Interlocking metal roof vs asphalt shingles at a glance
This page compares shingle-look metal with real asphalt. For metal roofs in general, including standing seam, see our metal roof vs shingles in Florida comparison.
| Factor | Interlocking metal | Asphalt shingles |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Galvalume steel (Metlok) or aluminum (Interlock) panels locked on all four sides | Nailed, overlapping shingles with a granule surface |
| Orlando price (JA Edwards) | $12,000–$22,000 for metal shingle or stone-coated | $9,000–$14,000 architectural; $12,000–$17,000 impact-resistant |
| Installed per sq ft (Interlock, 2025 surveys) | $6–$14 | $4–$8 |
| Expected life | 40+ years painted steel, 50+ aluminum (Interlock) | About 20 years (NAHB); 15–20 for architectural (Gravity Roofing) |
| Hurricane Ian, roofs with damage (IBHS) | About 12% of metal roofs | About half |
| Rain noise (Luleå study, via McElroy Metal) | About 52 dBA over a full roof assembly | About 46 dBA |
| Cost recouped at resale, South Atlantic (Cost vs. Value 2025) | 56.5% for a metal roof | 69.9% |
JA Edwards' asphalt prices assume a 1,600 to 2,200 sq ft single-story Orlando home. Its metal shingle range covers stone-coated steel too, not just interlocking systems.
Same look, different material
Interlocking metal shingles are pressed to read as shingles or slate from the street. Metlok, one of our sponsors, makes Shingle and Slate profiles in Galvalume steel. Interlock makes Slate and Cedar Shingle profiles in aluminum.
Up close they differ from asphalt. Each metal panel is pressed to look like several shingles and locks to its neighbors, so you see crisp formed edges rather than layered tabs. Our view: from the curb most people won't notice, but from a ladder everyone will.
Color works differently too. Metlok's colors include Black Summit, Carbon Gray and Weathered Ridge. Asphalt gets its color from granules, and the EPA lists light or cool-colored granules as the cool option.
Florida wind and storm damage
After Hurricane Ian in 2022, IBHS surveyed roofs on 3,646 single-family homes in southwest Florida. About half of the shingle roofs had problems, and shingle roofs 10 or more years old were especially vulnerable.
Metal roofs had damage around 12% of the time, mostly from nearby structures failing. That figure covers metal roofs in general, not interlocking shingles alone.
For metal shingles, Florida's residential code requires the product approval to state the allowable uplift resistance, at or above the roof's design pressure. Interlock's approval FL7263-R7 lists -187.5 psf for its shingle and slate profiles, an allowable value with a 2-to-1 safety factor.
Metlok says locking each panel on all four sides removes the wind-uplift weak points common in shingle roofs. Hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30 (NOAA), so get the approval number before you sign, whatever you choose.
Partial replacement and Florida's 25% rule
After a storm, the first question is often repair or replace. Florida Statutes section 553.844(5) covers roofs built, repaired or replaced under the 2007 Florida Building Code or later.
When 25% or more of such a roof is repaired, replaced or recovered, only that part has to meet current code. So a big storm repair on a newer shingle roof doesn't force the rest of the roof up to code.
That keeps patching asphalt a real option, and it means switching to metal stays your choice, not the code's. Ask your roofer which code edition your roof was permitted under.
Lifespan in the Florida sun
The National Association of Home Builders' 2007 life-expectancy study puts asphalt shingle roofs at about 20 years. Florida roofers publish their own ranges, and they don't agree.
Gravity Roofing lists 15 to 20 years for architectural shingles. JA Edwards' 2026 cost guide gives GAF Timberline architectural shingles 25 to 30 years in Florida. HomeGuide's national range for asphalt is 15 to 30 years.
Interlock expects 40 years or more from painted steel shingles and 50 or more from aluminum. Those are maker estimates, but Metlok's 50-year limited lifetime warranty on labor and materials puts a written number behind its steel.
Heat and rain noise
Orlando International Airport averages a 92°F high in July (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). The EPA says a cool roof can cut peak cooling demand 11% to 27% in air-conditioned homes.
Both materials can qualify. The EPA lists metal shingles with reflective paint and asphalt shingles with cool-colored granules, and it calls solar reflectance the most important property. Compare a light metal color with a light shingle, not with a dark one.
On rain noise, asphalt has a small edge. McElroy Metal cites a Luleå University study: about 46 dBA for rain on shingles and about 52 dBA on metal over a full roof assembly. Our rain noise guide covers what closes that gap.
Cost and cost per year
Upfront, interlocking metal roof vs asphalt shingles favors asphalt. JA Edwards' 2026 Orlando guide puts architectural shingles at $9,000 to $14,000 and impact-resistant shingles at $12,000 to $17,000. Its metal page puts metal shingle or stone-coated roofs at $12,000 to $22,000.
