Estimate roofing squares, bundles, and total cost by material — 3-tab, architectural, metal, tile, or slate — with roof pitch and waste factored in.
Pick a roof, then adjust the footprint, pitch, and material to match yours.
Not sure of your pitch? 6:12 is the most common — or switch to "I know my roof area" if you've measured it.
You might also find these calculators useful
A new roof is one of the biggest home expenses, and the cost swings widely with your roof's size, slope, and the material you choose. This roofing calculator turns your home's footprint and roof pitch into the actual roof area, converts it to roofing squares (one square = 100 sq ft), adds a waste factor for cuts and ridge caps, and estimates your total project cost across materials — from budget 3-tab asphalt to premium metal, tile, and slate. It also shows the number of shingle bundles for asphalt options. Enter your footprint and pick a material to get an instant, contractor-neutral estimate, plus a side-by-side cost comparison of every material for your roof.
A roofing square is 100 square feet of roof surface — the standard unit roofers use to price materials and labor. To find your roof area, multiply your home's footprint by a pitch multiplier that accounts for the slope (a steeper roof has more surface than the flat area beneath it): a 6:12 pitch multiplies by about 1.118, while a 12:12 multiplies by 1.414. Divide the roof area by 100 to get squares, add 10–15% for waste, then multiply by the installed cost per square for your material. 2026 installed costs per square run roughly: 3-tab asphalt $350–500, architectural asphalt $550–800, premium asphalt up to $1,300, corrugated metal $500–1,200, standing-seam metal $1,000–1,800, concrete tile $700–1,900, clay tile $1,100–2,200, and natural slate $1,780–3,848. Asphalt shingles are sold in bundles (about 3 per square); metal, tile, and slate are not.
Roofing Cost Formula
Get a realistic cost before contacting contractors or comparing quotes.
See how much more metal, tile, or slate costs versus asphalt for your roof.
Find the squares and shingle bundles to order for a DIY or contractor job.
Sanity-check an estimate against typical cost-per-square ranges.
Estimate materials and cost for smaller outbuildings, not just the main house.
Account for pitch and waste so a steep roof's extra area isn't a surprise.
Compare 3-tab, architectural, metal, tile, and slate for your exact roof — not just one number.
Enter your home's footprint and pick a pitch (6:12 is most common). Don't know it? You're not blocked.
Get roofing squares, shingle bundles, and a built-in waste factor for an accurate material take-off.
Estimates use current installed cost-per-square ranges, with a low–high band — not a vague guess.
No lead capture or quote forms — just transparent math you can run before you call a roofer.
Test materials and roof sizes to see what fits your budget before committing.
For a typical 2,000 sq ft home with a 6:12 pitch, a new architectural asphalt roof runs roughly $15,000–$22,000 installed, while metal can be $25,000–$45,000 and slate far more. Cost depends on roof area (footprint × pitch), the material's cost per square, and a 10–15% waste factor. Enter your footprint above to see your estimate and a material-by-material comparison.
A roofing square is 100 square feet. Multiply your home's footprint by the pitch multiplier to get the true roof area, then divide by 100. For example, a 2,000 sq ft footprint at a 6:12 pitch (multiplier 1.118) is about 2,236 sq ft of roof, or roughly 22.4 squares before waste.
Asphalt shingles come about 3 bundles to a square (100 sq ft). So a 22-square roof with 12% waste needs about 75 bundles. Metal, tile, and slate aren't sold in bundles. This calculator shows the bundle count for asphalt materials automatically; for a detailed bundle take-off, see our shingle calculator.
A roofing square is the roofing industry's standard unit of area: 100 square feet of roof surface. Materials and labor are priced per square, so converting your roof to squares is the first step in any estimate.
A steeper roof has more surface area than the footprint beneath it, so it needs more material and costs more. The pitch multiplier captures this: a flat roof is about 1.0, a common 6:12 pitch is 1.118, and a steep 12:12 is 1.414 — meaning a 12:12 roof has about 41% more area, and cost, than its footprint.
Asphalt is cheapest upfront: 3-tab ($350–500/square) and architectural ($550–800) cost far less than metal ($500–1,800), concrete or clay tile ($700–2,200), or slate ($1,780–3,848). Metal, tile, and slate cost more but last much longer, so the lifetime cost can be competitive. The chart compares all materials for your roof.
Use about 10% for a simple gable roof and 12–15% for roofs with many hips, valleys, dormers, or cuts. Waste covers trimming, starter strips, and ridge caps. This calculator defaults to 12%, which suits most homes; adjust it for very simple or very complex roofs.
If 2,000 sq ft is the home footprint, a 6:12 roof is about 2,236 sq ft (22.4 squares). With architectural asphalt at about $675 per square and 12% waste, that's roughly $17,000 installed; metal or tile would be considerably more. Note that '2,000 sq ft roof' sometimes means roof area, not footprint — use the 'I know my roof area' mode if so.