Asphalt Shingle vs Metal Roof in St. Louis, at a glance
For most St. Louis homes, architectural asphalt shingle is the right answer, and metal is the right answer for a specific set of houses rather than for everyone. The deciding factors are ownership horizon, roof geometry and hail exposure. Call (314) 429-6000 to talk it through on your own roof.
Cost and how long each one lasts
Architectural asphalt shingle is the volume product in this market for a reason: it performs well, it is repairable slope by slope, and the up-front cost is a fraction of metal. A properly installed shingle roof with balanced ventilation is a long-term roof, not a short-term one.
Standing seam metal costs substantially more to install and lasts considerably longer. If you are going to own the house for the next thirty years the arithmetic can favor metal. If there is any real chance you sell inside ten, you are paying for service life that the next owner receives.
How the two compare on a St. Louis roof
The differences that actually matter here, rather than the ones in a brochure.
Hail performance
Metal dents and usually keeps working. Shingle bruises and eventually leaks. Both get claimed; they fail differently.
Repairability
A damaged shingle slope is repaired in an afternoon. A damaged metal panel often means replacing a full run.
Heat and ventilation
Both need a working attic. Ventilation matters more to either roof's lifespan than the material does.
Noise and insulation
Metal over solid decking and underlayment is far quieter than people expect. Bare metal over purlins is not.
Resale in this market
A new shingle roof reads as maintenance done. Metal reads as an upgrade, and appraisals vary by neighborhood.
Insurance treatment
Carriers handle cosmetic metal denting differently than shingle damage. Check your policy language before choosing.
How to decide on your own house
Set the ownership horizon
Under ten years, shingle is almost always the better financial answer. Over twenty-five, metal earns its cost.
Look at the roof geometry
Simple planes suit metal. Many dormers, valleys and penetrations push the metal cost up sharply.
Weigh the hail exposure
In heavy hail corridors, think about how each material fails and what your policy says about cosmetic damage.
Get both priced on the same roof
We will quote both on the same measurements so you are comparing real numbers, not averages from an article.
Shingle and metal side by side
| Up-front cost | Asphalt shingle is significantly lower; metal is a premium investment |
|---|---|
| Service life | Shingle is long-term; standing seam metal is longer still |
| Repairs | Shingle repairs slope by slope; metal often replaces a full panel run |
| Hail behavior | Shingle bruises and later leaks; metal dents and usually stays watertight |
| Best fit | Shingle for most homes; metal for long holds and simple roof shapes |
| Installed by | John Beal Roofing, family owned since 1947 |
What matters more than the material
We have replaced expensive roofs that failed early and cheap roofs that lasted their full run. The difference was almost never the product.
Ventilation is first. An attic with exhaust and no intake cooks whatever is above it, and shingle bakes from underneath while metal fasteners cycle. Correcting the intake at the soffit does more for roof life than upgrading the material a tier.
Installation detail is second. Six nails placed in the nail line, ice-and-water membrane at the eaves and valleys, new flashing rather than reused flashing, and a starter strip properly adhered at the rakes. Those choices are what we hold our lifetime workmanship warranty against, on either material.
When metal is genuinely the better call
We install both, so this is a recommendation rather than a sales pitch.
- You intend to stay in the house for the long term and want to buy the roof once
- The roof has simple planes without a large number of valleys and penetrations
- There are low-slope sections where shingle is a poor fit to begin with
- The look is part of the design intent for the house rather than an afterthought
- You have checked how your policy treats cosmetic denting on metal
- The structure and the budget both support the up-front cost without stretching
Shingle and metal questions from St. Louis homeowners
Is a metal roof loud in the rain?
Not when it is installed over solid decking with underlayment, which is how we install it. The reputation comes from bare panels fastened to purlins on outbuildings.
Does metal attract lightning?
No. Metal does not increase the likelihood of a strike, and it is non-combustible, which is a point in its favor rather than against.
Will hail ruin a metal roof?
Hail can dent it. Whether dents are covered depends on your policy, since many carriers treat metal denting as cosmetic. That is worth reading before you decide.
Can I put metal over my existing shingles?
We do not. Everything comes off to the decking so the sheathing can be inspected and the underlayment installed correctly.
Which do you install more of around St. Louis?
Architectural shingle, by a wide margin, because it suits most homes here. We install metal where it is the better fit and we will say which yours is.
Get both options priced on your roof
Send this and we will measure your roof and quote both materials against the same numbers. No charge.
More on St. Louis roofing choices
Related reading from our own crews:
Comparing Roofing Materials?
We will price both on your actual roof and tell you which one we would put on our own house.