Metal Roof vs. Asphalt Shingles in Western Washington: Cost, Lifespan and Which to Choose

Every roofing estimate we write in Snohomish or King County ends with the same question: is metal worth it here? Western Washington is a better case for metal than most of the country, and also one where a good asphalt roof lasts longer than its reputation. The honest answer depends on how long you plan to own the house, so here are the numbers to decide with.

Installed cost in 2026

Roofs are priced by the square, 100 square feet of roof surface. A typical single-family house around Seattle has 20 to 28 squares once pitch and overhangs are counted. Installed ranges we see across the two counties, including tear-off of one layer, synthetic underlayment, ice-and-water shield, new flashing, ridge venting and disposal:

• Architectural asphalt shingles: $550–$900 per square, so $14,000–$24,000 on a 24-square house.
• Standing-seam metal: $1,300–$2,200 per square, so $30,000–$55,000 on the same house. Exposed fastener metal panels run $900–$1,400 per square but trade away much of metal’s advantage, since every screw is a future leak.

The full picture of what moves a roof inside those ranges, from layers to rotten sheathing to cut-up roof lines, is in our Seattle roof replacement cost guide. The comparison below assumes the same house and the same tear-off, so the difference is the material.

Lifespan in eight wet months a year

Asphalt here is honestly 25 to 30 years for an architectural shingle, if two things are true: the attic is ventilated so the shingles do not cook from below, and the moss is kept off. A shaded north slope under a fir tree can lose a decade to moss alone. Three-tab shingles, still on a lot of 1990s houses, are closer to 18 to 22 years in this climate.

Standing-seam metal is 40 to 60 years. It does not hold moss, it sheds needles, and the finish on a quality Kynar-coated panel is warranted for 30 to 35 years against fading and chalking. The failure point on a metal roof is almost never the panel; it is a penetration flashing or a bad detail at a wall, which is why installation quality matters more than the brand.

Put the two together and the math is simple. Over 50 years a house gets two asphalt roofs at roughly $19,000 each in today’s dollars, or one metal roof at roughly $42,000. Asphalt still costs less in total, but the gap is narrow and metal saves one tear-off, one permit, one disruption and 25 years of moss treatments along the way.

Where metal wins outright

• Low-slope sections. Asphalt shingles are not rated below a 2:12 pitch, and in practice leak on anything under 4:12 that holds water. Mid-century roofs, carports and the flat run over an addition need membrane or metal. Standing seam with sealed seams works down to about 1:12.
• Trees overhead. Needles and moss slide off metal and lodge on asphalt. If the house sits under big firs or cedars, which describes half of Edmonds, Snohomish and Mukilteo, metal pays back in maintenance alone.
• Snow and wind. Metal sheds snow and, properly clipped, carries higher wind ratings than most shingles. It is the better roof for exposed waterfront and ridge lots.
• A house you are keeping. If this is the roof you will have when you retire, buy it once.

Where asphalt wins

• Budget and timing. It is less than half the cost, and a 24-square asphalt roof is two to three days of work against a week or more for metal.
• A sale inside ten years. Metal adds value and shows well, but it rarely returns its full premium in a short hold. Our remodel ROI guide covers which exterior projects recover the most.
• Complex roofs. Every valley, dormer and hip on a metal roof is a hand-formed detail. On a cut-up roof the metal premium climbs well past two times, and asphalt handles the complexity cheaply.
• Matching the neighborhood. In some HOAs and some streets of 1990s builder homes, a metal roof simply does not fit, and the resale effect runs the other way.

The myths, settled

Noise. A metal roof over solid sheathing, underlayment and an insulated attic is not meaningfully louder than asphalt from inside the house. The loud metal roof is a barn roof over open rafters.

Lightning. Metal does not attract lightning. It is non-combustible, which is a point in its favor, not against.

Insurance. Some carriers discount a Class A fire and Class 4 impact-rated roof, and both materials come in rated versions. Ask your agent before you choose; the discount is on the rating, not the material.

Walking on it. You can walk on standing seam if you know where to step. Asphalt is more forgiving for the gutter cleaner, and asphalt is easier to patch after a chimney sweep drops a tool.

Which one we recommend, and when

For most of the houses we reroof, from Everett ramblers to Bothell two-stories, architectural asphalt in a Class 4 shingle with a real ventilation plan is the sensible default, and the Western Washington roofing materials guide goes into the shingle lines we trust. We steer people to standing seam when the roof is low-slope, heavily treed, exposed to wind, or when the owner tells us this is the last roof they want to buy. Either way, the roof is only as good as its flashing, so check whether yours needs replacing at all before you choose, and if it is a single leak, a repair is often the right call.

ENF installs both. Because we also do siding and gutters, the fascia and top-course siding that a tear-off exposes get fixed in the same week under the same contract. We reroof across Everett, Seattle, Edmonds and the rest of Snohomish and King County, and every roofing estimate is a written parts list priced both ways if you ask.

Price your roof both ways →