Metal Roofing Calculator
Estimate metal roof panels by coverage width and cut length — total panels, linear feet, screws or clips, ridge cap and trim — with U.S. per-square-foot pricing, a panel-type comparison, and a downloadable PDF.
Panel coverage widths and prices vary by profile and gauge — confirm with your supplier. Prices use 2024-2025 U.S. figures. For planning purposes only.
| Panel Profile | Coverage | Panels | Panel Cost |
|---|
Panel material only, for your 14.8 squares at a 17.9 ft panel length & typical U.S. prices.
How to use the metal roofing calculator
Four quick steps turn your roof size into a full panel order — total panels and linear feet, plus ridge cap, trim, fasteners, and underlayment — with U.S. pricing, a panel-profile comparison, and a downloadable PDF.
Enter your roof size
Type the building length × width and pick a pitch, or enter your true roof area directly.
Choose your panel
Pick a profile — coverage width, price per square foot, and panel length auto-fill for you.
Add trim & fasteners
Set ridge cap, eave/rake trim, screws or clips, underlayment, and optional labor.
Read it & save a PDF
Get total panels, linear feet, fastener count, and a full cost breakdown to download.
How the panel count is calculated
It all comes down to how much roof one panel covers. Find your true roof area, add waste, then divide by each panel’s coverage — width times length — and round up. Here is the exact math.
Worked example — 40 × 30 ft home, 6/12 pitch, 36 in R-panel
Roof area: 40 × 30 × 1.118 ≈ 1,342 sq ft
With waste: 1,342 × 1.10 ≈ 1,476 sq ft = 14.8 squares
Panel coverage: (36 ÷ 12) × 17.9 = 53.7 sq ft each
Panels: ⌈1,476 ÷ 53.7⌉ = 28 panels ≈ 501 linear ft
Screws: ⌈14.76 × 80⌉ = 1,181 (5 boxes)
28 panels + ridge cap, trim & underlayment ≈ $3,190 in materials, about $216 / square.
Metal roofing coverage & cost charts
Handy lookups for the questions people ask most — panel profiles and coverage, how coverage width and length set panel area, fasteners, minimum pitch, and typical U.S. costs. Everything follows from the roofing square: 100 square feet of roof.
| Panel Profile | Coverage | Fastening | ~Price / sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corrugated steel | 36 in | Exposed screws | $1.20 |
| Ribbed / R-panel | 36 in | Exposed screws | $1.60 |
| 5V crimp | 24 in | Exposed screws | $1.85 |
| Standing seam steel | 16 in | Concealed clips | $3.50 |
| Aluminum standing seam | 16 in | Concealed clips | $4.75 |
Coverage width is the finished width after the side lap or seam — always narrower than the raw panel. Confirm coverage and gauge with your supplier before ordering.
| Coverage width | Per ft of length | 12 ft panel | 16 ft panel | 20 ft panel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 in | 3.0 sf | 36.0 | 48.0 | 60.0 |
| 24 in | 2.0 sf | 24.0 | 32.0 | 40.0 |
| 16 in | 1.33 sf | 16.0 | 21.3 | 26.7 |
Divide your roof area (with waste) by the per-panel coverage to get the panel count, then round up. Narrower panels mean more pieces for the same roof.
| Item | Typical rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Exposed-fastener screws | ~80 / square | Field plus closer spacing at eaves, ridges & laps |
| Standing seam clips | ~30 / square | Concealed; seams do most of the holding |
| Underlayment | 1 roll / ~1,000 sf | Synthetic; high-temp ice-and-water at eaves/valleys |
Rates are guides — always follow the panel manufacturer’s fastener pattern and spacing, which tightens on steep pitches and high-wind zones.
| Profile | Minimum pitch | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Standing seam (seamed) | ~1/4:12 – 1/2:12 | The lowest-slope metal option |
| 5V crimp | ~2.5/12 – 3/12 | Exposed fastener, classic look |
| R-panel / corrugated | ~3/12 (1/12 w/ sealant) | Closures and sealant for low slopes |
| Asphalt shingles (for comparison) | 2/12 | Metal beats shingles on low slopes |
Metal handles far lower slopes than shingles, but always follow the manufacturer’s rated minimum — going below it can void the warranty.
| Component | Typical cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Exposed-fastener steel | $1–$2 / sq ft | Panel material only |
| Standing seam steel / aluminum | $3–$6 / sq ft | Panel material only |
| Ridge cap & trim | $2–$5 / linear ft | Ridge, hip, eave, and rake |
| Installation labor | $300–$700 / square | Higher for standing seam |
Planning ranges only. Underlayment, closures, sealant, fasteners, tear-off, and disposal are extra — get local quotes for a firm number.
A metal roof order is panels plus a trim kit. Panels run full-length from eave to ridge and are counted by coverage; the ridge cap, trim, fasteners, and underlayment are ordered separately by the linear foot, box, or roll.
