Roofing Pricing Guide Calculator
A working pricing guide for Australian roofing in 2026. Set your roof area, what is going on and what is coming off, then adjust for pitch, access and the extras that roofers price separately, so you can read a quote line by line instead of just looking at the total.
Roof area is larger than floor area. A single storey home with a 22 degree pitch has roughly 1.2 to 1.35 times its floor area in roof.
Anything a roofer cannot walk on comfortably needs harnesses, roof ladders or scaffold, and that changes the labour rate.
Ask specifically whether the quote allows for asbestos. Homes built before about 1990 can have asbestos cement sheet, ridge capping or sarking, and licensed removal adds $60 to $110 a square metre plus a clearance certificate. A roofer who has not tested and not allowed for it will issue a variation the day they find it.
Roof area is not floor area. Multiply the footprint by roughly 1.2 at 15 degrees, 1.3 at 22 degrees and 1.45 at 35 degrees, then add for eaves, before you sanity check a per square metre rate.
Compare quotes on inclusions, not headline price. The gap between two roofing quotes is almost always removal, sarking, battens, guttering and scaffold, and those five items can swing a job by $12,000 or more.
💰 Ways to save
- Get the gutters, fascia and downpipes done at the same time as the roof rather than as a separate job later. The scaffold, edge protection and access are already paid for and the crew is already on site, so bundling typically saves thirty to forty per cent against a standalone guttering job that would need its own set up. On a standard three bedroom home that is $1,800 to $2,600 of pure access cost you only pay once.
- Question whether you need a full re roof or a restoration. A concrete tile roof with sound tiles, failing pointing and faded colour can be repointed, rebedded and coated for $4,500 to $9,000 against $22,000 to $34,000 for a full replacement, and it buys you ten to fifteen years. Restoration is not right for a roof with widespread cracked tiles, rusted valleys or rotten battens, but a lot of roofs sold as needing replacement genuinely do not.
- Book outside the storm season and outside spring. Australian roofers are flat out after any major hail or storm event and again from September to December, and quotes in those windows carry both premiums and long waits. A job booked for late autumn or winter, when crews have gaps, commonly comes in eight to fifteen per cent cheaper with a start date inside three weeks.
- Choose a standard Colorbond colour from the core range rather than a premium or Matt finish. Premium and Matt colours carry a fifteen to twenty five per cent sheet price premium and often a longer lead time from the roll former. On a 200 square metre roof that is $1,400 to $2,600 for a colour difference most people cannot pick from the street.
or from $117/week over 5 years , indicative finance
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## Australian roofing prices per square metre in 2026
Pricing reviewed: June 2026.
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Pricing reviewed June 2026. Indicative Australian costs, not a quote.
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Understanding roofing pricing guides in Australia
Australian roofing prices per square metre in 2026
The most useful way to read a roofing quote is per square metre of actual roof area, supplied and installed. For 2026 the working ranges are: Zincalume or plain galvanised sheet at $70 to $95 a square metre, Colorbond metal sheet at $85 to $130, concrete tile at $90 to $135, terracotta tile at $130 to $190, and slate or premium composite at $210 to $340.
Those figures cover the new roof material and its installation. They do not include removing the old roof, new battens, sarking, guttering or scaffold, which is exactly why two quotes for the same house can differ by $15,000 while both look reasonable per square metre.
For a typical single storey three bedroom home with about 180 square metres of roof, a complete Colorbond re roof including removal, sarking, battens and new guttering lands between $24,000 and $36,000 in 2026. The same house re roofed in concrete tile is $23,000 to $34,000, and in terracotta $34,000 to $48,000.
Working out your actual roof area
Roof area always exceeds floor area because of pitch and eaves. As a rule of thumb, multiply the building footprint by 1.2 for a 15 degree pitch, 1.3 for 22 degrees and 1.45 for 35 degrees, then add for eave overhangs, which typically contribute another five to ten per cent. A 150 square metre single storey house with 22 degree pitch and 600mm eaves has roughly 200 to 210 square metres of roof.
Hips, valleys, dormers and skylights all add labour without adding much area, so a complicated roof plan costs more per square metre than a simple gable of the same size. If your roof has more than four or five separate planes, expect the rate to sit at the upper end of the range.
Removal and disposal of the existing roof
Stripping an existing roof is typically $18 to $32 a square metre for metal sheet and $25 to $45 a square metre for tile, since tiles are far heavier and generate much more waste. On a 200 square metre roof that is $3,600 to $9,000 as a line item, and skip bins or tip fees are usually included but worth confirming.
