Metal & Copper Roofing Blog

Metal Roof Price Forecast for 2014

With the new year well underway, it's not uncommon to be asked whether metal roof prices are likely to change in 2014 compared to last year. The answer is probably not by much. Because metal roofing is primarily subject to the various metals as a commodity, an outsider can get an idea of price projections by examining the trends in commodities.

The major metals that are used for roofing products are the ferrous metals (steel), aluminum, zinc (used alone or plated onto steel), copper and a few other and more exotic metals that are alloyed with those in this list to enhance certain characteristics.

The trends for all of these materials have been relatively flat for the last year or two. Occasionally, a blip in prices caused by fear that some unexpected event somewhere will create either a shortage or a spike in demand will cause a rise, but those have been unremarkable for quite a while. Overall, the trend is looking mostly stable with a slow, upward trend. And that means if you're pricing a metal roof and wondering about timing, my best guess is that prices today are about as good as they've been for a while. There is little downward pressure on metals, so if there are changes, expect it to be a light increase. The bigger variable if you're planning to hire a contractor to install your metal roofing is the labor prices. As new government healthcare and minimum wage rules take effect, they'll create upward pressure of the cost of a roof installation.

To summarize, metal roof material prices should be mostly stable with a possibility for slight increases in 2014 over 2013. Metal roofing installation prices are likely to rise throughout 2014 as the costs of a new government regulations affect roof contractors. If you'd like more information, use our free estimate form and download our free re-roofing guide - it has formulas for ballparking metal roof costs and a comprehensive comparison of the most popular roofing materials.

Topics: best prices for metal roofing