Pricing a roof is the difference between a profitable season and a busy one that goes nowhere. Bid too high and you lose the job; too low and you work for free. This guide walks through a repeatable way to price a residential re-roof so your numbers are consistent, defensible, and profitable.
Roofing is measured in 'squares' — one square equals 100 square feet of roof surface. Measure the footprint of each roof plane (length × width) and total them, then convert to squares by dividing by 100.
If you can't safely get on the roof, you can estimate from satellite measurement tools or the building footprint plus pitch, but always verify on site before the materials order goes in.
A steeper roof has more surface area than its footprint suggests, and it's slower and more dangerous to work on. Apply a pitch multiplier to both your material area and your labor rate: a 6:12 is roughly a 1.12× area factor, a 9:12 closer to 1.25×, and anything 10:12 and above should carry a steep-pitch labor premium.
You'll never use exactly the squares you measured. Hips, valleys, cuts, and starter/ridge courses create waste. A simple gable roof might run 10% waste; a complex roof with lots of valleys and dormers can hit 15–18%. Order accordingly — running short mid-job costs far more than a few extra bundles.
Price every component, not just shingles: shingles (3 bundles per square for architectural), underlayment, ice-and-water shield, drip edge, starter strip, ridge cap, valley metal, pipe boots, nails, and disposal. Pull current pricing from your supplier — material costs move, and a quote built on last quarter's prices quietly erodes your margin.
Labor is usually priced per square and varies with pitch, layers to tear off, and crew productivity. Know your crew's real squares-per-day rate and your fully-loaded labor cost (wages plus payroll taxes, workers' comp, and overhead) — not just the hourly wage. Tear-off of multiple layers adds labor and disposal.
This is where most contractors go wrong. Overhead (your truck, insurance, phone, software, the time you spend quoting) has to be covered by every job, then profit comes on top of that. A common approach is to add an overhead percentage to your costs, then a separate profit margin — many residential roofers target a 30–50% gross margin. Decide your number deliberately; don't let it be whatever's left over.
A professional, itemized estimate wins more jobs than a number scribbled on a business card, and it justifies your price. Then follow up: most roofing jobs are won by the contractor who responds fast and circles back, not necessarily the cheapest. Software that lets you build the quote on site and collect a deposit the moment they say yes turns more bids into booked work.
A square equals 100 square feet of roof area. Roofers price materials and labor per square, so a 2,000 sq ft roof surface is 20 squares.
Roughly 10% for a simple gable roof and 15–18% for complex roofs with many valleys, hips, and dormers. Always round up on the materials order.
Many residential roofers target a 30–50% gross margin, with overhead covered separately. Set your number deliberately rather than taking whatever's left after costs.