Metal Roof vs. Shingles: Which Is Right for Your Home?

"Metal or shingles?" I get asked every week, and the honest answer is shorter than most articles make it. It comes down to aesthetics and longevity, and how long you plan to be in the house.

Here’s what I tell people standing in their driveway.

Metal or shingles? My straight answer

Quick Summary: On a budget, exposed fastener metal, unless you’re in an upscale subdivision, then Duration shingles. Forever home, standing seam metal or Duration Flex. Something with a little more longevity.

If you don’t care about anything other than cost, I’d probably go with an exposed fastener metal roof. Unless you’re in a more upscale subdivision, where I’d probably go with the Owens Corning Duration shingle. They’re very similar in price, and in that kind of neighborhood the look of the shingle tends to win.

If I were on a budget but this was my forever home, if I were 25 years old and never moving, I’d do the standing seam metal, which is the same thing as hidden fastener, or the Duration Flex shingle. One of the two. Something with a little bit more longevity. It’ll come with a price tag, but you buy it once.

How much does a metal roof cost compared to shingles?

Quick Answer: Exposed fastener metal is very similar in price to a Duration shingle roof. Standing seam runs about $11 per square foot installed, so it costs more, and it’s the premium system.

People assume metal is always the expensive choice. It isn’t. Exposed fastener metal, the kind with the screws showing, runs about $6.30 a square foot installed, and on a normal house that lands in the same range as a Duration shingle roof. Standing seam is about $11 a square foot, and that’s the one with the real price gap.

Our metal roofs start at $17,000. Recent jobs ran from $21,730 for an exposed fastener roof in Lagrange to $44,028 for a black hidden fastener roof with new soffit and fascia in Hillsdale. The metal roof cost guide lists all six with what drove each price, and the pricing page puts real shingle jobs next to them.

Two more things that matter to your week. A shingle roof takes one to two days. Metal takes two to four, because it’s more detailed work. And if the roof you want costs more than the roof you budgeted, we sit down with you and complete the Service Finance application together, usually on the iPad.

How long do metal roofs and shingle roofs last?

Quick Answer: A shingle roof usually goes 20 to 30 years depending on the system. Standing seam metal goes 50 and more. Exposed fastener metal depends on its screws, which need attention at 15 to 25 years.

Shingles first. Around here a shingle roof usually lasts 20 to 30 years, and the system matters. Duration Flex has SBS rubber blended into the asphalt so the shingle flexes through freeze and thaw instead of cracking, which is why it’s the one I’d put on a forever home.

Metal doesn’t have one number, and I’d be wary of anyone who gives you one. Standing seam has no exposed screws, and you can see 50-year-old examples on farmhouses all over LaGrange County. Exposed fastener is the same steel, but the rubber washer under every screw wears in the sun. Somewhere between 15 and 25 years those screws need tightening or replacing. Do that and the roof carries on. How long a metal roof really lasts goes through all of it.

Lyle’s Pro Tip

Ask for the price on both. We quote good, better and best on shingles and on metal, so you can see an exposed fastener roof next to a Duration roof on your own house before you decide anything.

Your three metal options and your three shingle options

Quick Summary: Metal: pole barn metal, Shadow Form, and hidden fastener. Shingles: Oakridge, Duration, and Duration Flex. Every estimate we write quotes good, better and best.

On metal, the plain exposed fastener panel is what we call pole barn metal. Shadow Form is an exposed fastener panel with a rib that mimics the hidden fastener look for less money. Hidden fastener, or standing seam, is the top tier. The differences are in standing seam vs exposed fastener.

On shingles, we install Owens Corning only: Oakridge, Duration, and Duration Flex. The reason is SureNail, a reinforced strip in the nailing zone. Duration’s adhesive seals onto that strip, which is a stronger bond than asphalt on asphalt, and it holds in wind. I’ve been through the lineup in the best roof shingles.

Is a metal roof loud when it rains?

Quick Answer: You’ll hear some rain, more so under a cathedral ceiling. It’s not loud loud, and it’s nowhere near the stones in a tin can people picture.

This is the worry I hear most. A lot of people have it in their heads that a metal roof is going to sound like someone throwing gravel at a can every time it rains. It’s not as bad as people make it out to be.

