?
The simplest roof replacement is to add a second layer of shingles. While that’s not a full replacement, it is the starting price for homeowners asking – How much is a new roof?
Full roof replacement means:
- Removal and disposal of all existing roofing material down to the roof deck ($.50-$1.50 per square foot)
- Inspection of the roof deck, flashing, vent boots and drip edge – and replacing a limited amount of material. When more than 10% of the decking is replaced, you’re really talking about a separate job with its own costs.
The good news? Most roofs do not require extensive decking replacement.
- Adding these materials (material costs shown):
– Fresh roofing underlayment ($.35 – $.50/s.f.)
– Additional moisture barrier in the valleys ($15 – $35/valley)
– New ridge and peak venting ($2.00 – $3.15 per linear foot)
– Starter strip shingles along the eaves or upgraded ice shield in northern climates ($1.85 – $2.50 per linear foot)
– New shingles over the entire roof ($1.00 – $2.75 per square foot)
– New ridge cap shingles ($1.25 – $1.90 per linear foot)
- Labor Cost: $1.80 – $2.75 per square foot
Asphalt Shingle Options and Costs
Let’s dig a little deeper into your shingle choices and prices.
There are three general tiers or classes of asphalt shingles: 3 tab, dimensional/architectural and designer/premium. The last two tiers are types also considered composition shingles because they are composed of multiple layers.
3-tab or Strip Shingles
These are the most basic shingles covered with warranties from 20 to 30 years. Just a single layer of asphalt-coated fiberglass mesh, they are topped with sun-reflective granules that give the shingle its color. The lower half of the shingle has two cuts to produce three tabs, and hence the name.
Wind warranties are 60mph. A few can be enhanced to 80mph when extra nails and roofing cement are used on each shingle. Labor cost will be higher if you choose enhanced installation.
Popular shingles include Certainteed XT25, GAF Royal Sovereign, Owens Corning Supreme and Atlas GlassMaster.
Pros and Cons: These are affordable shingles and should last for 15 to 20 years depending on your climate and whether you keep debris from accumulating on them. On the other hand, they have a flat profile and don’t mimic wood shakes and shingles as well as thicker dimensional shingles. The best return on your money is in neighborhoods where 3-tab shingles are common.
Cost: Installed price per square foot is $4.50 to $6.00.
Dimensional/Architectural Shingles
This category is by far the most popular of all asphalt shingles. Most have warranties of 30 years, though some are including Lifetime warranties on shingles in this class. But the warranties are prorated and only apply to manufacturing defects – which is rarely the reason why people replace their shingles.
In other words, don’t put a lot of stock in asphalt shingle manufacturer’s warranties.
As noted, these shingles are also called composition shingles because they are made with two layers, both asphalt-saturated fiberglass mesh. The top layer is cut to create the appearance of individual wood shingles or shakes. It is also covered in colored granules.
You can get shingles coated for algae-resistance in this tier and a few that use modified SBS to produce greater resistance to impact.
Wind warranties: Most are 110mph which can be enhanced to 130mph. The GAF Timberline HDZ is the first asphalt shingle with an “infinite” or unlimited wind warranty: https://www.gaf.com/en-us/products/timberline-hdz
Popular shingles include the entire GAF Timberline line, CertainTeed Landmark and Landmark Pro, Owens Corning Duration/TruDefinition Duration, Atlas Pinnacle and Malarkey Vista. If you see a semi hauling shingles down the highway, chances are excellent that the shingles are one of the first three brands/products on the list above.
Pros and Cons
Still affordable, midgrade asphalt shingles give you excellent selection, classic good looks, and the best return on investment of any dimensional shingles. The only potential disadvantage is if you put these on a home in a modest neighborhood of homes with 3-tab shingles. You might not get much value for the upgrade at resale.
Cost: $5.00 to $7.50 per square foot with an average right around $6.00-$6.50.
