Per Square Foot, New Hampshire, 2026
| Material | Per sq ft installed | Typical 1,600 sq ft roof | Published service life |
|---|---|---|---|
| Galvalume standing seam | $12.00–$16.00 | $19,200–$25,600 | 40–60 years |
| Aluminium standing seam | $14.00–$20.00 | $22,400–$32,000 | 40–60 years |
| Copper standing seam | $25.00–$40.00 | $40,000–$64,000 | Longest of any common material |
| Steel metal shingles | $8.00–$14.00 | $12,800–$22,400 | Long, profile-dependent |
| Exposed-fastener panel | $5–$12 (national) | — | 25–40 years |
| Asphalt shingle | $6.00–$10.00 | $9,600–$16,000 | 18–25 yrs; to 30 premium architectural |
| Snow guards / retention, added | $1.00–$3.00 | — | — |
The standing seam spread of $12–$20 reflects differences in metal type, gauge, panel profile, finish quality, roof complexity and accessibility — not vendor whim. Where you land inside it is mostly decided by complexity.
A note on units. Roofers quote in squares — one square is 100 square feet of roof. Standing seam at $1,100–$1,800 per square is the same thing as $11–$18 per square foot. If a quote and an online figure seem wildly apart, check which unit each is using before concluding anything.
Footprint Is Not Roof Area
| Pitch | Multiply footprint by | 1,600 sq ft footprint becomes |
|---|---|---|
| Shallow, low slope | × 1.06 | about 1,700 sq ft of roof |
| Moderate, walkable | × 1.25 | about 2,000 sq ft of roof |
| Steep, not walkable | × 1.45 | about 2,320 sq ft of roof |
Overhangs add a little beyond that. A quote built from your floor area rather than your roof area will read low by exactly this factor, which is one of the commoner reasons a real quote comes in above an online estimate.
How Long Each Actually Lasts Here
| Material | Service life | What ends it |
|---|---|---|
| Standing seam metal | 40–60 years published for NH; 40–70 cited for correctly installed steel or aluminium in freeze-thaw climates | Usually the flashing and details, not the panel |
| Exposed-fastener panel | 25–40 years | The fasteners and neoprene washers, worked by every thermal cycle |
| Asphalt, standard | 18–25 years | Freeze-thaw cracking the binder; granule loss |
| Asphalt, premium architectural | Up to 30 years, well ventilated | Same mechanism, slower |
Freeze-thaw is why New Hampshire is different. Repeated freezing and thawing cracks asphalt binder and loosens granules; metal panels expand and contract without cracking. Sources describing hard freeze-thaw climates put practical asphalt life nearer 20–25 and metal at 40–70 — a gap of 15–25 years on the same house. National lifespan figures tend to flatter asphalt relative to what it does here.
Fifty Years on a 2,000 sq ft Roof
Worked at the mid-point of each published band: asphalt at $8/sq ft with a 22-year life, standing seam at $16/sq ft with a 50-year life, tear-off and disposal at $1.25/sq ft on each asphalt replacement. Today's dollars, no inflation applied to either side.
| Year | Asphalt, cumulative | Standing seam, cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| 0 — first install | $16,000 | $32,000 |
| 22 — asphalt replaced | $34,500 | $32,000 |
| 44 — asphalt replaced again | $53,000 | $32,000 |
| 50 | $53,000 (3 roofs) | $32,000 (1 roof) |
The crossover lands around year 22 — the second asphalt roof. Before that, asphalt is genuinely cheaper and the honest advice reflects it. After it, the gap only widens.
What this deliberately leaves out: inflation (which would widen the gap, because you buy asphalt more often), the repair and interior-damage costs of the failing years at the end of each asphalt roof, and anything about resale value. Run it on your own roof size.
Where These Numbers Come From
- New Hampshire installed cost bands and the 1,600 sq ft totals — 2026 NH metal roofing cost guidance: standing seam $12.00–$20.00/sq ft, Galvalume $12–$16, aluminium $14–$20, copper $25–$40, steel metal shingles $8–$14, asphalt $6–$10, snow guards $1–$3.
- Standing seam service life, 40–60 years — the same New Hampshire cost guidance.
- 40–70 years for steel or aluminium in freeze-thaw climates, and 18–25 for standard asphalt — published comparisons of roofing service life in freeze-thaw regions, which also identify freeze-thaw cycling as the mechanism that ages asphalt fastest.
- Exposed-fastener panel at roughly $5–$12/sq ft and 25–40 years — 2026 national metal roofing price guidance. This one is national rather than New Hampshire-specific and is labelled as such wherever it appears.
- Pitch conversion factors — standard roofing geometry, 1.06 / 1.25 / 1.45 for shallow, moderate and steep.
Editorial noteFigures are reproduced as published at the time of writing and are cost bands, not quotes — your roof is not an average, and complexity moves a real number more than any published figure suggests. Roofing costs move with material prices and labour markets, so verify against a current source before relying on this for a decision with money attached. We do not publish a figure for what a roof adds to resale value, because we have not found one we would stand behind. Page maintained 2026.