Commercial roof cost
By Commercial Roofing UK · prices checked November 2026 · excluding VAT
Stripping and replacing a commercial flat roof typically costs £80 to £180 per m². Overlaying the old roof with a liquid membrane is £40 to £90 per m², and overcladding a metal roof £45 to £65 per m². Set your roof below for a budget range.
Budget range, excluding VAT
£0
£0 to £0 per m² all in
1,000 m² drawn to scale: each grid square is 10 x 10 m.
From typical published UK prices, November 2026. Access equipment, rooflights, gutters, plant, height and region all move the figure. A guide for budgeting, not a quote.
Get contractor quotesRates per m²
| Item | Basis | Typical fitted cost |
|---|---|---|
| Liquid-applied membrane over the old roof | Flat roof overlay | £40 to £90 per m² |
| Built-up felt, strip and replace | Three-layer modified bitumen | £80 to £120 per m² |
| Single ply, strip and replace | PVC, TPO or EPDM | £90 to £140 per m² |
| Any flat system, strip and replace | Range across published answers | £80 to £180 per m² |
| New insulation | Extra over | £20 to £40 per m² |
| Timber deck replacement | Extra over | £25 to £50 per m² |
| Overclad a metal or fibre cement roof | Over sound sheets | £45 to £65 per m² |
| Profiled metal, strip and re-roof | Existing frame | £65 to £85 per m² |
| Standing seam metal roof | Premium, low pitch | £90 to £130 per m² |
| Asbestos cement sheets: remove and dispose | Extra over | £25 to £90 per m² |
Budgets by roof area
The same rates worked out at five sizes, before access, rooflights and other extras.
| Area | Liquid overlay | Single ply with insulation | Overclad metal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200 m² | £8,000 to £18,000 | £22,000 to £36,000 | £9,000 to £13,000 |
| 500 m² | £20,000 to £45,000 | £55,000 to £90,000 | £22,500 to £32,500 |
| 1,000 m² | £40,000 to £90,000 | £110,000 to £180,000 | £45,000 to £65,000 |
| 2,000 m² | £80,000 to £180,000 | £220,000 to £360,000 | £90,000 to £130,000 |
| 5,000 m² | £200,000 to £450,000 | £550,000 to £900,000 | £225,000 to £325,000 |
Surveys, repairs and access
| Item | Basis | Typical cost |
|---|---|---|
| Roofer day rate | Per operative, outside London | £250 to £350 |
| Small access scaffold | Short repair, low building | £600 to £1,000 |
| Full roof survey | Smaller roof, written report | £250 to £400 |
| Drone survey | Photographic | £200 to £350 |
| Thermal or moisture scan | Flat roofs | £300 to £500 |
Survey prices are from domestic-scale price guides. Large roofs and estates are priced per job.
What moves the price
What is under the covering
The single biggest swing. If cores show dry insulation, an overlay at the bottom of the range may do; if the insulation is wet, it all comes off, and a rotten deck adds £25 to £50 per m² more.
Insulation and the energy rules
Renovating more than half a roof brings in the requirement to upgrade the insulation where feasible. Thicker insulation means raising upstands, outlets and rooflight kerbs too.
Access and height
Scaffold, edge protection, mobile platforms, netting under fragile roofs and crane lifts are significant on tall or busy buildings. Ask for access to be priced as its own line.
Region
Day rates in London and the South East typically run 20 to 30% above the rest of the country.
Asbestos
Removing asbestos cement sheets adds £25 to £90 per m² for removal and disposal, which is why overcladding is common on older industrial units.
Where these prices come from
The rates are typical ranges from published UK contractor price guides and roofing firms' own price pages, read between July and November 2026, cross-checked against each other. Where a guide did not say whether VAT was included, we have treated the figure as excluding VAT. Removal rates for asbestos cement sheets come from contractors' published answers in August 2025. Insulated panel replacement and cut edge treatment are priced per job because no published rate was consistent enough to use.
Cost questions
How much does a commercial roof replacement cost per m²?
- Published UK prices for stripping and replacing a commercial flat roof run £80 to £180 per m², excluding VAT, depending on the system and access. Single ply is typically £90 to £140 per m² and three-layer felt £80 to £120 per m². New insulation adds £20 to £40 per m².
What does a flat roof cost per m² for a commercial building?
- £40 to £90 per m² for a liquid overlay on the existing roof, £80 to £120 per m² for built-up felt and £90 to £140 per m² for single ply, both strip and replace. All exclude VAT, access equipment and unusual details.
How much is a 1,000 m² commercial roof?
- Worked from the published rates: £40,000 to £90,000 for a liquid overlay, £90,000 to £140,000 for single ply strip and replace, £110,000 to £180,000 with new insulation, or £45,000 to £65,000 to overclad a metal roof.
Why do quotes for the same roof vary so much?
- Different scopes. One contractor prices an overlay, another a strip and replace; one includes insulation to meet the energy rules, another does not; access, rooflights, gutters and the guarantee all differ. Compare quotations against the same specification.
Do the prices include VAT?
- No. Prices on this site exclude VAT unless stated. Commercial roof work is usually standard-rated.
Are bigger roofs cheaper per m²?
- Usually. Set-up, access and details are spread over more area, so large simple roofs come in toward the lower end of each range. Small, high or complicated roofs sit at the top or above it.
Read next
- Commercial roof replacement
What a strip and replace involves.
- Commercial roof refurbishment
Overlay, overclad or coat.
- Commercial flat roofing
The flat systems compared.
- Roof surveys and maintenance
Start with a survey.
Get your roof priced
Three short steps. The postcode, what the roof is and what it is doing is enough to start. A contractor confirms the detail on a survey.
Your request stays with us until you approve the independent commercial roofing contractor we put forward for your building.
Received. Here is what happens next.
- We look for an independent commercial roofing contractor who covers your area and takes on roofs like yours, then email or phone you with their name.
- Nothing goes to them until you say yes.
- If you agree, they arrange a survey and send a written price. No newsletters and no sales calls from us.