A new roof costs about $4 to $11 per square foot of roof, installed, according to HomeAdvisor, with an average near $7. Fixr gives a similar $3.75 to $11, with an average of $4.75. Roofers usually price by the square, 100 square feet of roof, so HomeAdvisor's range is $400 to $1,100 per square. That is an overall range across roof types; HomeAdvisor prices metal, tile and slate higher per foot, and a steep, cut-up or multi-layer roof raises the rate for any material.
What a square is, and why roofers use it
A square is 100 square feet of roof surface, the area of a 10 by 10 foot patch of the roof itself, measured along the slope. It is not floor area and not the ground under the house. Roofers order material, figure labor and often write their prices by the square, which makes it the fairest unit for comparing estimates: every roofer is pricing the same surface.
To turn any price per square foot into a price per square, multiply by 100. To go the other way, divide by 100. A roof of 2,400 square feet is 24 squares.
Price per square foot by material
The table puts HomeAdvisor's installed price ranges for each material on one page, with the price per square alongside and InterNACHI's expected life for comparison.
| Material | Installed, per square foot | Per square (100 sq ft) | Expected life (InterNACHI) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asphalt shingles | $3 to $7 | $300 to $700 | 20 years (3-tab) |
| Architectural shingles | $4 to $6 | $400 to $600 | 30 years |
| Metal | $7 to $13 | $700 to $1,300 | 40 to 80 years |
| Standing seam metal | $4 to $30 | $400 to $3,000 | 40 to 80 years (metal) |
| Wood shakes | $6 to $13 | $600 to $1,300 | 25 years (wood) |
| Tile | $10 to $20 | $1,000 to $2,000 | 100 years or more (clay or concrete) |
| Slate or stone | $15 to $30 | $1,500 to $3,000 | 60 to 150 years |
| Synthetic | $5 to $12 | $500 to $1,200 | not listed |
| Flat roof: modified bitumen | $4 to $8 | $400 to $800 | 20 years |
| Flat roof: built-up tar | $4 to $10 | $400 to $1,000 | 30 years |
| Flat roof: rubber (EPDM) | $4 to $13 | $400 to $1,300 | 15 to 25 years |
| Flat roof: TPO | $4 to $14 | $400 to $1,400 | 7 to 20 years |
The prices per square foot are HomeAdvisor's, from its roof replacement page for the sloped materials and its flat roof page for the membranes, both read on September 27, 2026. The prices per square are our arithmetic, the same ranges times 100.
Our guides to each material quote other cost pages as well, and their ranges differ from this table: for example, our tile roof cost guide gives HomeAdvisor's tile page range of $7 to $25, wider than the $10 to $20 on its roof replacement page. For the details of one material, see metal roof cost, slate roof cost, cedar shake roof cost, architectural shingle cost or flat roof replacement cost. Our overview of roofing materials compares them on more than price.
What raises the price per foot
The rate per square foot is not fixed for a material. The same shingle can cost much more per foot on one roof than another.
- Pitch. A steep roof is slower and needs more safety gear. HomeAdvisor puts the extra cost of a steep roof at $1,000 to $3,000 for the job. Fixr notes that a steeper roof also has more surface to cover over the same footprint.
- Shape. Hips, valleys, ridges and dormers mean more cutting and flashing. Fixr says these features add labor; HomeAdvisor says a hipped roof can reach $25 a square foot, while flat roofs are usually under $7.
- Tear-off. Removing the old roof is often priced on top. HomeAdvisor's shingle page gives $1 to $5 a square foot for tear-off and removal. Fixr's figure is lower: about $50 per square on average, rising to $150 per square for heavy materials or more than one layer.
- Layers. Every extra layer of old roofing is more to strip and haul. Building codes also limit layovers; see whether new shingles can go over old ones.
- Decking. Rotten sheathing found at tear-off is replaced at extra cost. Fixr gives $2 to $8 a square foot of deck replaced; our guide to roof decking and underlayment has more on it.
- Labor rates. HomeAdvisor puts roofing labor at $200 to $300 per square.
From house size to roof area
The price per square foot applies to the roof, not the house. A listing's square footage counts the living space on every floor. The roof covers the footprint, the ground the house and any attached garage or porch stand on, plus the overhangs, and a sloped roof has more surface than that footprint.
- Measure the footprint under the roof, overhangs, garage and porch included.
- Multiply by the pitch factor for your roof. A 4 in 12 pitch adds about 5%, a 6 in 12 about 12%, an 8 in 12 about 20% and a 12 in 12 about 41%. The factor is the geometry of a slope, the square root of one plus the pitch squared.
- Divide by 100 for squares.
- Multiply by the price per square foot for your material.