If you have an attic with proper insulation, you won’t hear it much. If you upgrade to a sound barrier under the panels, less again. Cathedral ceilings are different. We have a cathedral ceiling in our living room at home and I can definitely hear it in there. In the bedroom, very little, if any. The full noise article has the decibel numbers.

Does a metal roof lower your insurance or help resale?

Quick Answer: Most homeowners get some kind of break on their premium for a new roof, and Class 4 panels may get a bit more. On resale, a new roof is a new roof. Buyers rarely care which.

Your insurer should have a form for a new roof. We fill it out and send it in to get you a lower premium. I don’t want to make any claims about how much, because some people don’t get a discount at all, but I do know the majority get some sort of break.

Hail rating is where metal may edge ahead. Our 29 gauge exposed fastener panels are a Class 3. Our 26 gauge standing seam is a Class 4, which is the top impact rating, and my guess is a Class 4 gets you a little more discount than a Class 3. That’s an assumption, not a promise. The Metal Roofing Alliance says the same thing: many insurers discount impact-resistant metal, not every one does, so ask your agent.

Resale is simpler. A new roof’s a new roof. The majority of buyers don’t care too much whether it’s metal or shingle, as long as it looks nice and it’s in good condition.

Lyle’s Pro Tip

If you’re going metal for the hail rating, make sure the quote says 26 gauge. A 29 gauge panel is a Class 3 and dents more easily, and that’s the one a cheap quote usually has in it.

Why do so many homeowners switch from shingles to metal?

Quick Answer: A couple of shingles blow off, they’re tired of it, and they want a metal roof. Far more people go shingles to metal than the other way.

We get this a lot. Someone’s had a shingle roof for 10 or 15 years, a few shingles have blown off in a storm, and they’re just tired of it. They want a metal roof and they don’t want to think about it again. Generally it’s shingles going to metal. We’ve had a few go from metal to shingles, but not many.

If it’s a storm that started the conversation, insurance often covers the shingle roof and not the upgrade. Financing covers the gap, and we complete the application with you. Our storm damage guide explains how we handle the claim side.

Metal or shingles: how to decide

Quick Summary: Pick on how long you’re staying and what you want to see from the road. Everything else is manageable.

• Pick metal if you’re staying long term, you never want to re-roof, you’ve got trees and snow to deal with, or you’re tired of shingles blowing off.
• Pick shingles if you’re in a neighborhood where shingles are the look, you’re likely to sell in the next 10 years, or you want the widest choice of colors and profiles at the lower price.
• Either way, ask for good, better and best on both. We quote it that way on every estimate, and the choice is easier with the real numbers in front of you.

Lyle’s Pro Tip

Whichever way you go, the flashings matter more than the material. Roofs fail at the flashings first, metal or shingle, so ask who does them and how.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a metal roof cheaper than shingles in the long run?

Usually. A shingle roof lasts 20 to 30 years, so in 50 years you’d buy two. A standing seam metal roof costs more up front and you buy it once. Exposed fastener metal costs about the same as a Duration shingle roof and outlasts it with a screw change.

How much more does a metal roof cost than shingles in Indiana?

Exposed fastener metal is very similar in price to an Owens Corning Duration shingle roof. Standing seam runs about $11 per square foot installed. Our metal roofs start at $17,000, and recent jobs ran $21,730 to $44,028.

Is a metal roof louder than shingles in the rain?

A bit. With an attic and proper insulation, most people say they can hear it but it isn’t loud. Under a cathedral ceiling you’ll notice it more. A sound barrier under the panels helps.

Does a metal roof lower home insurance in Indiana?

Often. Most homeowners get some kind of break on a new roof, and 26 gauge standing seam carries a Class 4 impact rating that some insurers discount further. Your insurer has a form and we fill it in and send it. Not every company offers it, so ask.

Can I switch from a shingle roof to a metal roof?

Yes, and plenty of homeowners do. We put 1x4 strips over the old shingles or the deck, then the metal panels go on. It’s by far the most common direction people switch, and financing can cover the upgrade to metal that insurance won’t pay for.

Last updated: September 21, 2026