Pricing
Roof Cost per Square Metre in the UK: Rates by Material
Roofing is priced per square metre of roof area, and the national rate bands for each covering are only useful once you know that roof area is measured across the slope rather than across the building. Calculate what the roof covering comes to from your own measurements, then book a survey to firm it up. What it covers: Concrete tile · Clay tile · Natural slate.
Roofing is priced per square metre of roof area, and the national bands are only useful once you know that roof area is measured across the slope rather than across the building.
| Covering | Band | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Concrete tile | £85–£170 per m² | Supplied and fitted |
| Clay tile | £110–£210 per m² | Supplied and fitted |
| Natural slate | £140–£280 per m² | Supplied and fitted |
| Full replacement | £120–£275 per m² | Strip-off, battens, membrane and labour |
| Torch-on felt | £40–£60 per m² | Supplied and fitted |
| GRP fibreglass | £60–£100 per m² | Supplied and fitted |
| EPDM rubber | £80–£120 per m² | Supplied and fitted |
Three things the rate does not carry
- Scaffold Priced separately, on its own hire period.
- Waste removal Priced by the volume of stripped covering.
- Timber repairs A provisional sum until the covering is off.
A steeper pitch increases the slope area above the plan footprint, so applying a roof rate to the house's floor area understates the job substantially. Labour rates vary by region, which makes a national band a sanity check rather than a basis for a quotation.
How much does roofing cost per square metre?
Full roof replacement costs £120 to £275 per square metre including strip-off, battens, membrane and labour. By covering, concrete tile runs £85 to £170, clay tile £110 to £210, and natural slate £140 to £280 supplied and fitted.
How do you work out your roof area?
Roof area is measured across the slope, not across the building. Take the plan footprint, then increase it according to the pitch: a forty-degree roof has roughly thirty per cent more slope area than its plan dimensions.
- Full replacement £120–£275 per m² including strip-off, battens, membrane and labour
- Torch-on felt £40–£60 per m²
- GRP £60–£100 per m²
What is not included in the rate?
Square-metre rates exclude scaffold hire, waste removal, structural timber repairs, ridge and verge upgrades, roofline and rainwater goods, and VAT. Each is a real cost that appears as a separate line on any complete quotation.
- Measured across the slope, not across the building footprint; a steeper pitch increases slope area above the plan footprint.
- EPDM £80–£120 per m²
Do rates vary by region?
Yes. Labour rates differ across the country, so national bands are a sanity check rather than a pricing basis. They are useful for spotting a quotation that sits far outside the normal range, not for predicting one.
Scaffold, waste removal and timber repairs sit outside the rate. Labour rates vary by region, so national bands are indicative only.
- A roof area is measured across the slope, not across the footprint.
What do flat roof systems cost?
Torch-on felt costs £40 to £60 per square metre, fibreglass £60 to £100, and rubber £80 to £120, each supplied and fitted. Deck renewal and insulation upgrades are quoted separately in every case.
- A steeper pitch increases a slope area above plan dimensions.
- Scaffold, disposal and timber sit outside the square-metre rate.
- National bands are indicative because a labour rates vary regionally.
A band is not a quotation.
Why a rate never prices your roof
Publishing how to convert footprint to slope area lets a reader use the rates properly instead of underestimating by a third. Rate tables published without their exclusions are the reason quotations feel inflated; naming them is more useful than the rates themselves. Labour rates vary regionally, so a national band is a sanity check rather than a quotation basis.
Getting a measured figure
The commonest reader error is applying a roof rate to the house's floor area, which understates the job substantially.
Roof area, and 4 more
- roof area
- footprint
- supplied and fitted
- provisional sum
- rate band
Fitted rates run from around forty pounds a square metre for torch-on felt to two hundred and eighty for natural slate, with concrete tile, clay tile, fibreglass and rubber between them. Two things move a quotation more than the band itself: the rate applies to slope area rather than the building footprint, and scaffold is quoted separately because it carries its own hire period.
A survey takes forty-five to ninety minutes and the written report follows within two working days. Nothing is charged for the survey, and nothing is charged if the report concludes that no work is needed.
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