Designer or Premium Shingles
These are thick, heavy asphalt shingles with at least two layers to give the shingle a beefy profile. Various styles, indicated by the cut of the lower tabs, are available. Most produce classic shake or shingle looks including vintage patterns and styles.
Most shingles in this category have Lifetime warranties but read the fine print to learn what that really means and when proration begins.
What is a prorated shingle warranty? It means that at some point, your warranty coverage will begin dropping. For example, if the warranty is 30 years with a 10-year non-prorated warranty, the coverage will start being reduced in year 11. With 20 years left on the warranty, it will drop by 5% per year. So, if the shingles failed in year 21, the warranty would cover 50% of the material cost of replacing them.
Wind warranties are mostly 110/130.
Popular shingles are CertainTeed Belmont, Grand Manor and Presidential Shake/Shingle, GAF Camelot II and Slateline, Malarkey Windsor and Atlas StormMaster.
Pros and Cons: These are quality shingles at a higher cost – a premium price per square foot. The best ROI is in upscale neighborhoods where premium architectural shingles are found on most homes – either them or wood shingles and shakes.
Your return on investment will be less than 50% if you put these pricey shingles on most other homes. They look great, but buyers might not think adding $5,000 to $10,000 for premium vs midgrade dimensional shingles is worth the money.
Cost: $6.50 to $8.50 per square foot.
Asphalt Shingle Roof Cost – Common Home Scenarios
This section should assist you in refining your roof replacement price within the ranges given. Low/Average/Medium costs are quoted for several scenarios. Here’s is what is meant by low/average/high:
Low cost – Add second layer only, 3-tab or affordable dimensional shingles.
Average cost – Tear off old roofing, little or no repairs. Popular midgrade dimensional/architectural shingles.
High Cost – Tear off old roofing, average-medium repairs with popular midgrade dimensional/architectural shingles or few repairs with premium designer shingles.
Roof complexity plays a role. Factors that raise cost within the ranges given include dormers and chimneys to work around, 2-story or multiple roof levels, the presence of valleys and hip roofs (roofs without a gable end or ends).
Roof pitch or steepness is another factor – the steeper the roof, the more difficult it is to roof, so the replacement cost estimates will be higher.
Ranch Homes $4.50 to $7.50 per square foot
Single story ranch home, simple roof:
Low cost: $4.50 – $4.75/square foot
Average cost: $5.005 – $5.65/square foot
High cost: $5.50 – $6.75/square foot
Single story ranch home, complex or steep roof:
Low cost: $4.50 – $5.55/square foot
Average cost: $5.50 – $6.50/square foot
High cost: $6.50 – $7.50/square foot
Two Story Homes – $5.00 to $8.50 per square foot
Two story home, two roof levels, simple design:
Low cost: $5.00 – $6.00 per square foot
Average cost: $6.00 – $7.00 per square foot
High cost: $7.00 – $8.00 per square foot
Two story home, multiple roof levels, complex design:
Low cost: $5.50 – $6.50/square foot
Average cost: $6.50 – $7.50
High cost: $7.50 – $8.50
Square foot vs square: Many roofers and articles about roofing refer to price per square. One roofing square is 100 square feet of roofing. So, a home that has 1,800 square feet of roofing needs 18 squares of material (plus 5% extra for waste) to cover it.
Always Get Multiple Asphalt Shingle Roof Estimates
This can’t be overstated.
Roof replacement costs have gone up 25% to 40% in recent years. Roofing contractors can’t find enough quality employees. In short, they have more potential job leads than they could get to. So, their bids are high. They get fewer jobs, but their jobs pay more, so some of them are OK.
Other contractors are better at retaining workers and don’t use skyrocketing prices to price gouge homeowners. They offer quality work at a fair cost.
If you only get one estimate, there’s no telling which type you’ll receive.
We’ve seen homeowner comments that show some contractors’ bids are extremely high:
Rachel in Seattle was quoted $10/square foot for midgrade IKO shingles.
Christine in South Lake Tahoe received a quote of $16.50/square foot for a small roof. Even though the quote was for a roof of only 700 square feet, that price per square foot is much too high.
