Roof Product Comparison

 

If you are considering a cool roof, this table can help you compare different roofing materials and select the right cool roof option for your building.

Roof Type	Conventional Roofs		Cool Roofs			Life Expectancy (years)	Roof Slope
	Roof Option	Solar Reflectance	Roof Option	Solar Reflectance	Material Cost*
Asphalt Shingle	black or dark brown with conventional pigments	0.05 - 0.15	“white” (actually light gray)	0.20 - 0.30	$	15 - 30	Steep slope
			medium gray or brown with cool pigments	0.20 - 0.30
Built-Up Roof	with dark gravel	0.10 - 0.15	with white gravel	0.30 - 0.50	$ - $$	10 - 30	Low slope
	with aluminum coating	0.25 - 0.60	smooth surface with white roof coating	0.75 - 0.85
Clay Tile	dark color with conventional pigments	0.20	terracotta (unglazed red tile)	0.40 - 0.50	$$ - $$$	50+	Steep slope
			color with cool pigments	0.40 - 0.60
			white	0.70
Concrete Tile	dark color with conventional pigments	0.05 - 0.35	color with cool pigments	0.40 - 0.60	$ - $$$	50+	Steep slope
			white	0.70
Liquid Applied Coating	smooth black	0.05	smooth white	0.60 - 0.90	$	10	Low or steep slope
Metal Roof	unpainted, corrugated	0.30 - 0.50	white painted	0.60 - 0.70	$$	20 - 50+	Low or steep slope
	dark-painted, corrugated	0.05 - 0.10	color with cool pigments	0.40 - 0.70
Modified Bitumen	with mineral surface capsheet (SBS, APP)	0.10 - 0.20	white coating over a mineral surface (SBS, APP)	0.60 - 0.75	$	10 - 30	Low slope
Single-Ply Membrane	black (PVC)	0.05	white (PVC or TPO)	0.70 - 0.85	$	10 - 20	Low slope
			color with cool pigments	0.40 - 0.60
Wood Shake	painted dark color with conventional pigments	0.05 - 0.35	bare	0.40 - 0.55	$	15 - 30	Steep slope

*Cool Roof Material Cost

$: $0 - $2 per ft²
$$: $2 - $4 per ft²
$$$: $4 - $6 per ft²