Interlock says metal shingles cost roughly 50% to 100% more than a mid-grade asphalt roof up front. Cost per year narrows that. A $14,000 shingle roof lasting NAHB's 20 years costs $700 a year; a $22,000 metal roof matches that at about 31 years.
At the low end, $9,000 over 20 years is $450 a year, which a $12,000 metal roof matches at about 27 years. That math skips financing and future prices, so treat it as a rough guide.
Metlok doesn't publish prices, and its November offer takes $3,500 off a roof signed by November 30, 2026. More local figures are on our Orlando metal roof cost page.
Resale value
The 2025 Cost vs. Value report puts a metal roof replacement in the South Atlantic region, which includes Florida, at $50,181, with 56.5% recouped at sale. An asphalt shingle replacement costs $32,253 and recoups 69.9%.
So asphalt returns a bigger share of what you spend, while metal adds more dollars: $28,374 against $22,535. The report's metal project isn't specific to interlocking shingles. Selling soon favors asphalt on these numbers; staying put favors metal.
Repairs and who can work on it
Asphalt's advantage is familiarity. Interlock says interlocking metal shingles are less forgiving of poor installation and that many general roofers have never laid them. It also concedes that color-matching a metal repair years later can be harder than with asphalt.
Interlocking metal's advantage is the single-panel swap. Interlock says a trained installer can release a damaged shingle and replace it without disturbing the roof around it. It argues that a clean single-shingle repair on asphalt is difficult.
Who installs each around Orlando
Metlok, one of our sponsors, makes its interlocking steel shingles in its own Florida factory. Its own crews install them, and it says it never subcontracts. Interlock's aluminum goes through certified independent installers via Metal Roofing Florida.
Sponsored
Metlok
Best for: A metal roof that looks like shingle, slate, shake or tile
- Metal system
- 26-ga Galvalume steel shingles
- Profiles
- Shingle, Slate; Shake and Barrel coming
- Warranty
- 50-yr limited lifetime, labor + materials
Metlok makes its own steel shingles in its own factory, and its own crews install them, so one company answers for both. Each panel locks to its neighbors on all four sides, so no screws show on the finished roof. Its Shingle and Slate panels carry Florida Product Approval FL47482.
Shingle and Slate profiles are available now, with Shake and Barrel listed as coming soon, in colors such as Carbon Gray, Coastal Drift and Tuscan Clay. November offer: $3,500 off a new Metlok roof signed by Nov 30.
Watch for: Only 6 Google reviews so far, and it's one product line. For standing seam, see the next pick.
Source: metlokroofing.com (products, warranty), Metlok's Google profile and November offer terms, checked Nov 8, 2026
Some metal roofers on our list also install asphalt, so you can get an asphalt price from a roofer that also knows metal:
- Gravity Roofing: architectural shingles with a 5-year workmanship warranty, listed beside its metal tiers.
- Fiddler's Roofing: asphalt shingle roofing alongside its stone-coated and standing seam work.
- Direct Metal Roofing: lists shingle roofing among its services.
Which fits an Orlando house
Pick interlocking metal if you plan to stay, want the shingle look without granules, and like Metlok's single warranty covering labor and materials. On interlocking metal roof vs asphalt shingles, the longer you stay, the better metal's math gets.
Pick asphalt if the first invoice decides it, you'll sell soon, or you want the widest choice of installers. Impact-resistant shingles narrow the gap: JA Edwards prices them at $12,000 to $17,000, overlapping the low end of metal shingles.
See every shingle-look metal option in our metal shingles guide, or the category in interlocking metal roofing in Orlando. Then compare installers on our list of Orlando metal roofers.
Sources: JA Edwards of America, Roof Replacement Cost in Orlando, FL (2026); JA Edwards of America, Metal Roofing Orlando; Interlock, Metal Shingles; Interlock, Interlocking Aluminum Shingles Explained; Interlock, Florida Product Approval FL7263; Interlock, Florida installers; Metlok, Products and FAQ; Metlok, 50-Year Limited Lifetime Warranty; Metlok, Orlando November offer; IBHS, Building Performance in SW Florida During Hurricane Ian, Part 1 (2023); NOAA National Hurricane Center; Florida Building Code, Residential, 8th Edition (2023), Chapter 9; Florida Statutes 553.844; NAHB/Bank of America, Study of Life Expectancy of Home Components (Feb 2007); Gravity Roofing, Metal Roofing in Central Florida; HomeGuide, How Much Does a Metal Roof Cost? (Nov 21, 2025); NOAA, 1991–2020 Climate Normals, Orlando International Airport; EPA, Using Cool Roofs to Reduce Heat Islands; McElroy Metal, Are Metal Roofs Noisy When It Rains? (Mar 24, 2026); Cost vs. Value 2025, South Atlantic region; Fiddler's Roofing, Residential Metal Roofing; Direct Metal Roofing, Metal Roofing. Checked Nov 8, 2026.
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