Metal costs more up front and outlasts shingles. Whether it pays off on your house comes down to the panel, what goes under it, how it handles St. Louis hail and heat, and what this region's 2025 cost data shows.
A metal roof is a long bet. Zonda's 2025 Cost vs. Value Report prices its model standing-seam replacement at $50,520 in the West North Central region, which takes in Missouri, against $30,693 for the same house in asphalt shingles. The difference buys service life and a surface that sheds rain, snow and, with the right rating, hail. None of that holds if the details under the panels are wrong.
Below, the decisions in the order they come up: which metal, whether it can go over your shingles, what sits underneath, what a hail rating promises, wind, heat and snow, the paint, two myths, and the price. Standing seam is the metal option in our replacement work; the rest is here so you can read anyone's quote line by line.
Three different products get sold as a metal roof, and they do not behave alike.
| Type | Lowest slope, 2018 IRC | Attachment |
|---|---|---|
| Standing seam | 1/4 inch of rise per foot (R905.10.2) | Concealed clips or flange |
| Screw-down panel, laps sealed | 1/2 inch per foot (R905.10.2) | Screws through the face |
| Screw-down panel, laps unsealed | 3 inches per foot (R905.10.2) | Screws through the face |
| Metal shingles | 3 inches per foot (R905.4.2) | Per the maker's instructions (R905.4.5) |
That first row is why standing seam can cover a shallow porch roof; asphalt shingles stop at 2 inches per foot (R905.2.2).
Metal gets more leeway than shingles. Missouri has no statewide residential code, so each city picks its edition; this page cites the 2018 International Residential Code, which St. Louis City and University City enforce, while Kirkwood moved to 2021 in April 2026. Its Section R908.3.1 allows a new covering over an existing one when the new roof's instructions allow it, and names standing-seam systems that carry their load straight to the framing as needing no tear-off. Section R908.3.1.1 then rules a recover out in three cases: the old roof is soaked through or too deteriorated to hold a new layer, it is slate or tile, or it already has two layers.
Legal is not the same as wise. Going over means nobody sees the deck, so a soft board stays under a roof meant to outlive it, and rusted or damaged flashings, edgings and vents still have to be replaced (R908.5). Our replacements start from the bare deck.
The permit question changes too, because metal over shingles is not a like-for-like job. St. Louis City requires a permit when the new roof is a different material, Maryland Heights requires one for metal roofs whatever happens to the sheathing, and St. Louis County's re-roofing checklist requires one for a change of material in unincorporated areas. Where a permit is needed, we pull it.
Panels shed most of the water; the sheet underneath catches what gets past laps, trim and fasteners. For metal panels, the 2018 IRC underlayment table (R905.1.1) hands the choice to the panel maker's instructions anywhere the design wind speed is under 140 mph, which covers every address in this metro.
So the instructions are worth reading. A self-sticking membrane sits right against the metal, and panel makers name products built for heat: Drexel Metals, for one, requires its own high-temperature membrane, rated to 250°F without the adhesive breaking down, under every roof it warrants. Ask which membrane the panel maker calls for and whether it is the product written on your quote.
Section R905.1.2, the ice-barrier requirement, lists metal shingles but leaves out panels, and it bites only where the local design table records eave ice damming. The St. Peters table says none is required, and Pacific's roof-code handout answers "No" on that line. The Cost vs. Value model metal roof still runs ice-barrier membrane around the perimeter under premium synthetic underlayment, a fair bar for any metal quote here. The regional design figures are in the roofing code guide.
Missouri recorded 253 hail events with stones an inch or larger in 2025, fifth in the country, and Illinois 167, by NOAA Storm Prediction Center counts compiled by the Insurance Information Institute. A National Weather Service St. Louis study of hail 2 inches and larger, covering 1955 through 2004, found St. Louis was one of the two counties in Missouri and Illinois with the most reports, and that 73 percent fell between March and June.
The rating to ask for is UL 2218, which drops steel balls on the roofing: a 1 1/4-inch ball from 12 feet for Class 1, up to a 2-inch ball from 20 feet for Class 4. Fabral, a panel maker, notes in a bulletin that passing means the hit did not penetrate or cause a leak; the panel can still dent. The Metal Roofing Alliance says most metal roofing earns Class 4.
Wind. Houses across this metro are designed to a 115 mph ultimate wind speed. The residential code leaves panel attachment to the maker's instructions (R905.10.4), so ask which uplift test the panel system passed and what clip spacing that result assumes. For structural metal panel roofs, the commercial code accepts ASTM E1592, FM 4474 and UL 580 (IBC 1504.3.2), which gives you names to look for.
Heat. Lambert averages 47 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 85 nights at or below freezing, under NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals. A panel riding through that range needs room to move, which is the job of standing-seam clips. Color counts too: the Department of Energy says a white or cool-color roof can reflect up to 90 percent of sunlight, and that even in mixed climates the winter heating penalty can be smaller than the summer savings.
Snow. It is a light load here: the published ground snow load is 20 pounds per square foot, and Lambert's normal snowfall is 16.6 inches a year. Metal sheds snow readily, which the Metal Roofing Alliance counts in its favor; over a door, a walkway or a lower roof, add snow guards, which it says install without puncturing the panels.
The Metal Roofing Alliance describes steel as the most widely used and usually the cheapest roofing metal, protected from rust by a metallic layer under the paint. The code sets the minimum for that layer, G90 galvanizing or AZ50 aluminum-zinc, with factory paint on top (2018 IRC Table R905.10.3(2)). Aluminum weighs less and corrodes less, which the Alliance pitches at houses near salt water. Salt air is not a St. Louis problem, so most houses here are a steel decision.