- Panels — the field, counted by coverage width × cut length.
- Ridge cap & trim — finish the peaks, hips, eaves, and rakes, by the linear foot.
- Fasteners & underlayment — screws or clips by the box, underlayment by the roll.
Everything the calculator works out
One roof, entered any way you like, comes back as a complete metal-roof order — panels, trim, fasteners, and underlayment, priced out.
Key figures behind metal roofing
Built for anyone pricing a metal roof
From a barn or shed to a full standing-seam reroof, the same calculator turns a roof size into panels, trim, and a materials price.
Putting exposed-fastener panels on a barn, shed, or cabin and needs the panel and screw count.
- Enter size and pitch, get panels
- Order lengths to reach eave to ridge
- Count trim, closures, and screws
Turning a footprint into panels, trim, fasteners, and a materials price fast when quoting work.
- Compare profiles by panel count
- Add ridge, trim & underlayment
- Read cost per square instantly
Weighing standing seam against exposed-fastener or shingles before committing to a reroof.
- See how coverage width shifts cost
- Split materials from labor
- Save the PDF to shop quotes
7 tips for ordering metal roofing
Small habits keep your panel and trim counts right, whether you’re roofing a shed or a standing-seam house.
Metal roofing calculator FAQ
The coverage, cost, fastener, and pitch questions people ask most.
Divide your roof area by the coverage area of one panel. A panel covers its coverage width times its cut length — a 36-inch-wide panel cut to 17.9 feet covers about 53.7 square feet.
Take your roof area, add about 10% for waste, divide by that per-panel coverage, then round up. A 1,476 square foot roof needs roughly 28 of those panels, plus ridge cap, eave and rake trim, and fasteners ordered separately.
Metal roofing is sold by the panel, priced either per panel or per square foot of coverage. Panels come in a fixed coverage width — commonly 36 inches for exposed-fastener panels and 16 inches for standing seam — and are cut to length to run from eave to ridge.
Roofers still talk in squares, where one square is 100 square feet. Your roof area divided by 100 gives the squares, and coverage width times panel length gives each panel’s coverage area.
Exposed-fastener panels — corrugated, R-panel, and 5V — are screwed straight through the face into the deck or purlins. They’re cheaper and DIY-friendly, but the rubber-washered screws need eventual replacement.
Standing seam panels hide their fasteners: concealed clips hold the panels and the raised seams lock together, so nothing penetrates the weather surface. Standing seam costs more but generally lasts longer and resists leaks better.
Exposed-fastener panels use roughly 80 screws per square — that’s per 100 square feet — counting the field plus the closer spacing at eaves, ridges, and side laps. A 15-square roof is about 1,200 screws.
Standing seam uses far fewer exposed fasteners, usually concealed clips at around 30 per square, because the seams do the holding. Always follow the panel manufacturer’s fastener pattern.
Metal panels run about $1 to $2 per square foot for exposed-fastener steel and roughly $3 to $6 for standing seam steel or aluminum, before trim, fasteners, and underlayment.
Installed, a metal roof typically runs about $8 to $16 per square foot, or roughly $800 to $1,600 per square, with standing seam at the top of the range. Region, gauge, tear-off, and roof complexity all move the number.
It depends on the profile. Mechanically seamed standing seam can go as low as about a quarter-in-12 to a half-in-12, and many exposed-fastener panels down to about 3/12, or 1/12 with sealant and closures.
That low-slope ability is a big advantage over asphalt shingles, which generally want 2/12 as an absolute minimum. Always follow the manufacturer’s rated minimum slope to keep the warranty valid.
Yes. Underlayment goes between the deck and the metal to shed any water that gets past the panels, block moisture, and cut condensation and noise. Synthetic underlayment is common, with a high-temperature ice-and-water membrane at eaves, valleys, and in cold climates.
One roll typically covers several hundred to about a thousand square feet, so divide your roof area with waste by the roll coverage to find how many rolls you need.
Often yes — metal is light enough to go over one existing layer of shingles in many areas, which saves the cost of tear-off. Most installers add a slip sheet, or furring strips and purlins, to create a flat, ventilated base and avoid telegraphing the old shingle lines.
Check local code and the panel manufacturer’s instructions first, since some require a solid deck or limit the number of existing layers underneath.
General Estimating Notice: This calculator estimates metal roof panels, linear feet, ridge/hip cap, eave and rake trim, fasteners, and underlayment from your roof size and panel profile, using standard coverage figures. Panel coverage widths, gauges, and prices vary by profile and supplier — always confirm before ordering. Prices use 2024–2025 U.S. figures and exclude closures, sealant, flashing, tear-off, disposal, and permits. Follow the panel manufacturer’s fastening pattern and minimum-slope rating, meet local building code, and take full safety precautions on the roof. For planning purposes only.