Roofing Material Market Share (2026)

Quick answer: Asphalt shingles dominate US residential roofing with about 75-80% market share in 2026, per ARMA and the Freedonia Group. Metal holds roughly 12-17% and is growing fastest, followed by tile (5-8%). In the separate commercial low-slope market, TPO leads at about 40%, ahead of EPDM at 22%.

Asphalt Shingles Hold About 80% of US Residential Roofs

The US roofing market is not really one market. It splits into two: residential steep-slope roofs, where asphalt shingles rule, and commercial low-slope roofs, where single-ply membranes rule. Treating them as one number is the most common mistake in roofing market data.

On the residential side, asphalt shingles cover roughly 75-80% of installed roofs in 2026, per the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA) and the Freedonia Group. Annual US demand for asphalt shingles runs about 150-160 million roofing squares (one square equals 100 square feet) — more than every other material combined.

Three forces keep asphalt on top: it is the cheapest material installed (see the Onward Roofing Cost Index), nearly every contractor installs it, and the supply chain is deep. For most homeowners getting a roof replacement, asphalt is the default unless climate or code pushes otherwise.

Metal Roofing Has Climbed to 12-17% and Is Still Rising

Metal is the residential growth story of the decade. It has moved from low single-digit share twenty years ago to roughly 12-17% of the residential market in 2026, depending on the source and how “metal” is defined (panels versus stamped metal shingles).

The momentum is visible in contractor sentiment. In the McElroy Metal / NRCA contractor survey, 67% of residential contractors expected metal roofing sales to increase in 2025, ranking it among the top three growth categories. Regional appetite is uneven: 81% of Southern contractors expected gains, versus 64% in the Northeast.

Insurance pressure is a quiet driver. In hurricane and wildfire states, asphalt’s effective protection window can be as short as 10 years, which pushes carriers and homeowners toward metal and tile. That same dynamic shows up in storm-damage claim data.

Three structural reasons explain why metal keeps taking share rather than plateauing:

• Durability. A metal roof often lasts 40-70 years against 15-25 years for asphalt, so each metal install removes a home from the re-roof cycle for decades.
• Insurance and code. Class 4 impact ratings and high wind ratings earn premium discounts in hail and hurricane states, and some carriers now decline coverage on aging asphalt.
• Solar pairing. Standing-seam metal is the preferred mounting surface for solar panels because clamps attach without roof penetrations, so solar adoption pulls metal demand with it.

The forecast supports continued gains. The North America roofing materials market is projected to grow at about a 3.8% CAGR from 2025 to 2030 (Grand View Research), and the US metal roofing segment specifically is forecast near a 3.9% CAGR through the early 2030s (Market Research Future) — faster than asphalt’s flat-to-modest trajectory, which is why metal’s percentage share keeps climbing.

Tile Holds 5-8% Nationally but Dominates the Southwest

Clay and concrete tile is a small national category — roughly 5-8% of US residential roofs — but the national average hides a sharp regional story. In Arizona, parts of Florida, and the broader Southwest, tile can exceed 40% of homes (Grand View Research).

Why the concentration? Tile fits hot, dry, fire-prone climates, resists UV degradation, and matches Spanish and Mediterranean architecture common in those markets. It also carries a long lifespan, which matters where re-roofing is expensive (see roof lifespan by material).

The trade-off is weight and cost. Tile requires reinforced framing and costs far more than asphalt installed, which keeps it from spreading beyond climates and price points where it pays off. Outside the Sun Belt, tile share drops into the low single digits.

Roofing Material Share Varies Sharply by Region

National averages obscure how different regional markets really are. Asphalt leads everywhere by volume, but the runner-up material flips depending on climate, fire code, and insurance pressure. The pattern below is directional, drawn from Grand View Research regional data and NRCA material guidance rather than a single precise survey.

Two takeaways drive most of the variance. First, tile concentrates almost entirely in hot, dry, and hurricane-exposed states — it stays a national rounding error elsewhere. Second, metal’s strongest pull is in the South and agricultural areas, where barns, ranch homes, and storm exposure all favor standing-seam and exposed-fastener panels. A homeowner comparing options should weight these regional realities over the national table.

Wood, Slate, and Synthetics Make Up Under 5% Combined

The premium and legacy tier is the smallest slice of the residential market. Wood shakes, slate, and synthetic/composite products together account for under 5% of US residential roofs in 2026.

• Wood shakes and shingles (~1-2%): Declining for decades, largely because of fire codes and maintenance demands. Banned or restricted in many wildfire-prone jurisdictions.
• Slate (<1%): The longest-lasting material, with lifespans past 75-100 years, but extremely heavy and expensive. Mostly historic and high-end homes.
• Synthetic / composite (<2%): The emerging substitute. These polymer products mimic slate or shake at a fraction of the weight and cost, and they are the fastest-growing premium category by percentage.

Honesty note: these shares are rounded estimates that vary by source, year, and region. Different research firms slice “metal” and “synthetic” differently, so treat any single percentage as a midpoint, not a precise count.

