Interlocking metal roof vs tile at a glance
Interlocking here means four-way interlocking metal shingles: Metlok, Galvalume steel and one of our sponsors, and Interlock, aluminum. Tile means concrete or clay.
| Factor | Interlocking metal | Concrete or clay tile |
|---|---|---|
| Weight per 100 sq ft | About 108 lbs (Metlok); about 41 lbs (Interlock) | 900–970 lbs standard concrete; 550–720 lbs lightweight (Eagle Roofing) |
| Breakage | Panels lock together; Interlock says one damaged shingle can be swapped | Brittle; cracked or slipped tiles are a common repair (Panther Roof) |
| Barrel look | Metlok Barrel listed as coming soon; Interlock makes an aluminum Tile profile | Real clay barrel tile (Panther Roof) |
| Hurricane Ian, roofs with damage (IBHS) | About 12% of metal roofs | About 40% had some damage |
| Orlando price (JA Edwards, 2026) | $12,000–$22,000 for metal shingle or stone-coated | $16,000–$24,000 concrete; $20,000–$32,000 clay |
| Expected life | 40+ years painted steel, 50+ aluminum (Interlock) | Life of the home (NAHB); 40–50 years concrete, 50+ clay (JA Edwards) |
| Heat (EPA) | Cool with reflective paint or granules | Terra cotta is naturally cool |
JA Edwards' tile prices assume a 1,600 to 2,200 sq ft single-story Orlando home. Its metal shingle range also covers stone-coated steel.
Weight per square and your framing
Weight is the biggest gap in interlocking metal roof vs tile. Eagle Roofing, a concrete tile maker, lists its standard tiles at 900 to 970 pounds per square, or 100 square feet. Its Eaglelite line runs 550 to 720 pounds.
In Florida, Eagle lists its Malibu profile at 770 pounds and Capistrano at 880. Metlok puts its steel panels at about 108 pounds per square, and Interlock lists its aluminum shingles at about 41.
On a 20-square roof, standard concrete tile at 970 pounds comes to about 19,400 pounds. The same roof weighs about 2,160 pounds in Metlok and about 820 in Interlock.
Interlock pitches its tile profile at homes that can't carry real tile's weight or pay to reinforce for it.
Broken tiles and the underlayment beneath
Tile's weak spot is that it's brittle. Universal Roof & Contracting, one of our sponsors, says careless handling is where breakage costs come from. It tells owners to plan for some breakage on any tile job.
Universal also points out that tile isn't what keeps water out; the underlayment is. Panther Roof says the underlayment under tile usually needs replacing around the 20 to 30 year mark. It calls cracked or slipped tiles a common repair.
An interlocking roof has no loose tiles to slip. Interlock says a trained installer can release one damaged shingle and swap it without disturbing the roof around it. Ask any installer how long a matching replacement panel takes to arrive.
The barrel tile look in metal
Metlok's Barrel profile is pressed steel shaped like curved barrel tile, offered in colors including Tuscan Clay. On November 8, 2026, Metlok's site still listed Barrel as coming soon, so ask about timing before you plan around it.
Interlock makes a Metal Tile profile in aluminum for the Mediterranean look. Its Florida approval page lists wind pressures for Shingle/Slate, Diamond and Shake profiles. Ask the installer to confirm the tile profile is covered here.
If you want a barrel shape in metal now, stone-coated steel comes in barrel tile profiles. Our stone-coated steel guide lists who installs them in Orlando.
Wind and Florida code
After Hurricane Ian, IBHS found some damage on about 40% of tile roofs. Significant damage was rare except on tile roofs more than 20 years old.
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 shingle and slate and -110.5 psf for shake, with a 2-to-1 safety factor.
Metlok says its four-way interlock removes the wind-uplift weak points common in tile roofs. The Metlok pages we read don't list a Florida approval number, so ask for it.
Heat in the Orlando sun
Tile starts with an edge here: the EPA calls terra cotta tile naturally cool. Metal gets there with color, and the EPA lists metal shingles or tiles with reflective paint or granules as cool-roof options.
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, and that solar reflectance matters most. Ask for that number on the metal color you pick.
Lifespan and warranties
Tile itself lasts: NAHB's 2007 study rates clay and concrete tile roofs for the life of the home. JA Edwards gives concrete 40 to 50 years and clay 50+ in Florida, but the underlayment beneath is the weak link.
Interlock expects 40+ years from painted steel shingles and 50+ from aluminum. Metlok's warranty page describes a 50-year limited lifetime warranty on labor and materials, transferable subject to its requirements.
Interlock's Guardian Limited Lifetime warranty covers the original owner and transfers once for $300. In Florida, the independent installer backs Interlock workmanship, so get that warranty in writing.
Cost in Orlando
JA Edwards' 2026 Orlando guide prices concrete tile at $16,000 to $24,000 and clay at $20,000 to $32,000. Its metal page puts metal shingle or stone-coated roofs at $12,000 to $22,000. On that roofer's numbers, shingle-look metal starts lower and tops out lower than either tile.
Tile also carries a later cost: new underlayment around the 20 to 30 year mark, per Panther. Metlok doesn't publish prices; its November offer takes $3,500 off a roof signed by November 30, 2026.
See metal roof cost in Orlando for more local ranges.
Who installs each around Orlando
Metlok, one of our sponsors, makes its panels in its own Florida factory and installs them with its own crews. Its Metlok roofing page covers profiles and colors.
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
Interlock's aluminum, including its tile profile, goes through certified independent installers via Metal Roofing Florida. For real tile, two roofers on our list:
- Panther Roof: installs, repairs and re-roofs clay and concrete tile across the Orlando metro.
- JA Edwards of America: publishes the Orlando concrete and clay tile prices above, next to its metal work.
Which fits an Orlando house
Pick interlocking metal if weight worries you, you're tired of cracked tiles, or you want a slate or shingle look on a former tile roof. For interlocking metal roof vs tile on a Mediterranean house, wait for Metlok Barrel or confirm Interlock's tile profile is approved here.
Pick tile if you want real clay, your HOA requires tile, or the framing already carries it and the tiles are sound. Universal's advice to relay sound tile when the profile is still available is a fair middle path.
Broader numbers are in our metal roof vs tile in Florida comparison and our interlocking metal roofing guide. Then compare installers on our list of Orlando metal roofers.
Sources: Eagle Roofing, Technical Specifications; Metlok, Products and FAQ; Metlok, 50-Year Limited Lifetime Warranty; Metlok, Orlando November offer; Interlock, Metal Shingles; Interlock, Interlocking Aluminum Shingles Explained; Interlock, Florida Product Approval FL7263; Interlock, Florida installers; Universal Roof & Contracting, Tile Roof Underlayment Fails First (Jul 7, 2026); Panther Roof, Tile Roofing Orlando; IBHS, Building Performance in SW Florida During Hurricane Ian, Part 1 (2023); Florida Building Code, Residential, 8th Edition (2023), Chapter 9; EPA, Using Cool Roofs to Reduce Heat Islands; NOAA, 1991–2020 Climate Normals, Orlando International Airport; NAHB/Bank of America, Study of Life Expectancy of Home Components (Feb 2007); JA Edwards of America, Roof Replacement Cost in Orlando, FL (2026); JA Edwards of America, Metal Roofing Orlando. Checked Nov 8, 2026.
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