Shingles or Metal? Both materials are pretty common in homeowners, and there are no wrong answers in this. It’s just a matter of your style, preference, budget, purpose, and long-term goals, and I’m just here to help you make an informed decision on which roof material to opt for.
Let’s start with a small fact about each of the materials: Asphalt Shingles are approximately 70-75% of the residential in the U.S. while metal roofing is 12-14%. Although this could be interpreted as shingles to be the preferred one, let us better understand what is the reasoning behind most of the people’s choice so you could decide for yourself and not get swayed by the numbers.
Asphalt Shingles
There are many types of asphalt shingles such as 3-Tab Shingles, Architectural Shingles, and Luxury Shingles, but today, we are focusing on the asphalt shingles roofing in general.
Material and Lifespan: Asphalt shingles come from fiberglass that are covered with granules. They come in different colors, styles, and textures, and it can approximately last for 15 to 30+ years. Factors that affect its lifespan are: material quality & type, installation, and the kind of weather conditions that the roof is exposed to.
Asphalt Shingles can get easily damaged due to strong winds, extreme heat, and heavy rains, but on the brighter side, its repairability is quite easy since a damaged shingle can be easily replaced by another individual shingle.
Cost. They have been described as cost-effective due its affordability. Its roofing is known for being the easiest to install which means labor costs of the roofing company is lesser. When fixing a damaged part of the shingle roof; when the rest of the shingles are perfectly fine, you only replace the damaged ones with new shingles.
Maintenance: One of the factors that determine a roof’s maintenance is the climate. When you live in cities such as Osoyoos, which is one of the warmest cities in Canada, or Penticton that has long and hot summers, your shingles could easily get dry and potentially develop cracks. When you are in the rainier coastal cities such as Vancouver, Victoria, and Squamish, your roof is prone to mold and moistures.
Asphalt Shingles require regular inspections to immediately address issues as they start to develop, to avoid needing more than shingle replacement and bigger costs.
Metal Roofing
There are various kinds of metal roofing, including corrugated metal panels, standing seam panels, and metal shingles, but today, we are focusing on metal roofing in general.
Material and Lifespan A metal is made from steel, aluminum, copper, or zinc. They come in different forms such as panels, sheets, or shingles, and it can approximately last for 40 to 70+ years. Factors that affect its lifespan are: material quality, type, and maintenance.
Metal does not get easily damaged compared to shingles, however, metal could get dented and creates a lot of noise when raining. Since it’s metal, it also has a reaction to the temperature such as expanding and contracting that can potentially cause your metal roof to warp or your fasteners to loosen.
Cost: Metal roofing is pricey due to material, manufacturing, and installation costs. Aside from the technical costs, metal roofing is costly also because of its longevity and warranty. Upfront payment is high but with its durability, problems along the way are uncommon, making you save money over time with less repairs or less roofing metal.
Maintenance: Its maintenance is not as high as Asphalt Shingles due to its durability and longevity, however, issues like rust and corrosion could still develop so it is best to do regular inspections and regular cleaning.
There are a lot of roofing companies out there that would gladly help you in your roofing needs, hence, don’t hesitate to call them for assistance, not just for metal roofing, but also for shingles.
Summary
Let’s tabulate the things discussed above to summarize them.
| Asphalt Shingles | Metal | |
| Material | Fiberglass covered with granules | Steel, aluminum, copper, zinc |
| Types | 3-Tab Shingles, Architectural Shingles, and Luxury Shingles | Corrugated metal panels, standing seam panels, and metal shingles |
| Lifespan | 15 to 30+ years | 40 to 70+ years |
| Cost | Upfront payment: low Potential repairs based on durability: high and frequent | Upfront payment: high Potential repairs based on durability: low and seldom |
| Maintenance | Regular cleaning and Regular inspection | |