We use cookies to measure our ads and improve this site. By continuing, you agree. Privacy Policy
Metal roof vs shingles comes down to time and money: standing seam metal lasts longer, weighs less and, in a light finish, reflects more of the sun’s heat, while asphalt shingles cost less up front and are easier to repair. Metal suits owners who plan to stay for decades, especially in hot inland areas; shingles suit a set budget or a shorter time in the house.
This guide compares the two on the points that matter here: sun and heat, cool roof rules, fire ratings, weight, repairs, noise and cost. To compare them on your own house, book a free roof inspection and estimate and ask for both materials to be priced on the same scope.
| What you are weighing | Asphalt shingles | Standing seam metal |
|---|---|---|
| Up-front cost | Lower: common material, quick to install, widely installed | Higher: costlier material, specialized crew, custom-bent trim |
| Expected life | Shorter; InterNACHI notes that hot climates drastically reduce asphalt shingle life | Longer; upkeep centers on sealants, flashing and fasteners |
| Heat: share of sunlight reflected | Dark conventional shingles 4 to 5%; cool-pigment shingles about 25 to 27% (EPA typical ranges) | Cool-pigment finishes about 40 to 70%, white about 60 to 70% (EPA typical ranges) |
| Fire rating | Can be listed Class A (check the product data sheet) | Class A as a tested assembly over a wood deck; in fire zones, profiles with an air space need a cap sheet or a Class A-tested underlayment |
| Weight | About 2 to 3.5 lb per sq ft, 3.5 to 5 for thick textured shingles | About 1 to 3 lb per sq ft |
| Minimum roof pitch (2025 California Residential Code) | 2 in 12, with double underlayment up to 4 in 12 | 1/4 in 12 for standing seam |
| Repairs | Single shingles can be replaced and color-matched | Damage involves a whole panel, a larger piece to repair or replace |
| Look | Traditional; wide range of colors and textures | Clean modern lines, or metal shingles and tiles that copy other materials |
Sources for the figures: InterNACHI’s life expectancy chart, the EPA’s cool roofs compendium, a metal panel manufacturer’s published weights and the 2025 California codes (details in the sections below).
Metal lasts longer, and heat is hard on shingles: InterNACHI, the home inspectors’ association, notes in its life expectancy chart that hot climates drastically reduce asphalt shingle life. That matters in the inland valleys of Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties, where summer afternoons run hotter than on the coast (a normal August high of 93.1°F at Van Nuys Airport against 84.0°F in downtown Los Angeles, NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals). For a specific product, the manufacturer’s warranty terms are a concrete reference, so ask for them in writing.
The two roofs also age differently. Shingles wear from the top: the protective granules wash off, the asphalt dries and the sealant strips that hold each tab down weaken, so the first warning signs are bare patches, curling and granules in the gutters. Metal panels outlast the layers around them: on a well-built metal roof the first maintenance items are usually sealant at penetrations, flashing details and, on exposed-fastener panels, the rubber washers under the screws. Standing seam hides its fasteners inside the seams, so it has no exposed screws to maintain.
For either roof, we recommend annual inspections, particularly after severe weather; our roofing maintenance services page explains what a maintenance visit covers.
Metal in a light or cool-pigment finish handles heat better, because it reflects more sunlight. In the EPA’s cool roofs compendium, black or dark brown conventional shingles reflect only 4 to 5%, cool-pigment shingles about 25 to 27%, cool-pigment metal 40 to 70% and white-painted metal 60 to 70%. A roof that reflects more heat keeps the attic, and the rooms under it, cooler on a summer afternoon.
Rules decide part of this for you. In the City of Los Angeles, a steep-slope home roof replaced over more than half its area must reach a three-year aged solar reflectance of at least 0.25 with thermal emittance of 0.85, or a Solar Reflectance Index of 20, under the City’s Green Building Code.
The EPA figures are typical ranges, while the City’s test uses the three-year aged value of the exact product, and finishes within one material vary widely. Before you choose a color, check the product’s aged values in the Cool Roof Rating Council directory, because the rating belongs to the exact product and color, not to the material in general.
Both can meet the standard. In a Fire Hazard Severity Zone or a wildland-urban interface area, the 2025 California Residential Code sends roofing to the California Wildland-Urban Interface Code (Title 24, Part 7), which requires a roof assembly with a Class A fire classification under the ASTM E108 or UL 790 test; the City of Los Angeles also bars wood shakes and wood shingles in its Very High zones.
Asphalt shingles can be listed Class A as well (a common architectural shingle line lists ASTM E108 / UL 790 Class A on its data sheet), so check the rating for the exact product.
Metal counts as Class A without a test only over a noncombustible deck. Over the plywood deck of a typical house, the panel and its underlayment have to form a tested Class A assembly.
Where a metal profile leaves an air space under the covering over a wood deck, the code requires either a 72-pound mineral-surfaced cap sheet over the deck or a listed underlayment tested as part of a Class A assembly, plus bird stops at the eaves and mudded-in hip and ridge caps, so embers cannot lodge in the gap. Ask any contractor which listed assembly they are installing, for either material.
Metal is the lighter option. A metal panel manufacturer’s published figures put standing seam at about 1 to 3 pounds per square foot, against 2 to 3.5 for standard asphalt shingles, 3.5 to 5 for heavy textured shingles and 5.5 to 10 for clay or concrete tile. Moving from shingles to metal typically lightens the roof, and replacing tile with either material takes substantial weight off the framing.
The deck underneath matters too. The 2025 California Residential Code requires asphalt shingles to be fastened to wood structural panels or solid lumber sheathing, and some older houses turn out to have an old wood shake layer and no plywood deck once the shingles come off. Shingles then need a new solid deck; the code also allows metal roof panels on spaced lumber sheathing, so ask what the panel maker’s instructions and the assembly listing require. Deck work like this is part of why two roofs of the same size can be priced very differently.
Metal costs more up front. Exact numbers only come from measuring your roof, because the same factors move both prices:
For this route, see our asphalt shingle roof replacement service, part of our roof replacement page.
Our metal roofing services page covers standing seam, metal shingle and metal tile systems and the metals we install.
For long life, heat reflection and weight, yes; for up-front cost, ease of repair and a traditional look, shingles are better. The right answer depends mostly on how long you will own the house and how much you can spend now.
Not by much on a house with a solid deck and underlayment: the Metal Roofing Alliance, the metal roofing industry’s trade group, says there is little difference between metal and other materials in noise from rain or hail.
Sometimes. The 2025 California Residential Code allows a new covering over an existing one in limited cases, including standing seam systems that carry their loads to the building’s structure, but never when the existing roof is water-soaked or deteriorated, when it is slate, clay or cement tile, or when it already has two or more layers. A full tear-off is the only way to see the deck and repair it, so ask whether an estimate assumes a tear-off or a recover.
We’ve installed hundreds of metal roofing systems throughout Los Angeles County, Orange County, and Ventura County, and we replace shingle roofs across the same three counties from offices in Los Angeles, Sherman Oaks and Irvine. Call us or request a free roof inspection, and ask for both materials to be priced on the same scope so you can compare them line by line.