How to Price Roofing Jobs for Profit

Roofing is priced differently than most trades — by the "square" (100 square feet) — and there are more hidden costs than a first-time estimator expects. Here's the real breakdown.

Start with the square

A standard asphalt shingle roof typically runs $350-$600 per square installed, all-in, depending on region and shingle type. That figure needs to include:

• Tear-off of the old roof: adds roughly $100-$200 per square if the existing roof needs to come off (versus a rare overlay job)
• Materials: shingles (3-tab is cheapest, architectural/dimensional shingles cost more but dominate the market now), underlayment (synthetic or felt), ice-and-water shield along eaves and valleys, drip edge, flashing, ridge vent
• Waste factor: budget 10-15% extra material for cuts, hips, valleys, and complex roof lines

Pitch and access change everything

A steep-slope roof (typically above a 7/12 or 8/12 pitch) is slower and riskier to work on, and most roofers apply a steep-slope surcharge — often 10-25% on top of standard pricing. Multi-story homes or roofs with difficult ladder access also add time and should be priced accordingly, not absorbed.

Don't forget the costs that aren't "roofing"

• Dumpster/roll-off rental: $400-$800 depending on size and your market
• Permit fees: vary by municipality, sometimes overlooked in early bids
• Decking replacement contingency: you often can't know if the decking underneath is rotten until tear-off starts. Build a per-sheet replacement rate into the contract (e.g., "$X per sheet of decking if replacement is needed") rather than eating a surprise cost or fighting about it mid-job

Labor

Price labor as a crew day rate or per-square labor rate depending on how your crew works. A typical residential re-roof (average home, ~20-30 squares) might run 1-3 days for an experienced crew — factor weather delays into your scheduling, not just your labor cost.

Commercial and flat roofing price differently

TPO, EPDM, and other low-slope commercial systems are usually priced per square foot rather than per square, and material costs and labor rates differ substantially from steep-slope shingle work. Don't apply residential pricing logic to a commercial flat roof bid.

Build in margin, not just cost recovery

After tear-off, materials, dumpster, permits, and labor, make sure there's an actual profit margin left — not just break-even. Many new roofing companies price tightly to win bids and then get squeezed the moment a weather delay or decking surprise eats into the job.

Because roofing estimates have so many moving line items — tear-off, materials, decking contingency, permits, dumpster — keeping them organized matters. ServiQ lets you save your standard rates and materials so every estimate you send is consistent, even when you're pricing a job from the roof itself.