Start with the right area
Use the ground-floor footprint requested by this calculator. A two-story home’s total living area is not its footprint. Pitch, roof shape and waste are separate inputs; do not add them twice.
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Roof replacementRoof replacement cost calculator
Estimate a new roof from footprint, pitch, material, tear-off and regional assumptions. See itemized costs, then compare an illustrative insurance payout for covered damage. A house floor area is not the same as roof area.
Rates reviewed August 2026
See the illustrated project guide
Written and maintained byMantu Kumar
Evidence review4 August 2026
Calculation rulesRead the methodology
Quality standardEditorial policy
Roof replacement estimate
No email · nothing sentA closer look at your project
See what a roof estimate needs to include
The visible roof covering is only one part of a replacement project. Use the photograph to connect the roof you can see with the scope you need to price.
The three detail views below enlarge parts of the same photograph. Use them with the planning checks. Photos are AI-generated illustrations, not installation instructions or actual claim records.
Look beyond the shingles
Ask whether the price includes removing old layers, underlayment, flashing, roof-edge work and disposal. The surface material alone does not describe a complete replacement.
Leave room for hidden decking
Damaged decking may only become clear when the covering is removed. Ask how extra sheets or repair areas would be measured, authorized and charged.
Before comparing totals, ask for these details
- Roof covering
- Material, product range and written warranty terms
- Removal and preparation
- Number of existing layers, disposal and decking allowance
- Edges and drainage
- Flashing, gutters and any separately quoted work
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On this page
Why roofers price by the square, and why it matters to you
A roofing square is 100 square feet of roof surface. Every quote you receive is built on that unit, which is why two houses with identical floor plans can be quoted thousands apart.
The catch is that your roof is bigger than the house underneath it. A roof rising 6 inches for every 12 inches of run has 11.8% more surface than its footprint. At 12:12 it has 41% more. Add waste for cuts around valleys and dormers and a 1,800 sq ft footprint becomes roughly 23 squares of material.
| Pitch | Area multiplier | Walkable? |
|---|---|---|
| 2:12 — nearly flat | 1.014 | Yes |
| 4:12 — gentle | 1.054 | Yes |
| 6:12 — typical | 1.118 | With care |
| 8:12 — above average | 1.202 | Harnesses needed |
| 10:12 — steep | 1.302 | No |
| 12:12 — very steep | 1.414 | No |
Checking a quote in ten seconds
Divide the quoted total by the number of squares. If a contractor is charging $1,400 a square
for architectural asphalt, either something unusual is going on or you want a second quote.
Roof replacement cost by house size
Architectural asphalt, 6:12 pitch, one layer torn off, national average labor. Adjust for your own situation with the calculator above.
| Footprint | Squares | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft | 12.9 | $6,800 – $11,000 |
| 1,200 sq ft | 15.4 | $8,100 – $13,100 |
| 1,500 sq ft | 19.3 | $10,100 – $16,200 |
| 1,800 sq ft | 23.1 | $12,100 – $19,300 |
| 2,000 sq ft | 25.7 | $13,400 – $21,400 |
| 2,500 sq ft | 32.1 | $16,800 – $26,700 |
| 3,000 sq ft | 38.6 | $20,100 – $31,900 |
Every size worked through in detail — including how to measure your footprint from the ground, and why two contractors can quote different square counts on the same house.
Cost by material, and the lifespan that goes with it
Material choice does two things at once: it sets the price today, and it sets the depreciation schedule your insurer will use for the next few decades. A cheap roof is depreciated faster, so it is worth less at claim time as well as lasting less long.
| Material | Per square, installed | Expected life |
|---|---|---|
| 3-tab asphalt shingle | $300 – $500 | 20 yrs |
| Architectural asphalt | $400 – $600 | 28 yrs |
| Corrugated metal | $500 – $900 | 45 yrs |
| Cedar shake | $700 – $1,300 | 30 yrs |
| Standing seam metal | $800 – $1,600 | 50 yrs |
| Clay or concrete tile | $1,000 – $2,000 | 55 yrs |
| Natural slate | $1,500 – $3,000 | 80+ yrs |
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What insurance actually pays
This is where most homeowners get caught out, and it has almost nothing to do with the replacement cost itself.
First, the cause has to be covered. Hail, wind and falling trees generally are. Age, wear, poor maintenance and manufacturing defects generally are not. A roof that has simply reached the end of its life is not an insurable event, however expensive it is to replace.
Second, if the cause is covered, the amount depends on which kind of policy you hold:
| Replacement cost (RCV) | Actual cash value (ACV) | |
|---|---|---|
| First payment | Depreciated value, less deductible | Depreciated value, less deductible |
| After work is finished | Releases the withheld depreciation | Nothing further |
| Your share on an 18-year roof | Deductible only | Deductible plus the depreciation |
The trap in an ACV policy
On an older roof, depreciation can exceed the deductible several times over. A 22-year-old
architectural shingle roof is around 79% through its expected life, so an ACV policy may pay
roughly a fifth of what the replacement costs. Your premium was lower every year until the
day you needed it.
