Metal Roof Cost in California
In the 2025 Cost vs. Value report, tearing off an old roof and installing 3,000 square feet of prefinished standing-seam metal on a simple hip roof was estimated at $62,069 in Los Angeles, $64,936 in San Francisco, $55,266 in Modesto, $54,356 in Sacramento and $48,068 in Fresno, against $51,865 nationally. By our arithmetic that's about $1,600 to $2,165 per square, and about $2,069 in Los Angeles. On the same roof, the report's shingle job came to $36,417 in Los Angeles, so the metal one cost about 70% more, and 70% to 75% more in each California market the report covers. Planning tables expect a metal roof to last two to two and a half times as long as an asphalt one, so spread over its expected life it can cost less per year; those are averages, not a promise for one roof. On a real roof, the panel type, the slope, the underlayment, the coating and the coast, the Class A listing, solar and the tear-off move the price. Metal is still uncommon on Los Angeles houses: of the City's 105,779 house re-roof permits since 2010, 61 describe a metal roof, though most permits don't name the covering. This page sets out the figures as of October 2026.
How standing-seam and exposed-fastener panels differ is in standing seam vs exposed-fastener metal roofs, and the published figures for shingle in how much a new roof costs in Los Angeles.
The 2025 figures across California
The report prices one defined metal project in each market: the old roofing off to bare sheathing, an ice-barrier membrane at the perimeter, premium synthetic underlayment, and 3,000 square feet of prefinished standing-seam panels with matching drip edge, gable trim and vented ridge flashing, on a rectangular hip roof with two skylights.
| Market | Metal job cost | Per square | Against the national metal figure | Against shingle in the same market |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $64,936 | about $2,165 | about 25% higher | about 70% more |
| Los Angeles | $62,069 | about $2,069 | about 20% higher | about 70% more |
| Modesto | $55,266 | about $1,842 | about 7% higher | about 75% more |
| Sacramento | $54,356 | about $1,812 | about 5% higher | about 71% more |
| Fresno | $48,068 | about $1,602 | about 7% lower | about 72% more |
| National | $51,865 | about $1,729 | — | about 63% more |
The per-square figures and percentages are our arithmetic on the report's job costs. The report builds its costs from national price indexes and Verisk's local remodeling cost data, so they're estimates for a defined project at 2025 costs, not contract prices.
Over the roof's expected life
Planning tables list metal roofs at 50 years of expected useful life (HUD) or 40 (Fannie Mae), against 20 for asphalt shingles in both. Spread over those lives, by our arithmetic, the report's Los Angeles metal roof comes to about $1,240 a year on HUD's figure or $1,550 on Fannie Mae's, against about $1,820 for the shingle roof. The tables are budgeting averages, the report's costs are one year's estimates, and a house that's sold before the roof is old doesn't collect the longer life; at resale, the same report has the Los Angeles metal roof recouping 48.7% of its cost against 73.6% for shingle, as covered in does a new roof add home value?
What moves a metal roof's price
The report's roof is simple. These are the lines that differ on a real Los Angeles house.
| Factor | What changes | More |
|---|---|---|
| Panel type | Standing seam with hidden clips, or exposed-fastener panels screwed through the face | Standing seam vs exposed fastener |
| Slope | The code's minimums are ¼:12 for standing seam, ½:12 for lapped seams with sealant and 3:12 without (CRC R905.10.2), and a panel's own rating can be steeper | Minimum roof slope by material |
| Metal and coating | Steel or aluminum, the metallic coating and the paint system, each with its own warranty terms | Standing seam vs exposed fastener |
| The coast | Near salt water, fasteners and flashing to coastal specifications, and warranties that can exclude areas close to the ocean (Metal Sales' Galvalume warranty doesn't apply within 1,500 feet of salt water) | Coastal roofing and salt air |
| Fire class | A Class A listing for the whole assembly in a fire zone | The Class A roof rating |
| Cool roof | Replacing more than half the roof calls for a rated cool product in much of Los Angeles and anywhere in the City of Los Angeles, which sets the colors | CRRC cool roof ratings |
| What comes off | The old layers down to the deck, and any rotted deck replaced | Rotted roof decking and your estimate |
| Solar | Clamps on standing seams, or flashed mounts through exposed-fastener panels | Standing seam vs exposed fastener |
| A look-alike | Stone-coated steel shaped like tile or shake is its own product and price | Stone-coated steel roofing |
What to ask for in a metal quote
1. The panel by name: maker, profile, gauge or thickness, metallic coating and paint system.
- The slope it's rated for, against your roof's lowest plane.
- The underlayment and what goes at the eaves and valleys.
- The trim: drip edge, rakes, ridge, valleys and wall flashings, all named.
- The fasteners or clips, and on the coast, their material.
- The fire listing for the assembly if you're in a fire zone, and the cool-roof rating if the rule applies.
- The warranties: panel, paint and the installer's workmanship, each in writing, with any coastal exclusion stated.
Frequently asked
How much does a metal roof cost in California?
How much more does metal cost than shingle?
Is a metal roof cheaper over its life?
How common are metal roofs in Los Angeles?
Does a metal roof work with solar?
Related reading
Sources & methodology
Code sections, rules and figures on this page come from the primary sources below. Codes, local requirements and product terms change; each was verified October 14, 2026.
- Journal of Light Construction, 2025 Cost vs. Value Report, market pages for Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, Modesto and Fresno
- Journal of Light Construction, Cost vs. Value 2025: Roofing Replacement, Metal (project description, June 21, 2025)
- Journal of Light Construction, Cost vs. Value 2025 Methodology (September 18, 2025)
- California Residential Code 2025, Chapter 9, Roof Assemblies (R905.10.2)
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Mortgagee Letter 2016-26, Attachment A: Standard Table of Estimated Useful Life
- Fannie Mae, Form 4099.F, Appendix F: Estimated Useful Life Tables, August 2019
- Los Angeles Municipal Code, Section 99.04.106.5, Cool Roof for Reduction of Heat Island Effect (as amended by Ordinance 187,208)
Weighing metal against shingle? We'll price the shingle side
Call (323) 844-7777. If you're comparing a metal quote with shingle, we measure the roof, check the slope, the deck and the details, and price the shingle option line by line on the same scope, so the two can be compared. Have ready the address and the metal quote you have.
Prepared by Cali Energy, October 14, 2026. This article is for general educational purposes only and is not legal, tax, financial, engineering, or utility advice. Rates, incentives, codes, permit requirements, equipment specifications, prices, and program terms may change; figures and timelines are estimates, not guarantees. Confirm current requirements with the applicable utility, AHJ, program administrator, manufacturer, or a licensed professional. See our Content Disclaimer. Cali Energy · 19201 Parthenia St, Unit E, Northridge, CA 91324 · CSLB #1032379 (B, C-10, C-39)