Asbestos is the wildcard. Homes built before roughly 1990 may have asbestos cement roof sheeting, ridge capping, gutters or sarking. Licensed removal runs $60 to $110 a square metre plus a clearance certificate at $400 to $900, and it must be done by a licensed removalist. Any quote for a pre 1990 home that does not mention asbestos testing has a variation built into it.
Sarking, battens and what sits under the roof
Sarking or anticon blanket costs $12 to $22 a square metre installed and does three jobs: it sheds any water that gets past the roof covering, it reduces condensation, and in blanket form it dampens rain noise on metal roofs considerably. On a metal re roof it is close to mandatory under modern practice and most councils will expect it.
New battens are $15 to $28 a square metre installed depending on whether they are timber or steel. You need them if the existing battens are rotten, if you are changing roof material, or if the spacing does not suit the new covering. Converting tile to metal sheet almost always means new battens and usually an engineering check, because the roof mass drops by twenty five to forty kilograms per square metre and the tie down requirements change accordingly.
Guttering, fascia and access costs
New gutters, fascia and downpipes for a standard three bedroom home run $4,000 to $7,500 installed. Doing it at the same time as the roof is markedly cheaper because the access is already in place, and doing it later means paying for scaffold or edge protection twice.
Scaffold itself is $2,000 to $3,200 for a partial set up and $4,500 to $8,000 for full perimeter scaffold on a double storey, with hire periods usually charged in four week blocks. Some roofers price edge protection only, which is legal and adequate on a low single storey but not on a steep or two storey roof. If one quote has scaffold and another does not, that difference alone can be $5,000 and it is not a saving, it is a different scope.
Reading and comparing roofing quotes
Insist that every quote itemises six things: roof area in square metres, material and colour, removal and disposal including asbestos allowance, sarking and battens, guttering and fascia, and access or scaffold. Once those are on the page, quotes become genuinely comparable and the cheap one usually stops being cheap.
Check the warranty structure too. Colorbond carries a BlueScope material warranty of up to thirty six years depending on colour and proximity to the coast, but that is separate from the roofer's workmanship warranty, which is typically seven to ten years in Australia and is only as good as the business standing behind it. Confirm the roofer holds current licensing for your state and that the workmanship warranty is in writing, not just in the sales pitch. Payment terms matter as well: a deposit above ten per cent is a red flag, and progress payments should track actual work completed rather than a calendar.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a new roof cost in Australia in 2026?
For a typical single storey three bedroom home with about 180 square metres of roof, a complete Colorbond re roof including removal, sarking, battens and new guttering is $24,000 to $36,000. Concrete tile is $23,000 to $34,000 and terracotta is $34,000 to $48,000. Double storey adds roughly thirty per cent.
What is the per square metre rate for roofing?
Supplied and installed in 2026: Zincalume $70 to $95, Colorbond $85 to $130, concrete tile $90 to $135, terracotta $130 to $190, slate or premium composite $210 to $340. These exclude removal of the old roof, battens, sarking, guttering and scaffold, which is where most quote differences hide.
How do I calculate my roof area?
Multiply the building footprint by about 1.2 for a 15 degree pitch, 1.3 for 22 degrees or 1.45 for 35 degrees, then add five to ten per cent for eave overhangs. A 150 square metre single storey home at 22 degrees with 600mm eaves has roughly 200 to 210 square metres of roof.
What does it cost to remove an old roof?
Metal sheet removal is $18 to $32 a square metre and tile removal is $25 to $45 a square metre because tiles are far heavier. On a 200 square metre roof that is $3,600 to $9,000. If the home was built before about 1990, budget for asbestos testing, and licensed removal if found adds $60 to $110 a square metre plus a clearance certificate.
Should I restore my tile roof or replace it?
Restoration, meaning rebedding, repointing and coating, costs $4,500 to $9,000 and buys ten to fifteen years on a roof with sound tiles. Full replacement is $22,000 to $34,000. Restoration is the wrong call if you have widespread cracked tiles, rusted valley irons or rotten battens, because you are painting over a structural problem.
Do I need scaffolding for a roof replacement?
Edge protection alone is generally adequate on a low pitch single storey roof. A steep or double storey roof needs proper scaffold, which is $2,000 to $3,200 partial or $4,500 to $8,000 for full perimeter, usually hired in four week blocks. If one quote includes it and another does not, they are different scopes, not different prices.
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