Roof Replacement Cost per Square Foot, by Material

Roof replacement typically costs a few dollars per square foot of roof for basic asphalt shingles and $10 to $20 or more for metal, tile and slate. Across all materials, Fixr reports $3.75 to $11 per square foot, with an average of $4.75 (page updated February 4, 2026) ¹. This Old House, using Homewyse data for a 2,000-square-foot roof, reports $5.16 per square foot for asphalt, $13.15 for wood shake, $19.30 for metal and $22.21 for clay tile (updated October 7, 2026) ².

The square feet in those figures are square feet of roof surface, not of the house. Fixr says to calculate the roof's square footage, not the home's living space, and its own example assumes a 1,700-square-foot home with about 2,000 square feet of roofing ¹. Using floor area with a roof price undercounts the job. For whole-roof totals by material, see the roof replacement cost guide.

Installed cost per square foot by material

This Old House gives one figure per material for a defined job (builder-grade material, medium labor rates, a low-slope, standard-shaped roof) ². Modernize and Fixr give ranges that span every grade within a material; Modernize says its figures draw on more than 3,000 homeowner projects completed through its service over the past six months ³. Within asphalt, Modernize splits 3-tab at $4.50 to $7.50 and architectural at $6.00 to $9.00 per square foot ³. Fixr's metal average is $11 per square foot ⁵. More detail is in asphalt shingle roof cost, metal roof cost and tile roof cost.

Converting square feet to roofing squares

Roofers usually quote by the square. Fixr defines a roofing square as 100 square feet ¹. To convert:

• Squares = roof square feet ÷ 100. A 2,000-square-foot roof is 20 squares ¹.
• Price per square = price per square foot × 100. At Fixr's $4.75 average, that is $475 per square, by our arithmetic ¹.

If one quote is per square and another per square foot, convert both before comparing.

Why a per-square-foot price can mislead

A per-square-foot figure is an average over a whole job, and several costs do not scale neatly with area:

• Fixed costs. Fixr lists permits at $100 to $500 ¹. On a small roof, that is a bigger share of each square foot.
• Tear-off. Fixr says tearing off and disposing of an old roof averages $50 per square, and can reach $150 per square for heavier materials such as concrete tile ¹. A quote that includes tear-off is not comparable with one that does not. See tear-off vs roof-over.
• Decking. Fixr reports $2 to $8 per square foot for replacing decking ¹, and nobody knows how much is needed until the old roof is off. See roof decking replacement cost.
• Pitch and shape. Fixr says steeper roofs increase total roofing square footage even when the interior space stays the same, and need added safety measures such as harnesses or scaffolding; hips, valleys, ridges and dormers add labor time ¹.

A full-scope job shows the effect. The 2025 Cost vs. Value report prices a 3,000-square-foot asphalt roof replacement with tear-off, new underlayment, flashing and skylight work at $31,871, and a standing-seam metal replacement of the same size at $51,865 ⁶⁷⁸. By our arithmetic, that is about $10.62 and $17.29 per square foot, above most of the survey ranges for asphalt, because every component is replaced and the report's job definition is fixed.

Using per-square-foot figures well

Use them to sanity-check a quote, not to predict one. Ask each roofer for the measured roof area in squares, the material and grade, and separate lines for tear-off, underlayment, flashing and a per-sheet decking price. Cost to replace a roof by house size shows how roof area relates to floor area, and how to choose a roofing contractor covers the questions about the company. You can compare quotes from roofing companies once you know roughly what you want.

About these figures

• ¹ Reported + Estimate: Fixr overall range ($3.75 to $11, average $4.75 per square foot), the roof-versus-living-space note and the 1,700/2,000 example, the definition of a square, permit, tear-off and decking figures, pitch and shape statements; page updated February 4, 2026, checked November 11, 2026; the $475-per-square figure is our multiplication of the $4.75 average by 100.
• ² Reported: This Old House (Homewyse data) per-square-foot figures by material for a 2,000-square-foot roof and their assumptions; page updated October 7, 2026, checked November 11, 2026.
• ³ Reported: Modernize installed per-square-foot ranges by material, the 3-tab and architectural split and its data description; page updated October 6, 2026, checked November 11, 2026.
• ⁴ Reported: Fixr asphalt per-square-foot range across grades ($3 to $16); page updated January 21, 2026, checked November 11, 2026.
• ⁵ Reported: Fixr metal per-square-foot range ($3 to $30) and average ($11); page updated January 23, 2026, checked November 11, 2026.
• ⁶ Reported + Estimate: Cost vs. Value 2025 national job costs for asphalt ($31,871) and metal ($51,865) roofing replacement; the per-square-foot figures ($10.62 and $17.29) are our division by the 3,000-square-foot job size; checked November 11, 2026.
• ⁷ Reported: Cost vs. Value description of the asphalt job (30 squares, tear-off, underlayment, flashing, two skylights); checked November 11, 2026.
• ⁸ Reported: Cost vs. Value description of the metal job (3,000 square feet, standing seam, tear-off); checked November 11, 2026.