Metal Roof Replacement Cost
Metal roof replacement cost on this sheet is the job after an old metal roof comes off. On a clean 2,000 sq ft gable at 6/12 with one layer removed, standing seam reads $41,100 – $57,000 and exposed-fastener metal reads $13,600 – $29,500 at national average rates (rounded). The first-cover installed bands live on the metal roof installation cost page. An asphalt strip lives on roof replacement cost. This page is the metal coming off, the scrap, a recover over metal, the purlins and deck, repair versus replace, and the hail questions. Compiled September 2026. It is a budget estimate, not a bid.
2,000 sq ft, standing seam metal, 1 layer, tear-off on, national average rates
| Total, rounded | $41,100 – $57,000 |
|---|---|
| Exact total | $41,100 – $56,970 |
| Per sq ft of roof | $20.55 – $28.49 / sq ft |
| Total divided by the roof area you entered, not by billable squares. | |
| Material (allocated) | $21,780 – $29,645 |
| Labor (allocated) | $17,820 – $24,255 |
| Material and labor split is an allocation of the installed cost, not separate quoted figures. | |
| Tear-off and haul-off | $1,100 – $1,870 |
| $50–$85 / square per layer. Source: Industry-typical, 2026. Not dual-sourced; not copied from the asphalt tear-off row. No scrap credit is subtracted. The rate table has no salvage row. | |
| Dumpster and permit allowance | $400 – $1,200 |
| A placeholder. Your city permit and dumpster ticket will differ. | |
| Labor region | national average rates × 1.00 |
| Same roof, recover (tear-off off) | $40,000 – $55,100 |
| Same area, panel, and region, with the metal strip set to $0. One layer. Not a recommendation to recover. | |
How this number is built
Roof area 2,000 sq ft Squares 2,000 ÷ 100 = 20 Waste 10% (gable, 6/12) Billable squares 20 × 1.10 = 22 Installed range $1,800–$2,450 / square (standing seam metal) Installed subtotal 22 × $1,800 – 22 × $2,450 = $39,600 – $53,900 Tear-off $1,100 – $1,870 Dumpster / permit $400 – $1,200 Region national average rates × 1.00 on labor and tear-off Replacement total $41,100 – $56,970 Per sq ft total ÷ 2,000 sq ft = $20.55 – $28.49 Quoted on this page (rounded to $100) $41,100 – $57,000
Rate table updated September 2026. Previous: initial release.
This is a budget estimate, not a bid. Estimates were compiled in September 2026 from published U.S. cost guides. Final price depends on deck condition, penetrations, access, local code, and a contractor's on-site inspection.
What changes when the old metal comes off
The replacement total is the new panel plus the strip. Both stored metal rows use $50 – $85 per square per layer for tear-off. Source: Industry-typical, 2026. Not dual-sourced; not copied from the asphalt tear-off row. On 22 billable squares that line is $1,100 – $1,870 before a ZIP scales labor and tear-off. A second metal layer does not double the panel. It multiplies only the tear-off line by 1.35–1.60, which moves that strip from $1,100 – $1,870 to $1,485 – $2,992. Standing seam on this 2,000 sq ft ticket goes from $41,100 – $57,000 at one layer to $41,500 – $58,100 at two. Exposed-fastener goes from $13,600 – $29,500 to $14,000 – $30,600.
The table is three scopes on one roof. Remove 1 layer is the default replacement. Remove 2 layers is still one new panel and a heavier strip. Recover forces the strip to $0. Scrap, new purlins, and a new deck are outside every cell. Installed per-square bands stay on the installation page.
