We install both. Honest answer up front: for most North Texas homes, an impact-rated architectural shingle is the right pick. But the standing-seam metal jobs we do every year are not a fluke — for the right home, metal wins on every long-term axis. Here is when each makes sense.
The price gap (real numbers)
On a typical 2,400 sq ft Fort Worth home, here is what installed pricing actually looks like in 2026:
- Architectural asphalt shingle: $14,000 to $19,000 ($5–6.80/sq ft)
- Class 4 impact-rated shingle: $16,500 to $22,000 ($6–7.85/sq ft)
- 24-gauge standing-seam metal: $32,000 to $48,000 ($11.40–17/sq ft)
- 26-gauge R-panel screw-down metal: $22,000 to $30,000 ($7.85–10.70/sq ft)
So standing-seam runs roughly 2 to 2.5x the cost of a quality shingle roof. Not nothing.
But lifespans tell a different story
A well-installed standing-seam roof in Texas should last 45 to 60 years. A quality impact-rated shingle in the same climate lasts 25 to 30. So over a 50-year window, you are buying one metal roof or two shingle roofs.
At today's prices, two architectural-shingle reroofs over 50 years totals around $35,000 to $42,000. One standing-seam metal roof totals $32,000 to $48,000. The lifecycle cost is essentially identical, with metal often coming out ahead.
Insurance and energy savings
Texas insurers offer hail discounts on Class 4 impact-rated roofs, which both Class 4 shingles and most metal systems qualify for. The discount is typically 15 to 30 percent off the wind/hail portion of your homeowner premium — about $300 to $700/year on a typical North Texas policy. That compounds.
Metal also reflects more solar heat. Department of Energy data suggests reflective metal can drop attic temperatures by 15 to 25°F, which translates to roughly 10 to 20 percent off your summer cooling costs.
When metal is the right call
- Hill Country and rural acreage homes — no HOA color restrictions
- Steep roofs with simple shapes (the simpler the panel runs, the better metal looks)
- Homes you plan to keep for 20+ years
- Owners willing to live with the look (modern, hard-edged) and the sound (a heavy rain on metal is louder than asphalt)
When asphalt is the right call
- HOA neighborhoods with shingle-only spec sheets
- Homes with cut-up rooflines (lots of dormers, hips, valleys)
- Owners not planning to stay 20+ years (buyers may not pay extra for metal)
- Tighter budgets where the up-front delta matters more than lifecycle math
Free estimates across North Texas. Same-day inspections during storm season.