TPO Leads the Commercial Membrane Market at About 40%

Switch to commercial low-slope roofing and the leaderboard changes entirely. Flat and low-slope roofs cover more than 60% of US commercial and industrial buildings (Mordor Intelligence), and they need waterproof membranes rather than shingles.

TPO (thermoplastic polyolefin) leads with about 40% of the low-slope market, per the NRCA Market Survey. EPDM follows at roughly 22%, with PVC, modified bitumen, and built-up roofing splitting the remainder.

Single-ply membranes (TPO + PVC + EPDM) together make up nearly 55% of commercial roofing installations. TPO’s rise came at the expense of EPDM and BUR, driven by lower cost, energy-saving reflectivity, and fast heat-welded seams.

EPDM and PVC Split the Rest of Single-Ply

EPDM — the familiar black rubber membrane — held the commercial market before TPO overtook it. It still commands about 22% share in 2026 and remains the choice in cold climates where its proven durability and long service life matter most.

PVC sits in a specialized niche, roughly 15-25% of single-ply depending on the survey. Its chemical and grease resistance makes it the default for restaurants, hospitals, and industrial roofs exposed to oils or fumes. It costs more than TPO, which caps its volume.

Modified bitumen, at around 12%, survives largely in repair work and applications where a multi-layer, redundant system is preferred. Built-up roofing (BUR) — the old tar-and-gravel standard — keeps losing share to single-ply each year and is now mostly a legacy and re-cover material.

Solar Shingles and Reflective Roofs Are the Emerging Edge

Two small categories are worth watching even though neither moves the share table yet.

Solar shingles and integrated solar roofing remain under 1% of US residential installs in 2026. High cost and thin installer availability keep volumes low, but it is the fastest-emerging segment on a percentage basis as solar incentives and energy prices push interest.

Reflective and “cool” roofs are growing on both sides of the market. On commercial roofs, white TPO already delivers reflectivity by default. On residential roofs, ENERGY STAR-rated shingles and reflective metal are expanding in hot climates, partly for energy savings and partly for utility rebates. Neither has reshaped the share table — asphalt and TPO still dominate — but both signal where new demand is forming.

Residential Steep-Slope Is the Larger Market by Roof Count

The residential and commercial markets differ in size as well as material mix. By roof count, residential steep-slope work is the larger of the two, because the US housing stock vastly outnumbers commercial buildings and re-roofs more often on storm cycles.

In the combined US residential-and-commercial roofing materials market, the residential segment holds the larger revenue share, and metal’s residential portion alone reached about 44% of the metal category’s revenue in 2025 (Grand View Research). On the commercial side, flat and low-slope roofs cover more than 60% of commercial and industrial buildings, which is why membranes — not shingles — define that market.

The practical effect is that “roofing market share” means two different things depending on which building you stand in front of. A homeowner’s relevant universe is the residential table; a facilities manager’s is the membrane table. Onward’s match data sits almost entirely in the residential half, where asphalt and metal account for the overwhelming majority of requests.

Material Share Tracks Price Tier Almost Perfectly

Market share and installed cost line up closely: the cheaper the material, the larger its share. That single relationship explains most of the residential table.

Asphalt’s dominance is largely a price story — it remains the cheapest material installed, which is why it anchors the Onward Roofing Cost Index. The materials gaining share, chiefly metal, are the ones where higher upfront cost is offset by longer lifespan and insurance benefits. Premium materials like slate and synthetic stay small precisely because their cost premium only pays off for a narrow set of homes. For homeowners, the lesson is that material choice is a total-cost-of-ownership decision, not just a sticker-price one.

The US Roofing Materials Market Is Worth Tens of Billions

The dollar size of the market frames why these share shifts matter to manufacturers and contractors. Estimates vary by definition, so the figures below are best read as a range rather than one authoritative number.

The spread between the ~$21-33 billion materials estimates and IBISWorld’s ~$92.5 billion contractor figure reflects scope, not contradiction. Materials studies count only shingles, panels, and membranes; the contractor figure adds labor, tear-off, and services, which often run 40-60% of a project’s total. Across every definition the market grows in the 3.8-4.5% CAGR range, with storm cycles pushing above trend in heavy-claim years.

Methodology

These figures blend published industry research with Onward’s own quote and match data. Residential and commercial material shares come from the Freedonia Group, ARMA, Grand View Research, Mordor Intelligence, IBISWorld, and the NRCA Annual Market Survey, covering US installations through 2025-2026. Onward cross-checks national patterns against the materials homeowners actually request in Onward quotes, framed as rounded estimates. All percentages are midpoints of published ranges; definitions of “metal,” “single-ply,” and “synthetic” vary by source, and regional shares can differ sharply from national averages.

The bottom line

Asphalt shingles still own US residential roofing at about 75-80% in 2026, but the edges are shifting: metal is climbing toward 17%, tile holds the Southwest, and TPO rules a separate commercial market at roughly 40%. The right material depends on your climate, code, and budget far more than on the national average.

If you are weighing materials for your own home, the fastest way to compare real options is a side-by-side quote from vetted local pros. Get a free roofing estimate through Onward and see what asphalt, metal, and tile actually cost on your roof — every contractor is run through the Onward Shield 6-point check before they reach you.