Most cost numbers online are not built for a commercial roof. They price one layer of roll roofing with no insulation and no tear-off. That is not the system that goes on a warehouse in Lubbock or a retail center in Abilene. The figures below are what a real two-ply or three-ply system costs here, and what moves the price after the bid.
Quick answer
- Recover, no new insulation: $6 to $10 per sq ft
- Tear-off with code insulation: $12 to $18 per sq ft
- Per roofing square (100 sq ft): $600 to $1,800
- Texas sales tax applies to the full charge on most commercial re-roofs
Pricing reviewed October 2026. Planning figures, not quotes.
How much does a modified bitumen roof cost per square foot in Texas?
A commercial modified bitumen roof in Texas runs $6 to $10 per square foot as a recover and $12 to $18 per square foot as a tear-off with new insulation. A three-ply SBS tear-off sits at the top of the range. A two-ply APP recover sits at the bottom.
Every price below assumes a real commercial system: at least two plies, a cover board, a granule-surfaced cap sheet, and flashing at every edge and curb. The tear-off column adds removal, disposal, and enough polyiso insulation to meet the energy code. These ranges sit inside our broader commercial roof cost ranges in Texas.
| Modified bitumen system | Recover, no new insulation | Tear-off with code insulation | Typical life |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-ply APP | $6.00 to $8.00 | $12.00 to $15.00 | 15 to 20 years |
| 2-ply SBS | $6.50 to $8.50 | $12.50 to $15.50 | 15 to 20 years |
| 3-ply APP | $8.00 to $10.00 | $14.00 to $17.00 | 20 to 25 years |
| 3-ply SBS | $8.50 to $10.00 | $14.50 to $18.00 | 20 to 25 years |
Installed cost per square foot, Texas commercial roofs, October 2026. Sales tax not included. Hail damage, wet insulation, deck replacement, and multi-layer tear-off push projects above these bands.
Small roofs cost more per foot. A 2,000 sq ft roof carries the same mobilization, crane, and flashing work as a much larger one, spread over fewer feet. Large, open warehouse roofs with few penetrations land at the low end of each band.
What does a modified bitumen roof cost on a 10,000 or 25,000 sq ft building?
A 10,000 sq ft two-ply SBS roof costs about $65,000 to $85,000 as a recover and $125,000 to $155,000 as a tear-off with insulation. At 25,000 sq ft, the same system runs about $162,500 to $212,500 as a recover and $312,500 to $387,500 as a tear-off.
| Roof size (2-ply SBS) | Recover | Tear-off with insulation |
|---|---|---|
| 5,000 sq ft | $32,500 to $42,500 | $62,500 to $77,500 |
| 10,000 sq ft | $65,000 to $85,000 | $125,000 to $155,000 |
| 25,000 sq ft | $162,500 to $212,500 | $312,500 to $387,500 |
| 50,000 sq ft | $325,000 to $425,000 | $625,000 to $775,000 |
Illustrative totals from the per-square-foot bands above. Before sales tax.
The gap between the two columns is almost entirely insulation and tear-off. On a 10,000 sq ft roof that gap is roughly $60,000. Whether you can recover is the single biggest price decision on the project, and it is decided by what is already on the roof, not by preference.
Why are online modified bitumen prices so much lower than contractor bids?
Most online calculators price one layer of roll roofing with no insulation, no cover board, and no tear-off. A commercial modified bitumen roof has at least two plies over a cover board, which is why real bids run two to three times higher.
Several cost-to-install pages for Texas cities show the same figure for Houston, Dallas, and El Paso, built from hardware-store rolls. Those numbers fit a shed. They do not fit a building with rooftop units, parapets, and a manufacturer warranty.
A real system includes these layers, from the weather surface down to the deck, and each one carries cost:
- Cap sheet. Granule or reflective surface, the weather layer.
- Base ply, plus a middle ply on 3-ply systems.
- Cover board. Protects insulation from heat and foot traffic.
- Polyiso insulation. Required by code on most tear-offs.
- Roof deck. Repaired where corroded or damaged.
Flashing is the other piece calculators skip. Curbs, pipe boots, drains, and edge metal take more labor per foot than the field of the roof, and they are where most leaks start. Our guide to commercial roof flashing failures shows why that detail work is worth paying for.
How much more does 3-ply or SBS cost than 2-ply APP?
A third ply adds about $2 per square foot, and SBS adds about $0.50 per square foot over APP. The third ply buys real redundancy against hail. The SBS premium buys flexibility through hard freezes and daily temperature swings.
On a 10,000 sq ft roof, moving from two plies to three adds roughly $20,000. In hail country that money often comes back. A hailstone that bruises the cap sheet still has two layers to defeat before water reaches the building.
The modifier choice is less about price and more about the climate the roof lives in. On the South Plains and the Panhandle, freeze and thermal cycling stress a membrane more than peak summer heat does. We cover that trade-off in detail in SBS vs APP modified bitumen.
Does torch-applied, cold adhesive, or self-adhered change the price?
