Roofing Estimate Template
Roofers price more jobs they will never win than almost any other trade — after a hail storm, every homeowner on the block collects three bids, and the roof goes to the estimate that reads cleanest, not always the lowest number. This free roofing estimate template is for that moment: pricing a tear-off from a measurement report and a walk on the shingles, before anyone has seen the decking underneath.
A roofing estimate that wins work does four things: it prices in squares so the homeowner can line it up against the other bids, it says plainly whether the shingle number is fixed or an allowance riding on distributor prices, it sets a validity window short enough to survive material swings, and it ties the deposit to a start date with a weather clause behind it. The generator below is pre-filled with a realistic 22-square tear-off — every line and term is yours to edit.
Job done and ready to bill? Use the roofing invoice template →
What this template looks like
| Description | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tear-off & disposal — one layer | 22 | $110.00 | $2,420.00 |
| Architectural shingles & underlayment — material allowance | 22 | $250.00 | $5,500.00 |
| Installation labor | 22 | $175.00 | $3,850.00 |
| Flashing, drip edge & pipe boots | 1 | $780.00 | $780.00 |
| Permit & final inspection — City of Tulsa | 1 | $320.00 | $320.00 |
A sample estimate — every field, from the scope lines to the validity date and terms, is yours to edit in the free generator.
Get this template
How to fill out a roofing estimate
Lead with your registration and insurance
Roofing is the trade where credentials get checked, because storm season brings out-of-state pickups with magnetic signs. Put your business name, address, phone, and email up top, then your state registration or license number and one line on insurance. A homeowner burned once by a storm chaser reads that block before any price.
Number it and give the price a shelf life
Use a dedicated estimate sequence — EST-3072 here — with the issue date and a valid-until date thirty days out. Shingle and underlayment prices move by the quarter, and your crew calendar moves faster. The window also gives a homeowner sitting on three bids a real reason to call you back this month.
Pin the roof itself in the prepared-for block
Name the homeowner, then describe the roof you measured: square count, layers to come off, pitch if it is steep enough to matter. "22-square gable, one existing layer" locks the price to a specific roof, so a second layer discovered at tear-off is plainly a change — not something the estimate silently covered.
Price the job per square, in three separate lines
Put the square count in the quantity column three times: tear-off and disposal at one rate, shingle and underlayment material at another, installation labor at a third. Separated that way, a homeowner can compare your bid line by line instead of guessing, and a mid-job material move touches one line instead of the whole price.
Give flashing, edge metal, and the permit their own lines
Flashing, drip edge, and pipe boots are where cheap bids cut corners, so pricing them visibly is a selling point, not a padding risk. The permit and inspection line matters too: it tells the homeowner the job will be inspected, which quietly separates you from every bid that never mentions the city.
Say whether the shingle price is fixed or an allowance
If you can hold the material price for the validity window, say it is fixed — that certainty wins bids. If your distributor will not hold it, mark the line an allowance at today's rate with a written adjustment rule. What loses roofs is the third option: a firm-looking number that quietly was not.
Exclude what the tear-off might uncover, and add the weather clause
Two sentences in the notes carry most of the protection: rotten decking is priced per sheet if found, and rain or high wind pauses the job without changing the price. Both are ordinary roofing realities. Naming them now turns a bad Tuesday into a documented change order instead of a shouted negotiation.
Set the deposit and draws, then send it while the leak is fresh
A quarter down to schedule, a materials draw at delivery, balance at final inspection is the common shape — several states cap the up-front share, so check yours. Then send the PDF the same day you measured. Roof decisions are made fast, usually within a week of the leak or the storm.
Estimating tips for roofing jobs
Fixed price beats allowance when you can get it
An allowance is honest, but a fixed number is persuasive — homeowners comparing three bids gravitate toward the one that cannot grow. Ask your distributor to hold shingle pricing for thirty days; many will for a named job. Quote fixed when they do, and save the allowance structure for volatile stretches or long lead times. When you must use one, put the adjustment rule in writing on the estimate itself: rate source, direction, and who approves the change.
On insurance claims, write your scope before you see theirs
When a homeowner has a storm claim, your estimate and the adjuster's scope are two versions of the same roof, and yours should be built from your own measurement, not reverse-engineered from their number. Price the roof as you would for cash, line by line. If the adjuster's scope misses code-required items — ice barrier, drip edge — your independent estimate is the document that supports the supplement. Never quote "whatever insurance pays"; that phrase costs roofers real money.
The weather clause is a scheduling promise, not an excuse
Every homeowner knows rain stops roofing; what they fear is an open roof and a vanished crew. Write the clause so it promises behavior: work pauses at defined conditions, the deck gets tarped watertight the same day, and the crew returns at the next workable window. A weather clause phrased as protection for the house, not cover for the roofer, wins trust while quietly doing its legal job.
