Metal shingles vs standing seam at a glance
Both hide their fasteners and both can use painted steel or aluminum. They split on panel size, the slopes they can cover and what the roof looks like from the curb.
| Feature | Metal shingles | Standing seam |
|---|---|---|
| Looks like | Shingle, slate, shake or barrel tile | Metal, with vertical lines |
| Panel | Small pressed panels laid in offset courses | Long panels running eave to ridge |
| Lowest slope in Florida's code | 3 in. of rise per foot | 1/4 in. per foot (panel may need more) |
| Typical metal | 26- or 29-gauge steel, or thin aluminum | 24- or 26-gauge steel, or .032 in. aluminum |
| Florida wind test | FM 4474, UL 580, UL 1897, ASTM D3161 or TAS 107 | UL 580, ASTM E1592 or TAS 125 |
| Orlando price (JA Edwards) | $12,000 to $22,000 | $18,000 to $35,000 |
Gauges come from ProVia, Sheffield Metals and Tri County Metals' Florida approval. Code rows are from the 2023 Florida Building Code.
How each one looks from the street
Metal shingles are pressed to look like something else. Depending on the maker, that means asphalt shingle tabs, slate, cedar shake or clay barrel tile. Angi lists "HOA-friendly" among their strengths.
Standing seam looks like what it is: a metal roof with raised seams every foot or so. Angi notes that some HOAs and communities have bylaws against it. If your HOA reviews roofs, get the rules in writing before you fall for either one.
Our take on metal shingles vs standing seam: standing seam suits modern, farmhouse and coastal-style houses. On a stucco ranch in an older Orlando subdivision, a slate or shingle profile usually blends in better.
How each one is attached
Metal shingles lock to their neighbors, and the fasteners sit where the next course covers them. ProVia's Shake and Slate panels use a top lock and over-and-under side locks. Metlok (a sponsor of this site) uses a patented four-way interlock that locks each panel on all four sides.
Standing seam is fastened under the seams with clips or a nail strip. The panels run in one piece from eave to ridge, so there are no horizontal joints for water to find.
Roof pitch and shape
Florida's code bars metal shingles from roofs flatter than 3 inches of rise per foot. Standing seam can legally go to 1/4 inch per foot. Sheffield Metals notes that many snap-lock panels still need 3:12 unless the maker approves lower.
So a low-slope porch or lanai roof points to standing seam, or at least to standing seam on that section. Sheffield also says shingle makers sell pre-formed flashing pieces, so installers don't have to bend every trim piece on site.
Metal shingles must go on a solid deck unless the product is designed for spaced sheathing. The code puts metal panels on a solid deck too, unless they're designed for spaced supports.
Florida wind tests and ratings
Florida tests the two with different standards. Metal shingles can use FM 4474, UL 580, UL 1897, ASTM D3161 or TAS 107. Standing seam uses UL 580, ASTM E1592 or TAS 125.
The ratings that come out are in pounds per square foot, and both systems can post high numbers. Interlock, an aluminum interlocking shingle, lists -187.5 psf for its shingle and slate profiles under approval FL7263-R7.
Tri County Metals' standing seam ranges from -75 to -176 psf in its approval, depending on panel and clip spacing. Ask for the approval number on any quote, and check it covers your roof's design pressure.
Orlando sits outside the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, which covers Miami-Dade and Broward. Statewide approvals like the two above apply here.
Heat, paint and oil canning
Both systems come in painted steel or aluminum, and both can carry PVDF paint. ProVia names Kynar 500 on its Barrel Tile, and J&M Roofing sells its standing seam with a Kynar 500 paint system. So color, not system, decides how hot the roof runs.
The EPA says cool roofs can cut peak cooling demand 11% to 27%. With Orlando's 92.0°F average July high (NOAA 1991–2020 normals), a lighter color is worth a look on either one.
Oil canning is the one finish issue that leans one way. It's waviness in the flat areas of a panel, and Gulf Coast Supply calls it cosmetic. Standing seam has long flat pans; in our view, pressed shingle texture leaves little flat area for it to show.
Maintenance and repairs
Angi says both need little upkeep when installed well. With standing seam, it says to watch how the panels handle expansion and contraction. With metal shingles, interlocking panels can come loose and need a professional repair.