Removal, a second metal layer, and a recover
| Job | Standing seam | Exposed-fastener |
|---|---|---|
| Remove 1 metal layer | $41,100 – $57,000 | $13,600 – $29,500 |
| Remove 2 metal layers | $41,500 – $58,100 | $14,000 – $30,600 |
| Recover, tear-off off | $40,000 – $55,100 | $12,500 – $27,600 |
Same engine as the ticket. Gable, 6/12, national average rates, rounded to $100. Roof surface, not living area. Scrap credit, new purlins, and a new deck are not in these cells. Recover is the arithmetic with tear-off at $0. It is not a recommendation.
Removing an old metal roof
Stripping metal is not an asphalt peel. Standing seam comes off as long panels, clips, and a field-closed seam. Exposed-fastener metal comes off as screw-down sheets. This rate table stores one tear-off band for both, $50 – $85 per square per layer. That band is not the asphalt strip of $39 – $53 per square. Haul-off sits inside the tear-off line. The dumpster and permit allowance of $400–$1,200 stays either way. A placeholder. Your city permit and dumpster ticket will differ.
Two layers means two applications of covering already on the roof. Under IRC R908.3.1.1 a roof re-cover is not permitted where the existing roof already has two or more applications of any type of roof covering. This ticket will not price Tear-off No once Existing layers is 2. Select 2 layers and removal stays on. The extra dollars are the 1.35–1.60 factor on the strip, not a second panel package.
Scrap credit for the old metal
The rate table has no salvage row. This sheet does not subtract a scrap credit from metal roof replacement cost, and it does not print a price per pound. Steel scrap moves by the week, by the yard, and by whether the panels are bare, Galvalume, or painted. A figure invented here would be a fake bid line. The tear-off number above is the cost to take the metal off and haul it. It is not net of a credit.
Ask three things on the proposal. Who keeps the scrap. Whether any credit is a written line, net of haul, or only a verbal promise. Whether the yard discounts painted or coated panels. A credit that is not on the proposal is not in the price. If the bid is silent, use the tear-off line as the full removal cost.
Overlay on an existing metal roof
Tear-off No means a recover over one existing metal layer. It sets the strip to $0. On this 2,000 sq ft roof that drops the standing seam metal roof cost from $41,100 – $57,000 to $40,000 – $55,100 and exposed-fastener from $13,600 – $29,500 to $12,500 – $27,600, rounded. The gap is the removal line. It is not a recommendation to leave the old metal in place.
A recover that uses the old metal as a base is allowed only when that metal is still adequate. IRC R908.3.1.1 bars a re-cover on a water-soaked or deteriorated covering, and on a roof that already has two or more applications. That is not the second-shingle case on the asphalt page. A standing-seam system that carries its load on new framing, and does not use the old roof as a base, is the separate allowance in IRC R908.3.1. That framing is not on this sheet.
New panels screwed through old ribs often need hat channel so the new fastener is not going into a deck you cannot see. Hat channel and new purlins are outside the rate table. Overlay usually drops you to the manufacturer's base limited warranty, and some brands exclude installations over an existing layer outright. Check the specific product's installation instructions.
Purlins and the deck under the panels
Many exposed-fastener roofs sit on wood or steel purlins with no solid deck. A house standing-seam roof more often sits on plywood or OSB with underlayment. The totals above assume the structure that is already there can take the new fasteners. This sheet does not include purlin or deck reinforcement. The rate table does not cover that line. A contractor prices it separately from the cost per square foot for metal roofing.
Check four things before you compare two bids. Are the purlins straight, or cupped and rusted at the fasteners. Does the spacing match the new panel or clip layout, or will the crew add framing. If there is a deck, does a fastener pull out of soft or wet sheathing. Once one panel is off, is the underlayment dry. A bid that says the purlins stay is a different job from a bid that replaces purlins or sheathing. Assumes a clean rectangle: no deck repair, one layer of penetrations, ground access.
Repair the metal or replace it
The rate table has no repair row, so this page does not print a repair price. A repair and a replacement are different scopes. Averaging them into one number hides which job you are buying.