Price the decking question before the tear-off answers it
You cannot see the deck until the shingles are off, so the estimate should say what happens when it is bad: replacement priced per sheet of OSB or plank, approved by phone or text before installation. A per-sheet price agreed in advance is a five-minute call mid-job. The alternative — negotiating decking prices with a homeowner while their roof sits open — is where margins and reviews both die.
Follow up within the week — roofs get decided fast
Kitchen remodels get pondered for months; roofs get decided while the ceiling stain is still spreading. If you have not heard back in four or five days, the job is probably going somewhere, so one specific follow-up — did the estimate arrive, does any line need explaining, when could the crew start — lands while the decision is still open. After the thirty days lapse, a short re-confirmation note beats silently honoring stale shingle prices.
Frequently asked questions
Is a roofing estimate legally binding?
Not by itself — an estimate is a priced opinion, and the signed contract that follows is the binding document. The line moves, though: call a number fixed and let the homeowner rely on it, or start tearing off shingles with nothing else signed, and courts can treat the estimate as the deal. Label allowances as allowances, keep the weather and decking clauses in writing, and get a signed contract before the first shingle comes up.
What is the difference between a roofing estimate and a quote?
An estimate says what the roof should cost given what you can see from the ladder; it can move for documented reasons like hidden layers or bad decking. A quote is a committed price for a committed scope. Roofers often start with an estimate, then firm it into a quote once the measurement report is in and the shingle order is priced. Whichever you send, title it honestly — a homeowner who thinks a moving number was fixed becomes a dispute.
How long should a roofing estimate stay valid?
Thirty days is the working norm and what the sample uses. Shingle, underlayment, and accessory prices reset often enough that a summer number can be wrong by fall, and your crew calendar fills faster than material prices move. Storm season justifies shorter windows — two weeks is common after a hail event when every roofer in the county is booking. When a homeowner comes back after expiry, re-check material pricing before you honor the old number.
How much deposit should a roofing estimate ask for?
Enough to cover the shingle order and make the booking real — commonly 10 to 30 percent at signing, with a second draw when materials land on the driveway. Several states cap what a roofer may collect before work starts, and a few storm-prone ones regulate roofing deposits specifically, so check your statute before making a third your default. Put the deposit next to a start window on the estimate: money down should buy a date.
How does an estimate work on an insurance claim job?
Write your own scope at your own prices, exactly as you would for a cash roof — the adjuster's estimate is their document, not your ceiling. The homeowner's policy pays actual cash value first, with recoverable depreciation released after completion, and the deductible stays the homeowner's to pay. If your scope includes code items theirs missed, that gap becomes a supplement backed by photos, and your independent estimate is its best evidence.
Should I price the estimate per square or as one number?
Per square, in separate lines — the homeowner sees a $13,000 roof as three understandable pieces: tear-off, materials, labor. One lump number forces them to compare totals blindly, and the cheapest total usually wins that comparison. Per-square lines also survive scope changes: when the measurement report says 24 squares instead of 22, every line scales by arithmetic instead of renegotiation. Keep flashing, accessories, and the permit as flat lines outside the square math.
Do I add sales tax to a roofing estimate?
Show the line, and set the rate to your state's actual rule — which varies sharply. Some states treat a re-roof as an improvement to real property and tax the roofer on materials rather than the homeowner on the job; others tax repairs but not replacements, or the reverse. Oklahoma, as in the sample, generally has the contractor pay tax on materials, so the client-facing rate sits at zero. Confirm your state's treatment before the estimate goes out.
Is this roofing estimate template really free?
Yes — fill it in and download the PDF with no signup, no watermark, and no catch, whether you price one roof or every storm lead this season. When the homeowner says yes, the Paid app on iPhone turns the accepted estimate into an invoice in one tap — client, lines, and terms carried over, deposits and draws tracked as they land. The template on this page works entirely on its own, though; the app is never required.
Related estimate templates
Construction
Scope lines, a materials allowance, and deposit terms for building and remodeling jobs — free to fill and download.
Painting
Room-by-room scope, prep as its own line, and a paint-tier allowance for repaint bids — free to fill and download.
Handyman
Per-task pricing, a not-to-exceed cap, and materials at cost for punch-list days — free to fill and download.
The app goes further
From “yes” to invoice in one tap
The free tool here makes a clean one-off PDF; the Paid app on iPhone picks up where the estimate leaves off — when the client accepts, one tap turns it into an invoice with the client, scope lines, and terms carried over, and you can see which estimates are still waiting for an answer.