Repairs differ in scale. Interlock says a trained installer can release one damaged shingle and swap in a new one. A creased standing seam panel runs the full length of the slope, so the fix is bigger.
Walking is a real difference too. Sheffield says thin stamped shingles can be hard to walk on without denting and suggests foam inserts. Ask any roofer how they'll protect the roof during service calls.
Lifespan and warranty
Angi says standing seam can last more than 50 years with proper care. Sheffield gives stamped shingles a 40-plus-year lifespan. Both outlast asphalt by a wide margin.
Warranties are built differently. Metal shingle makers tend to cover the product: ProVia offers a 50-year transferable Lifetime Limited Warranty. Metlok's 50-year limited lifetime warranty covers labor and materials, because Metlok makes the panels and its own crews install them.
Standing seam usually comes with two papers. One is the maker's paint warranty, such as Gulf Coast Supply's 50-year PVDF coverage. The other is the roofer's workmanship warranty, like Gravity Roofing's 10 years on 24-gauge standing seam.
Metal shingles vs standing seam cost
In Orlando, metal shingles come in lower. JA Edwards publishes $12,000 to $22,000 for metal shingles or stone-coated steel and $18,000 to $35,000 for standing seam on a typical home.
National guides line up with that. HomeGuide (Nov 21, 2025) puts installed metal shingles at $6 to $14 per square foot and standing seam at $9 to $16. Angi (updated Aug 4, 2026) lists materials at $6 to $22 for shingles and $8 to $30 for standing seam.
Not everyone agrees. Sheffield Metals, a standing seam supplier, says most metal shingle roofs cost more than standing seam. Get both priced on your roof, and see metal roof cost in Orlando for more local numbers.
Which fits an Orlando house
Pick metal shingles if
- Your HOA, or your street, expects a shingle, slate or tile look.
- Every roof section is at least 3 inches of rise per foot.
- You'd rather have one damaged piece swapped than a full-length panel.
Pick standing seam if
- You have a low-slope porch, lanai or addition.
- You like the metal look and want the widest choice of installers.
- You want to pick your own gauge and panel supplier.
Our guides to metal shingles in Orlando and standing seam in Orlando go deeper on each. For one brand head to head, read Metlok vs standing seam.
Orlando roofers that install each
Metlok, one of our sponsors, makes its own steel shingles and installs them with its own crews. More on locking panels is in our interlocking metal roofing guide.
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
These roofers on our list install both metal shingles and standing seam, per their own websites:
- Universal Roof & Contracting (sponsor): standing seam, stone-coated steel and metal pressed into tile and shingle profiles.
- JA Edwards of America: standing seam and metal shingles, with the published prices above.
- Thomas Roofing & Repair: standing seam and metal shingle roofs, with Tri County Metals as its panel supplier.
- Roof Bear: standing seam, metal shingle, 5V crimp and corrugated, installed by its own employees.
See every installer on our list of the best metal roofers in Orlando.
Sources: Florida Building Code 2023, Chapter 15; Tri County Metals, FL36904-R11 evaluation report (issued Jun 24, 2024); Interlock, Florida Product Approval FL7263; Interlock, Interlocking Aluminum Shingles; ProVia, The Science of Metal Roofing; Metlok, Products and FAQ; Metlok, 50-Year Limited Lifetime Warranty; Sheffield Metals, Standing Seam vs. Stamped Metal Shingles (Sep 1, 2022); Angi, Metal Shingles vs. Standing Seam (updated Aug 4, 2026); HomeGuide, Metal Roof Cost (Nov 21, 2025); JA Edwards of America, Metal Roofing Orlando; Gulf Coast Supply, Oil Canning; Gulf Coast Supply, Product Warranties; Gravity Roofing, Metal Roofing in Central Florida; EPA, Using Cool Roofs; NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, Orlando International Airport; Universal Roof & Contracting, Metal Roofing Orlando; Thomas Roofing & Repair, Metal Roofing; Roof Bear, Orlando Metal Roofing; J&M Roofing, Residential Metal Roofing Systems. Checked Nov 8, 2026.
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