Estimating standing seam metal roofing
Standing seam is estimated by the panel, not by the square. Every panel has a length, and the lengths are what the machine runs and what you pay for.
The takeoff: panels on each facet by coverage width, each at its own length plus the overhang, grouped into a runout list; trim and flashing by the true foot for each line; underlayment by the square with lap waste; clips and screws by the bag from their uses per panel and per foot of trim, closures and boots by the count; labor per square for the seam type.
Panels
The drafter lays a strip across each facet every coverage width, 16 inches for the nail-fin panel in the catalog, or whatever width you give your profile. Each strip's length is read where it ends: at the ridge for a gable, at the hip or valley for a cut panel, at the dormer for a notched one. The panel gets the longest run across its strip so the piece covers the cut.
- Runout list. Panels grouped by length with a count on each line, longest first, across the whole job.
- Cut list by facet. The same panels in facet order, so the crew installs from it.
- Panel tolerance. Lengths within the tolerance you set are one length, so a hip roof does not turn into fifty one-of-a-kind panels.
- Add to all panels and spares. Add inches to every panel for the overhang in one step; add spare panels at a length by count. Both reach the list, the CSV and the pricer.
- Verified lengths. Field-measured numbers typed over the drawn ones. A longer eave adds panels; the stamp on the PDF says what changed.
The whole panel path, with a sample CSV, is on the metal panel cut list page.
Trim and flashing
Each line on the roof is marked as what it is, and the pricer carries the lineal feet of each type at its true length on the slope: eave, rake, ridge cap, hip cap, valley, headwall, sidewall, transition. A hip that reads 21 feet on the plan is 23 feet of hip cap at 8/12. Flashing added or removed by the foot on the verified map rides into the totals too.
Underlayment, accessories, labor
- Underlayment. The metal roofing type picks its field underlayment and its valley ice and water, with roll coverage, lap waste and install per square. Ice and water on the hips is a tick box.
- Accessories. Pipe boots by size, roto and off-ridge vents, dryer vents, goosenecks, skylights and chimney flashing, each placed on the drawing and counted.
- Labor. Install per square belongs to the product, so a mechanical seam profile costs more to hang than a snap-lock or nail-fin one. Tear-off per square, drive time by the trip, dump, permit, delivery, warranty reserve and tax are job settings.
What comes out
A summary with squares, panels and flashing feet; a materials and labor sheet; a price to the customer with the markups applied; an install ticket for the crew with the cut list by facet; and the CSV for the panel machine. Related pages: exposed fastener metal and the panel calculator for a quick count on one facet.
Questions
How do you estimate a standing seam metal roof?
Count the panels on each facet by the panel coverage width, read each panel's length where it meets the eave, ridge, hip or valley, add the overhang, and group the panels by length. Then take off the trim by the foot for every line type, the underlayment by the square, the clips or fasteners, closures and sealant, and price the labor per square for the seam type.
What panel width does the app use?
Whatever the profile covers. A product in the catalog carries its coverage width in inches; the nail-fin panel that ships in the catalog is 16 inches. Add a 12, 18 or 24 inch profile as its own product with its own material and labor cost.
How are the panel lengths figured on a hip roof?
Each panel is a strip across the facet. Where the strip meets a hip or valley, its length is read at the longest point of the strip, so the piece covers the whole cut. Panels that run past a dormer without being cut off stay one piece and are notched; a panel the dormer takes the full width of becomes two pieces.
Does the app give a cut list for the panel machine?
Yes. The runout list groups panels by length with counts, the cut list by facet keeps them in roofing order, and the CSV export has the columns Section, Qty, Feet, Inches with decimal.
Is standing seam labor priced differently from exposed fastener?
Yes. Every product has its own install labor per square. A mechanically seamed panel takes longer than a snap-lock or nail-fin panel, and the product carries that number.