Shingle vs. Tile vs. Metal Roofing in South Florida: Price, Wind Ratings, Insurance Credits and Lifespan (2026)

Eagle Roofing's Florida Collection says a properly installed and maintained concrete tile roof can last 45–75 years or more, carries a Class A fire rating and is proven to endure sustained winds of up to 180 mph in the Miami-Dade High Velocity Hurricane Zone.

Clay tile works differently on paper. The Miami-Dade NOA for Santafe 'S' clay roof tile (NOA 26-0527.03, valid until February 1, 2031) approves the system for the HVHZ but doesn't give one mph number. Instead, the roofer calculates the uplift resistance for your roof under Roofing Application Standard RAS 127, using the tile's tested values listed in the NOA. That's why we show clay tile as rated per its NOA rather than quoting a wind speed.

Either tile is attached with code-approved foam or mechanical fastening over an underlayment that must meet Miami-Dade's uplift rules (Board and Code memo, January 3, 2024). Clay tile costs a bit more per square than concrete.

Concrete tile ($1,075 per square) and standing-seam metal ($1,125 per square) are $50 a square apart at our published prices, or $1,000 on a 20-square roof. Clay tile is $1,175 per square. All three include tear-off, and the $10,000 minimum applies.

The bigger differences are weight, salt air and how each one is rated for wind. Each point below comes from the manufacturer or approval document listed in the Sources section.

Tile is the heaviest of the three. Eagle Roofing's Florida Collection brochure lists approximate installed weights of about 770 to 1,080 lbs of field tile per 100 sq ft, depending on the profile and how much of the roof uses the boosted pieces. That is the weight of the tile alone, before battens, foam or underlayment.

On a home that already has tile, the framing was designed for that load. On an older home switching from shingle or metal to tile, we recommend having a licensed engineer check the trusses or rafters before the permit, because the roof will carry a much heavier covering than it was built for.

The U.S. Department of Energy explains that a roof's temperature comes down to two properties, each measured from 0 to 1: solar reflectance (how much sunlight bounces off) and thermal emittance (how well the surface sheds absorbed heat). DOE's cool-roof guide says most dark roof materials reflect 5–20% of sunlight, while light-colored roof materials typically reflect 55–90%.

For metal, the same DOE guide notes that bare, shiny metal has low thermal emittance, so a bare metal surface that reflects as much sunlight as a white one still runs warmer in the sun; a light painted finish avoids that. Englert offers ULTRA-Cool Kynar 500 finishes it says meet LEED cool-roofing requirements. For tile, Eagle Roofing says lighter colors further improve solar reflectance. Savings depend on the house and its insulation, so treat color as one factor, not a guaranteed bill cut.

Miami-Dade and Broward are in the High Velocity Hurricane Zone, where Florida Building Code Chapter 15 (§§1512–1525) sets the roofing rules. Under FBC Existing Building §706.1.1, not more than 25 percent of a roof or roof section may be repaired, replaced or recovered in any 12-month period unless the whole roof or section is brought up to current code. Fla. Stat. §553.844(5) exempts roofs built, repaired or replaced to the 2007 Florida Building Code or later: only the repaired portion must meet current code. Our Florida 25% roof rule guide, linked below, walks through it.

An insurer can't refuse to issue or renew a policy solely for roof age if the roof is less than 15 years old (Fla. Stat. §627.7011(5)). Roofing is Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach only.