Leslie in LA received an estimate of $8.50/square foot for basic architectural shingles, a job we estimate should cost no more than $6.50 per square foot even in Los Angeles.
Those prices are well above the mainstream even for premium shingles. None of them included high costs for roof repair. We recommended to all these homeowners that they reject the bids and seek additional bids from licensed, insured roofing contractors with a good local reputation.
Make sure each contractor knows that they are competing for the work. This is a “given” when you use the type of form on this page for getting no-cost local estimates.
Roof Replacement Cost Factors
This is a summary of the factors affecting price. We’ve covered some of them, but not all of them.
Add a Layer vs Roof Tear Off – The cost to tear off old shingles and replace them can be almost twice as high as adding a second layer of shingles to an existing roof. But beware. On many shingles, to get the full warranty coverage, you must tear off the old roofing and start fresh.
Shingle Tier – Basic 3-tab, midgrade dimensional and premium shingles have different pricing.
Specialty Shingles – If you select those with improved resistance to wind, algae or impact, cost might be higher. If solar-reflectance shingles that meet Cool Roof Rating Council criteria, some have a higher cost. By the way, CRRC-rated shingles are only available in select regions with a high number of sunny days per year.
Your Choice of Accessories – If you have the old roof torn off, then you will have basic, better, and best options for replacement materials including the tar paper/underlayment, water barrier or ice guard, starter shingles and other accessories. You’ll need to choose 3 or 4 products from the same manufacturer as the shingles to get some premium warranty coverage.
Roof Size – Cost per square foot is higher on small roofs.
Roof Shape and Features – Steep roofs and those with more dormers, skylights, chimneys, elevations, and extra features come with higher roofing costs.
Where you Live – A high cost of living in your area translates into higher roofing costs too. Prices in large metro areas in the NE and NW have the highest prices. The rest of the Coasts are next followed by large cities across the country. Prices can be more reasonable in small towns and rural regions.
Time of Year – It used to be that many good roofing companies had something of a slow stretch at the beginning or end of the season where prices were more affordable. But now, because of shortages in labor, most quality roofing companies are busy all season. Your best bet in this regard is to get quotes early and let contractors know you are flexible on timing.
What Does a New Roof Cost per Square Foot and Complete Project?
When all material options are considered, a new roof costs $3.50 to $23.00 per square foot depending on the material you select, and cost factors related to your home and labor charges. Factors are discussed later on this page.
Sure, asphalt shingles continue to be the #1 roofing material, though its market share is shrinking while steel and composite roofing is trending.
The roofing options below account for 95% or more of all roofs.
Here are their costs per square foot. Total cost for a typical roof is provide in parentheses below() :
- 3-tab 25-year shingles: $3.50 to $5.60/s.f. ($6,200 – $10,100)
- 30-year architectural shingles: $4.65 to $6.15/s.f. ($7,500 – $11,00)
- 50-year or Lifetime designer shingles: $5.40 to $7.75/s.f. ($8,650 – $13,950)
- Cedar shingles and shakes: $11.25 to $17.50/s.f. ($18,000 – $31,500)
- Standing seam metal panel roofing: $12.50 to $21.50/s.f. ($20,000 – $38,700)
- Steel G-90 coated and stone-coated steel shingles: $9.35 to $11.50/s.f. ($14,950 – $20,700)
- Aluminum shingles: $9.50 to $12.75/s.f. ($15,200 – $23,000)
- Rubber and synthetic shingles and shakes: $8.50 to $12.00/s.f. ($13,600 – $21,600)
- Single-layer EPDM, TPO or PVC membrane: $4.90 to $10.50/s.f. ($7,600 – $18,900)
- Clay and concrete tiles: $11.75 to $23.00/s.f. ($18,800 – $41,400) plus the cost to reinforce the roofing structure, if needed
- Genuine stone slate tiles: $12.90 to $21.50/s.f. ($20,650 – $38,700) plus the cost to reinforce the roofing structure, if needed