Our guide to roof replacement cost has the full pitch table, and the roof replacement cost by house size page does this for common house sizes.
A worked example
This is our arithmetic, for a made-up house, to show the method.
- A one-story house with 1,800 square feet of living space and an attached garage under the same roof, with a footprint of 2,400 square feet once the garage and overhangs are measured.
- A 6 in 12 pitch has a factor of 1.118, so the roof has about 2,400 × 1.118 = 2,683 square feet of surface, or 26.8 squares.
- At HomeAdvisor's $4 to $11 a square foot, that is about $10,700 to $29,500, and about $18,800 at its $7 average.
- At Fixr's $3.75 to $11, about $10,100 to $29,500, and about $12,700 at its $4.75 average.
Put the same 1,800 square feet of living space on two stories and the house itself stands on about 900 square feet of ground, half as much, so its roof shrinks with it. That is why a price per square foot of house is a poor guide. Totals are rounded to the nearest $100. For your own size, pitch and material, the roof cost calculator does the arithmetic.
Reading the price per foot on an estimate
- Check the area first. Ask each roofer how many squares they measured. If one estimate covers 24 squares and another 28, the price per square foot will mislead you until the areas match.
- Ask whether waste is included. Roofers order extra material for cuts at edges, hips and valleys, and they account for it differently.
- Separate the extras. Tear-off, decking per sheet, flashing, ventilation and permits should be separate lines or clearly included.
- Compare like for like. A lower price per foot for a different shingle line or warranty is not a better price for the same roof.
Our guide to comparing roofing estimates goes through each line.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a roof per square?
HomeAdvisor's installed range of $4 to $11 a square foot is $400 to $1,100 per square. Materials above asphalt cost more: HomeAdvisor gives $700 to $1,300 per square for metal and $1,500 to $3,000 for slate or stone, on our arithmetic.
How much does a roof cost for a 2,000 square foot house?
It depends on the roof's area, not the house's. A one-story 2,000 square foot house has a much bigger roof than a two-story one. Measure the footprint, apply your pitch, and multiply; the house size page shows typical ranges.
Why is my estimate higher per square foot than these figures?
A steep or complex roof, several old layers, damaged decking or a premium material all push the rate up. Ask the roofer to break the price into the roof itself and each extra, and compare the squares measured.
Is the price per square foot for materials only?
The ranges on this page are installed prices, materials and labor together. HomeAdvisor says labor makes up about 60% of a shingle roof's cost.
Does the price per square foot include tear-off?
Not always. HomeAdvisor lists tear-off separately at $1 to $5 a square foot, and Fixr at about $50 to $150 per square. Ask each roofer whether removal is included.
How we got these numbers
HomeAnvil does not yet publish price data of its own. Every figure on this page comes from a published source, read on September 27, 2026:
- HomeAdvisor, roof replacement cost, updated June 17, 2026: the price per square foot overall and by sloped roofing material, the steep-roof surcharge, the hipped and flat roof figures, and labor per square. HomeAdvisor says its figures come from a survey of its customers and other published research.
- HomeAdvisor, flat roof replacement cost, updated June 20, 2026: the price per square foot for each flat roof membrane.
- HomeAdvisor, shingle roof replacement cost, updated June 17, 2026: tear-off and removal per square foot, and labor's share of a shingle roof.
- Fixr, roof replacement cost, updated February 4, 2026: the average and range per square foot, tear-off per square, decking per square foot, and how pitch and complexity add labor.
- InterNACHI, standard estimated life expectancy chart for homes: the expected life of each material.
- The prices per square, the pitch factors and the worked example are our arithmetic.
We will update this page when these sources publish new figures, and the date above will say when.
Related guides
How much does a roof replacement cost?A roof replacement typically costs $5,900 to $13,400, or $400 to $1,100 per square installed. How to measure your roof, what moves the price and how to compare estimates.
How much does an architectural shingle roof cost?An architectural shingle roof costs about $4 to $6 a square foot installed per HomeAdvisor, and up to $15 for designer lines per Fixr. Totals by roof size.
Types of roofing materials, and how they compareRoofing materials compared: asphalt costs $3 to $7 a square foot installed and lasts 20 to 30 years; slate $15 to $30 and 60 to 150 years.
Roof decking and underlayment: what they are and costReplacing roof decking costs $2 to $5 a square foot; a sheet of plywood or OSB runs $9 to $64. How the deck, underlayment and ice barrier work.
Can you put new shingles over old ones?Often yes, once: the building code bars a layover on a roof with two or more layers. What a roof-over saves, what it adds in weight, and what it hides.
How do you compare roofing estimates?Compare roofing estimates line by line: squares, price per square, product lines, tear-off, decking, underlayment, flashing, permit, warranties and payment terms.