The finish is where roofs that look alike on day one part company. The two common factory coatings:
Whichever you choose, get the finish warranty in writing and read how much fade and chalk it allows before it pays.
Noise. By the Metal Roofing Alliance's account, rain and hail sound much the same on metal as on other roofing, and metal laid over a solid substrate such as plywood, with proper insulation and fasteners, greatly reduces sound. The Alliance adds that a taller roof with more attic space beneath it tends to sound quieter than a flat one. A house roof on a deck over an insulated attic is not a tin shed.
Lightning. The National Weather Service lists the idea that metal attracts lightning among its myths: height, a pointed shape and isolation decide where a bolt lands, and the presence of metal makes no difference. Metal does conduct electricity, so a house that needs protection needs a lightning protection system, whatever the roof is made of.
The best public benchmark is Zonda's 2025 Cost vs. Value Report. Its metal project strips a 3,000-square-foot hip roof to the wood, runs ice-barrier membrane around the perimeter, and installs prefinished standing-seam panels with matching drip edge, gable trim, a vented ridge and custom flashing at two skylights.
| 2025 report region | Standing-seam metal | Asphalt shingles | Metal cost recouped at resale |
|---|---|---|---|
| West North Central (Missouri side) | $50,520 | $30,693 | 44.6% |
| East North Central (Illinois side) | $47,473 | $29,253 | 45.9% |
Those are averages for a model house, not a quote for yours. A real price moves with the panel type (McElroy puts screw-down panels below standing seam), the metal and finish, the hips, valleys and chimneys that need custom flashing, the layers coming off, bad decking and any snow guards. On the other side of the ledger, InterNACHI expects metal to last 40 to 80 years; its figure for architectural shingles is 30, and it notes that hail shortens roof life generally. Our price is one line-itemed number that names each material by brand and product line.
Sometimes. The residential code allows it when the new roof's instructions permit it, and standing-seam systems that carry their own load to the framing need no tear-off. It is not allowed over a wet or deteriorated roof, slate or tile, or two existing layers. Going over also hides the deck, so bad wood stays.
It can. A UL 2218 Class 4 rating means a 2-inch steel ball dropped from 20 feet did not break through the panel or make it leak. It does not promise no dents. If hail is part of the reason you are choosing metal, check whether your policy excludes cosmetic damage to the roof.
Not on a house built the usual way. The Metal Roofing Alliance puts the noise from rain or hail on metal about level with other roofing, and credits a solid deck, insulation and proper fasteners for keeping it down.
No. The National Weather Service lists that as a myth: height, a pointed shape and isolation decide where lightning strikes, and metal makes no difference. Metal conducts electricity once struck, which is why lightning protection is its own system rather than a roofing choice.
Often, yes, because a change of material is not like-for-like. St. Louis City requires a permit when the new roof is a different material, Maryland Heights requires one for metal roofs, and St. Louis County's checklist requires one for a material change. We check your city's rule and pull the permit.
Zonda's 2025 Cost vs. Value Report lists $50,520 for its model standing-seam replacement in the West North Central region, where Missouri sits, and $47,473 in the East North Central region, where Illinois sits. Yours depends on the panel, the finish, the shape of the roof and the condition of the deck.
Metal roofing across greater St. Louis, from the city and St. Louis County out to St. Charles, Jefferson and Franklin Counties and across the river into the Metro East. Each city has its own page with the permit rule and code edition that apply there:
Sources: 2018 International Residential Code, Chapter 9 (R905.1.1, R905.1.2, R905.2.2, R905.4, R905.10, R908) · 2018 International Building Code, Section 1504.3.2 (metal panel uplift tests) · 2025 Cost vs. Value Report, West North Central region (Zonda / Journal of Light Construction) · 2025 Cost vs. Value Report, East North Central region · Cost vs. Value project description, metal roof replacement · McElroy Metal, through-fastened vs. standing seam roofing (Oct 2025) · McElroy Metal, Kynar 500 coatings field comparison · PPG, PVDF versus SMP coil coating systems (Oct 2023) · Metal Roofing Alliance, materials · Metal Roofing Alliance, styles (metal shingles) · Metal Roofing Alliance, hail · Metal Roofing Alliance, snow and ice · Metal Roofing Alliance, FAQs (noise) · Metal Roofing Alliance, are metal roofs noisy · Fabral Technical Bulletin 730, UL 2218 impact classes · Drexel Metals, MetShield HT high-temperature underlayment · Insurance Information Institute, hail facts (NOAA Storm Prediction Center 2025 counts) · National Weather Service St. Louis, A Brief Climatology of Significant Hail in Missouri and Illinois (archived copy) · Texas Department of Insurance, Bulletin B-0030-8 (cosmetic hail damage exclusion) · NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals, St. Louis Lambert (days 90°F and up, nights 32°F and below, snowfall) · U.S. Department of Energy, Consumer Guide to Cool Roofs · National Weather Service, lightning myths · City of St. Louis, residential permit criteria · City of Maryland Heights, residential roof replacement permit · St. Louis County Public Works, Re-Roofing Checklist · City of Pacific, Roof Code handout (2018 IRC excerpts and design criteria) · City of St. Peters, Building Code Guide (design criteria) · InterNACHI, Standard Estimated Life Expectancy Chart for Homes. Codes, programs and prices change; confirm the current rule with your city before you rely on it.
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