Repair stays plausible when the damage is local and the structure is dry: a handful of exposed fasteners backing out, one punctured panel, one failed pipe flashing, and purlins or a deck that still hold a screw. Replace when the coating is gone across the field, fasteners are failing in rows, the underlayment is wet as soon as a panel comes off, purlins are rusted or cupped, or the profile is no longer made so a patch panel will not match.
Ask for both scopes in writing when the damage could go either way. The ticket prices only the replacement, with removal on or off.
Hail damage and the questions to ask
This sheet prices a full metal replacement with the removal switch you set. It does not price an insurance settlement, a hail deductible, or an actual-cash-value schedule.
Ask these questions before you accept a number. Does the policy exclude cosmetic damage on metal, so dents without an open seam, a cracked panel, or lost coating sit outside the claim. Is the adjuster calling functional damage or appearance only. Can the existing profile still be ordered, and if it cannot, does the policy treat the mismatch as a full replacement. Is the payout replacement cost or actual cash value, and how is depreciation applied. Who pays code items the old roof does not have: underlayment, an ice barrier, a fastener schedule. Those items are not inside the stored panel band.
Get a repair scope and a tear-off-and-install scope on paper. Compare the replacement scope to the range on this page or the metal roof cost estimator. Compare the repair scope to a contractor. This rate table has nothing to say about a repair price.
Metal roof replacement cost FAQ
How much does metal roof replacement cost?
$41,100 – $57,000 for standing seam and $13,600 – $29,500 for exposed-fastener metal on a clean 2,000 sq ft gable at 6/12 with one metal layer removed, national average rates, rounded. It is a budget estimate, not a bid.
Does metal roof replacement cost include removing the old metal?
Only when Tear-off is Yes. Both stored metal rows use $50 – $85 per square per layer. Source: Industry-typical, 2026. Not dual-sourced; not copied from the asphalt tear-off row. On 22 billable squares that is $1,100 – $1,870 before region. Tear-off No sets that line to $0. That is a recover over one existing metal layer, not a first install.
Can you overlay a new metal roof on an old metal roof?
Only over one sound metal layer, and only if that layer is still adequate as a base. IRC R908.3.1.1 bars a re-cover on a water-soaked or deteriorated covering and on a roof that already has two or more applications. Tear-off No shows $40,000 – $55,100 standing seam and $12,500 – $27,600 exposed-fastener on the default 2,000 sq ft roof, rounded. That is the arithmetic with the strip removed. Hat channel, new purlins, and Overlay usually drops you to the manufacturer's base limited warranty, and some brands exclude installations over an existing layer outright. Check the specific product's installation instructions.
Does a second layer of metal double the replacement?
The panel price does not double. Two layers multiply tear-off by 1.35–1.60. On 2,000 sq ft the standing-seam rounded total moves from $41,100 – $57,000 to $41,500 – $58,100. Exposed-fastener moves from $13,600 – $29,500 to $14,000 – $30,600. This ticket will not price a recover on two layers.
Is there a scrap credit when a metal roof is replaced?
Not on this sheet. The rate table has no salvage row and does not print a price per pound. Ask who keeps the scrap and whether any credit is a written line on the proposal. If the bid is silent, the tear-off line is the full removal cost.
Should I repair a metal roof instead of replacing it?
Repair when the damage is local and the purlins or deck are dry. Replace when the coating, the fasteners, the underlayment, or the purlins have failed across the field, or when a matching panel is no longer made. This page does not print a repair price.
What should I ask after hail on a metal roof?
Whether the policy excludes cosmetic metal damage, whether the adjuster is calling functional damage or dents only, whether the profile can still be matched, whether the payout is replacement cost or actual cash value, and who pays code items the old roof does not have. This ticket prices the replacement scope, not the claim check.
Does my ZIP code change the removal line?
Labor and tear-off move with the state wage ratio. Material stays on the national table. A blank ZIP uses national average rates × 1.00. The removal line moves with that ratio. The stored panel band does not.