Roofing Products Comparison

Most homes in America are roofed with asphalt shingles. While asphalt is a good roofing system, there are many other state-of-the-art roofing products to choose from as compared in the chart below.

How to install or fix, how often to replace, and how much a particular roof system or roof replacement costs is based on a number of factors including, brand, profile, product, installation methods, slope, underlayments, age, complexity, height of building, tear-off requirements, waste factor, accessories, travel cost, warranties, the number of existing roofing layers, etc. Accordingly, the prices in the chart below are based on average circumstances.

We understand that choosing the best roof for your circumstances can be challenging. Let one of our professional roofing specialists help. Check out this article regarding the 5 Main Styles of Residential Roofing or contact us for more information and a free estimate.

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Stone Coated Steel Composite Asphalt Shingles Concrete Metal Panel
Roofing Material Stone Coated Steel
Steel core product that looks like Shake, Tile or Shingle.
Composite
Synthetic Polymer product that looks like Tile, Slate and Shake.
Asphalt Shingles
Architectural Shingles.
Concrete
Manufactured product that looks like Tile, Slate and Shake.
Metal Panel
Standing Seam & other vertical metal panels.
Manufacturer Unified Steel (Boral, Gerard) / DECRA / Varitile / Tilcor / Roser DaVinci / CeDUR / Inspire / Brava CertainTeed / GAF / Owens Corning / TAMKO / Malarkey Newpoint (Westlake, Boral) Various / We Fabricate Our Own
Curb Appeal / Aesthetics Excellent - Much better look than standard shingles. Excellent - Looks like the real thing. Good - Greatest variety of colors. Excellent - Looks like the real thing. Excellent - Specific look. Paint may eventually fade.
Lifespan 50+ Years 50+ Years 15-25 Years 50+ Years 50+ Years
Installed Price $7.00-19.00/sq-ft $9.00-24.00/sq-ft $4.50-15.00/sq-ft $7.00-21.00/sq-ft $6.50-22.00/sq-ft
Energy Efficiency Excellent Excellent Moderate Excellent Excellent
Hail Resistance Excellent Excellent Moderate - Often has to be replaced after a large hail storm. Moderate - May be subject to breakage in high hail impact areas. Good - denting may be more visible
Wind Resistance Excellent Excellent Moderate Good Excellent
Fire Resistance Excellent Excellent - Depending on system. Moderate Good Excellent
Freeze/Thaw - Ice Dam Resistant Excellent Excellent Moderate Good Excellent
Earthquake Excellent - Provides added Shear Strength. Excellent Good Poor Excellent
Maintenance Required Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Weight Excellent - 1.5 lbs./sq-ft. Excellent - 2.5-3.7 lbs./sq-ft. Good - 3-4 lbs./sq-ft. Poor - 6-15 lbs./sq-ft. Excellent - 0.7-1.5 lbs./sq-ft.
Walkability Moderate - Edges can be walked on but should be done with caution. Good - Can be slippery. Excellent Poor Good - Can be slippery.
Points To Consider One of the least known but best products on the market. Great looking at a fraction of the price and weight of real Slate/Shake. Lowest cost but will need to be replaced the most often. May require reinforced framing. Better when thicker product is used (22 ga).

Three-tab asphalt shingles, traditional tile, stone slate and wood shake products were excluded from this comparison due to the superior cost/benefit advantages of modern roofing products. However, Roofing Force is an expert installer of traditional roofing materials and we often install real wood shake, traditional tile and real stone slate products as budgets and specifications stipulate.

* Chart provides general comparison information. Refer to manufacturer literature and warranties for more complete information.