“It’s probably time to look past asphalt shingles,” Michael Yaworksy, Florida’s insurance commissioner, told a crowd of insurance executives at the 2025 Florida Chamber Insurance Summit recently. Yaworksy’s comments sparked an ongoing debate: should Gulf Coast states leave behind asphalt shingles for more resilient roofing solutions?
Roofing systems such as standing seam metal roofs that use a high-quality metal substrate can endure the region’s extreme heat, frequent hurricanes, and tropical storms, offering significant benefits to roofing contractors. Tested to multiple standards, these systems can endure fire, wind, and rain events to last roughly two to three times longer than other roofing systems. A longer-lasting and more resilient roof allows them to contribute to safer homes. That said, to understand exactly how standing seam metal roofing systems can contribute to more resilient roofs and homes, it is important to understand the truth behind lifecycle assessments, material durability over time, hidden costs of other roofing materials, and other associated considerations.
There is an often-cited metric that asphalt shingles can last up to 30 years. While this may be true in ideal conditions, Florida’s climate is anything but ideal for any roofing material. For asphalt shingles, the conditions have the potential to drop its service life to about 20 years. On the other hand, metal roofing systems that use a high-quality metal substrate offer uncompromising performance. Unlike asphalt shingles, panelized metal roofing systems extend from eave to ridge and interlock with adjacent panels to minimize the points where gusts of wind can lift and damage the roof. Metal also has a substantial strength-to-weight ratio. This means individual panels can withstand direct wind without increasing the overall weight of a roof.
An ideal solution for the Florida market, metal roofs can provide wind resistance of up to 120 miles per hour. Select systems are certified to wind-resistance testing standards such as: UL 580 Wind Uplift, TAS 125 Wind Uplift, UL 1897 Extended Phase Wind Uplift, ASTM E1592 Uniform Static Pressure Uplift, and ASTM E1680 Air Infiltration. They are also certified to the highest impact resistance class, according to UL 2218 impact rating standards.
Additionally, metal roofing also provides reliable wet-weather performance due to its inherently durable substrate that is impervious to moisture. Underscoring this quality, metal roofing systems are certified to ASTM E1646 Water Infiltration standards. Building on its resistance to moisture intrusion, assemblies from industry-leading metal roofing manufacturers can achieve the TAS 100 Wind-Driven Rain designation. This testing standard establishes resistance to wind-driven rain by spraying water on the metal roof panels at a rate of 8.8 in/hr. while a wind machine generates wind speeds up to 110 mph. Metal roof panels that pass this test will not exhibit any water infiltration through the deck sheathing. A metal roof’s weathertight performance can be enhanced with a proper underlayment and an advanced coating or paint finish. Further, these systems can be certified to UL 2218, which tests their impact resistance and ranks them on a class system (from one to four). Metal roofs rank highest with a class four rating. This ensures the maximum protection from wind-blown debris and even hail.
While hurricanes and tropical storms do pose a significant challenge to roof systems, there are two other forces at work: high heat and prolonged sun exposure. Asphalt binders commonly have a softening point between 95- and 130-degrees Fahrenheit (F). Repeated softening and hardening can prematurely age shingles, reducing their overall lifespan and ability to withstand tropical storms. While the higher end of the temperature spectrum exceeds most temperatures Florida and other Gulf states will endure even in their hottest months, asphalt shingles, particularly when they are dark in color, can reach temperatures up to 60°F above the ambient temperature. This means often shingles are exposed to conditions that rapidly age them for most of the year, significantly reducing their ability to resist storm damage over time.
Metal roofs have a lower thermal mass and higher thermal emittance rate than other roofing materials, including asphalt shingles and concrete tiles. This not only helps keep interior temperatures comfortable but also supports long-lasting underlayment, which adheres to the roofing deck and provides a protective barrier against water intrusion. When finished with resins such as polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), metal roofs offer improved color fade-resistance to ensure a roof looks beautiful for decades after its installation, even after prolonged exposure to heat and sun. This finish’s strong chemical bonds resist the damaging effects of long-term sun exposure to minimize chalking and to preserve the integrity of the metal substrate.
To further mitigate heat transfer, standing seam metal roofs can also be finished with cool roof-rated colors, which can reflect a significant portion of UV radiation. As such, a cooler roof ensures this part of the roofing system remains within optimal temperatures to maintain adhesion.
Although metal roofing’s average lifespan often outshines asphalt shingles, it is not the longest-lasting material. A blog from Matt Power, Editor-in-Chief of Green Builder, includes a graph that compares the lifespan and cost of multiple roofing materials. This graph indicates that ceramic or concrete tile can last up to 200 years. However, these systems can often come with hidden costs.
Tile roofs can weigh between five and a half to 15 pounds per square foot—compared to one to two and a half pounds for metal and two to five pounds for asphalt shingles. With this added weight, roofing contractors would need to assess the structural integrity of a home’s rafters, ridge boards, and decking to determine if it can support tile or if it needs structural reinforcement, a costly and time-consuming addition to a roofing renovation.
Because standing seam metal roofs are of comparable weight to asphalt shingles, they can provide homeowners with a stronger roof without structural revisions to their homes. In fact, Rob Sineni of PRG Roofing has said he and his crew have replaced approximately 100 asphalt shingle roofs with high-performing metal roofs from Drexel Metals. These systems sideline issues of roofing replacement every time a hurricane or tropical storm rolls through without needing invasive revisions to a home’s structure.
Due to their premium weather resistance and long lifespans, standing seam metal roofs can support sustainable construction before, during, and after installation. But there is more to residential construction than performance and sustainability. It is also important to support a beautiful home design.
Standing seam metal roofs are available in a wide range of profiles and colors. They also have the versatility for curved and radius roofs. As a result, metal roofs can be customized to fit nearly any design aesthetic—from sleek minimalism to elevated rustic charm. This creates roofs that are as aesthetically pleasing as they are resilient. For example, the Eldridge Home in Boulder, Colo., utilizes a metal roofing system by Drexel Metals comprised of 24-gauge, 16-inch-wide Galvalume® steel panels to meet the aesthetic goals of the project, provide wind and hail resistance, and support the use of solar panels. Along with the home’s siding, the roof also defended against a wildfire that tore through the area in late 2021.
Standing seam metal roofs offer homeowners and roofing contractors in the Gulf states a high-performance alternative to asphalt shingles. Able to withstand everyday weather and extreme storm events, metal roofs require less maintenance and repair over their service lives than other materials. Because they can be customized to fit nearly any design aesthetic, they remain a versatile and resilient option.
By including metal roofing systems into their offerings, roofing contractors can provide customers with benefits that go significantly beyond asphalt shingles at a smaller cost than other premium materials. This may lead to a competitive advantage now and in the future.
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