Roof buyback is a different thing entirely
A buyback offer pays you a lump sum in exchange for excluding the roof from your policy going forward. Carriers use it on roofs they no longer want to insure. It is not an upgrade and it is not a settlement of a claim — after a buyback, roof damage is simply not covered. Read the endorsement before accepting one.
Why replacing a roof costs what it does
Labor is usually 50 to 60% of the bill. A crew is on your property for two to four days, working at height, carrying several tons of material up a ladder and several tons of old material back down. That is the bulk of what you are paying for.
The rest is spread across items that rarely appear in the headline number: underlayment, ice and water shield along the eaves, drip edge, ridge vent, flashing around every penetration, and disposal fees that have risen sharply. Tear-off alone runs $90 to $170 a square per layer, and HomeAdvisor puts total removal and disposal at $1,500 to $4,500.
Then there is the item nobody can quote accurately: the decking underneath. Its condition is unknown until the old roof comes off. Assume around 10% will need replacing and treat anything less as a good outcome.
Related guides
- Roof damage: what to do first — the first 24 hours, documenting the loss, and whether the claim is worth filing
- Texas roof cost and insurance guide — regional planning, wind or hail deductibles, contractor law and coastal windstorm checks
- Roof cost by square footage — every size from 1,000 to 4,000 sq ft, worked through
- Does roof repair require a permit? — thresholds, inspections, and what skipping it costs later
- Grants and assistance programs — for seniors, low-income and rural homeowners
- Taxes and financing — deductibility, cost basis, and how people pay for it
- Solar panel cost — and why roof age decides whether you pay to remove the array later
- What insurance actually pays — ACV vs RCV, claims, and roof buyback
Roof result summaryA useful roof comparison starts with pitch-adjusted surface area and roofing squares, then adds waste, removal, deck allowance, flashing, ventilation and permit scope. Age affects the modeled ACV amount, but the policy, covered cause of loss and endorsements determine the real claim payment.
Questions
How much does a new roof cost?
Most US homeowners replacing asphalt shingles pay between $9,000 and $23,000. Roof area drives the figure rather than house size, and area depends on pitch — a steep roof can be 30% larger than the footprint beneath it.
Does homeowners insurance cover roof replacement?
Only for sudden covered perils — hail, wind, fire, falling trees. Wear and age are excluded by nearly every policy. If the cause is covered, how much you receive then depends on whether you hold an RCV or ACV policy.
What is roof replacement cost buyback?
An offer to pay you a lump sum in exchange for excluding the roof from future coverage. It ends your roof cover rather than improving it.
Will insurance cover a 20-year-old roof?
Coverage often narrows with age. Many carriers move roofs past 15 or 20 years onto actual cash value automatically, and some decline to renew altogether. Check your declarations page rather than assuming the terms you signed up to still apply.
Should I repair or replace?
Repair when damage is localized and the roof still has years left. Replace when the roof is past roughly 75% of its expected life, when repairs are recurring, or when granules are shedding across the whole surface. Repeated repairs on an old roof rarely work out cheaper.
How long does a roof last?
Three-tab asphalt around 20 years, architectural asphalt around 28, metal 45 to 50, tile 55, slate 80 or more. Ventilation matters as much as material — a poorly ventilated attic can take years off any roof.
Is roof repair tax deductible?
Not for your own home in the ordinary case. Repairs on a rental property are generally deductible as an expense, while a full replacement is usually capitalized and depreciated. Energy efficiency credits can apply to certain roofing products. Worth confirming with a tax professional for your own situation.
Do I need a permit?
In most US jurisdictions, yes, for a full replacement. Your contractor normally pulls it and includes the fee. Skipping it can cause problems at resale and can give an insurer grounds to question a later claim.
Where these figures come from
Rates are cross-checked against 2026 published pricing from HomeGuide, Angi, HomeAdvisor,
NerdWallet and Modernize, then adjusted for pitch, waste and region. Published national
averages cluster around $9,500 because the average US roof is smaller than most people
assume — 1,300 to 1,800 sq ft. Depreciation is modeled straight-line against material
lifespan; carriers use their own schedules and some cap payouts by roof age. These are
ranges for planning, not quotes, and nothing here is a coverage determination.
Evidence trail
Reviewed 4 Aug 2026Sources used to check this model
Primary public references anchor labor, price movement and insurance terminology. Calculator rates remain planning assumptions tested against published market ranges.
U.S. labor referenceBLS: Roofers
Price movementBLS Producer Price Index
Insurance termsNAIC: ACV and replacement cost
These organizations do not endorse ReplaceCost. Local contractor quotes, permits, product specifications and the written insurance policy control the real result. See the full methodology for the source hierarchy and update process.