How Much Does a Metal Roof Cost in New Jersey?

A roofing cost guide’s New Jersey page puts a steel standing seam roof at $27,965 to $34,850. That price covers a typical 1,700-square-foot roof, and the paint coating sets where it lands. The same page prices architectural asphalt shingles on that roof at $13,515.

Steel panels with exposed fasteners cost less there, at $18,105 to $22,610. A national remodeling survey also puts metal well above shingles in the Philadelphia market, just across the Delaware River. These are market numbers, not our price list. Our metal roofing page covers how the job itself runs.

What does a metal roof cost compared with asphalt shingles?

The New Jersey page prices each roof type on the same 1,700-square-foot roof with a 6/12 pitch. Its prices include the standard parts, such as underlayment and flashing. They also include $1.50 a square foot for tear-off and disposal.

PVDF is a higher-grade paint finish, and it costs more than the basic coating. On this page, steel standing seam costs about two to two and a half times as much as architectural shingles. One national cost guide says metal roofing runs 2 to 4 times the price of asphalt shingles up front.

The New Jersey page also says construction costs in the state run about 25 to 30 percent above the U.S. average. If shingles are still in the running, our asphalt shingle roof replacement page covers that job.

Standing seam or exposed fastener panels: what is the price gap?

A standing seam roof uses vertical metal panels joined at raised seams. The fasteners sit hidden under the panels. Exposed fastener panels are ribbed or corrugated sheets screwed down through the face, so every screw shows.

The national cost guide prices the common metal roof styles like this.

On the New Jersey page, steel standing seam runs $5.80 a square foot more than steel exposed fastener panels. On the 1,700-square-foot roof, that gap comes to $9,860.

The national guide says hidden fasteners make a more watertight roof that lasts longer. Exposed fastener roofs wear faster, it says, since their screws sit out in the weather. Metal also swells and shrinks with heat and cold, which can loosen fasteners over time.

What else moves the price of a metal roof?

• Tear-off. Removing the old roof runs $1 to $3 a square foot in both guides.
• Decking. Replacing rotted roof deck costs $2 to $5 a square foot, the national guide says.
• Gauge. A lower gauge number means thicker metal, and thicker metal costs more. The guide says most homes get 24- or 26-gauge metal.
• Coating. PVDF paint adds $2.65 to $4.05 a square foot on steel, by the New Jersey page.
• Pitch and shape. Steep or cut-up roofs can cost up to 30 percent more, the New Jersey page says.

Can a metal roof go over your old shingles?

Sometimes. New Jersey’s code for existing buildings says when the old roof must come off first. It comes off when it is water soaked, too worn to hold new roofing or already two layers deep.

Wood shake, slate and tile roofs always come off. So a cedar shake roof is torn off before metal goes on. The national guide says a layover saves on labor and disposal. It warns the extra layer can add too much weight and trap damage that can no longer be fixed.

How long does a metal roof last next to asphalt shingles?

A home inspectors’ association chart gives a metal roof 40 to 80 years. It gives architectural asphalt shingles 30 years and three-tab shingles 20. The national cost guide gives metal 30 to 80 years or more, and asphalt 15 to 30.

For humid climates, that guide puts corrugated metal at 30 to 50 years and standing seam longer.

Spread over the chart’s 30 years, the New Jersey page’s architectural shingle roof comes to about $450 a year. Its basic steel standing seam roof comes to about $350 to $700 a year over 40 to 80 years. That math leaves out repairs and upkeep. For the shingle side, read what a shingle roof replacement costs in New Jersey.

Does a metal roof pay off when you sell?

A national remodeling cost survey prices the same jobs every year. Its 2025 edition replaces 3,000 square feet of old roofing on a hip roof with two skylights. One job uses asphalt shingles and the other uses standing seam metal.

In the Philadelphia numbers, the metal roof cost $22,314 more than the shingle roof. The real estate agents surveyed valued it just $639 higher at resale. So metal recouped 41.4 percent of its cost there, against 66.5 percent for asphalt shingles.

The resale values come from a survey of more than 6,000 real estate agents. By these numbers, a metal roof pays back in the years you live under it.

How does a metal roof handle South Jersey snow and ice?

NOAA’s normals for weather stations around Clayton show roughly 13 to 23 inches of snow in an average winter. Winter days thaw and nights refreeze, so ice dams can still form in a cold, snowy spell.

The national guide says snow slides off a smooth metal roof, which cuts down on ice dams. Sliding snow can come down all at once, and the guide says snow guards help prevent that.

New Jersey’s code requires an eave ice barrier only where the average January day is 25 degrees or colder. The state’s code bulletin says that area is Sussex County. In South Jersey it is a choice. The survey’s metal job includes one at the roof edges, and so do the New Jersey page’s prices. Ask whether your quote includes it.

How do you get a real price for a metal roof?

Published ranges are a starting point, and your roof sets the real number. DRK Roofing and Siding installs metal roofs across South Jersey, and Clayton sits at the center of our service area. We come to your home for a free estimate and look at the roof. Then we email you a detailed estimate with the recommended work and the price. Financing is available on request. Call or text (856) 449-4674, or read how we install a metal roof.