Yes, the install method moves the price inside the band but rarely outside it. Torch-applied APP is usually the most labor-efficient, while cold adhesive and self-adhered SBS cost more in material and remove the open flame.
Some building policies and insurers restrict torch work on occupied buildings. When that happens, the method is decided for you. Ask early, before the bid, so the price reflects the method that will actually be allowed on site.
How does the Texas energy code affect modified bitumen roof cost?
A tear-off usually has to meet the energy code for roof insulation, and that insulation adds $4.50 to $7 per square foot. The statewide commercial code in Texas is the 2015 IECC, though many cities enforce a newer edition locally.
The Texas State Energy Conservation Office has kept the 2015 IECC as the statewide commercial energy code while it reviews newer editions. Under that code, insulation installed entirely above the deck generally needs about R-25 in most of Texas and R-30 in the colder northern climate zone. Lubbock falls in the first group. Amarillo falls in the second.
In practice, R-25 means roughly 4.5 inches of polyiso. R-30 means a little over 5 inches. Your local building department sets the final number, so confirm it before you compare bids. A bid that skips insulation on a tear-off is not cheaper. It is incomplete. For how insulation types compare, see ISO vs polyiso insulation.
What adds cost to a modified bitumen roof?
These are the adders that move a bid off the base recover price. Wet insulation, deck replacement, and hail damage are priced separately after a survey.
| Cost driver | Added cost |
|---|---|
| Code insulation on a tear-off | +$4.50 to $7.00 per sq ft |
| Tear-off and disposal | +$1.00 to $3.00 per sq ft |
| Third ply | +about $2.00 per sq ft |
| SBS instead of APP | +about $0.50 per sq ft |
| Texas sales tax on a commercial re-roof | Up to 8.25% of the total charge |
Is sales tax charged on a commercial modified bitumen re-roof in Texas?
Yes. A re-roof on a commercial building is taxable on the total charge, labor included. The main exception is labor to repair damage in an area declared a natural disaster, when that labor is billed separately from materials.
The Texas Comptroller treats re-roofing nonresidential property as taxable repair and remodeling, so state and local sales tax apply to the whole job. In most Texas cities the combined rate is 8.25 percent. On a $140,000 tear-off, that is about $11,550 that many owners do not budget for.
The same Comptroller guidance has three points worth knowing before you sign:
- Declared disasters. Labor to repair damage caused by the declared event is not taxable, but only if the contract states labor and materials separately. Materials stay taxable.
- Apartments and multi-family. Residential property, including apartment complexes, follows different rules. Labor on those roofs is not taxable.
- New construction. Roofing on a new building is treated differently from a re-roof. Mixed projects need the scope split on paper.
If your building took hail in a county under a disaster declaration, ask your contractor to separate labor and materials on the contract. That one line can change the tax on the project. Confirm the details with your tax advisor.
Recover or tear-off: which modified bitumen option costs less over time?
A recover costs roughly half as much upfront, but only works when the existing roof is dry and has fewer than two layers. Compare cost per year of service life, not cost per square foot.
Building codes do not allow a new roof over one that is water-soaked or already carries two roof layers. Wet insulation is the usual deal-breaker, and you cannot see it from the surface. An infrared thermal roof inspection, confirmed with core cuts, shows where the wet areas are before anyone prices a recover.
Our historic winery project in Lubbock is a good example. The building already had two layers of modified bitumen under an aluminum coating, so a recover was off the table. The old layers came off, and a new modified bitumen roof went on after fermentation tanks were lifted out through the roof.
When the membrane is sound and dry, a third path is cheaper than either: coating. A reflective coating on a healthy mod-bit roof can add years for a fraction of replacement cost. We compare that path in commercial roof coating vs replacement.
Is modified bitumen more expensive than TPO in Texas?
Modified bitumen and TPO overlap in price in Texas, with a mod-bit tear-off at $12 to $18 per square foot and a TPO tear-off at $12 to $22. Mod-bit earns its place on roofs with heavy foot traffic and hail exposure. TPO usually wins on reflectivity.
The better question is what the roof has to survive. A roof with mechanical units serviced every month takes dropped tools and boots. Multi-ply modified bitumen handles that abuse better than a single-ply sheet. A large, low-traffic warehouse with cooling costs as the priority often does better with TPO roofing.
How do you get an accurate modified bitumen quote in Texas?
Get a documented site survey before you compare prices. Moisture, layer count, deck condition, drainage, and edge metal decide the real number, and no square-foot estimate can see them.
When bids arrive, check that each one states:
- Recover or tear-off, and why
- Ply count, modifier (SBS or APP), and cap sheet surface
- Insulation thickness and the R-value it meets
- Cover board type
- Install method (torch, cold adhesive, or self-adhered)
- Unit price for wet insulation and deck replacement
- Sales tax, shown as its own line
Two bids that differ by $5 per square foot are often two different roofs. Line them up on these points and the gap usually explains itself. Our guide to choosing a commercial roofing contractor in Texas covers the rest of the vetting.
We survey the roof, document moisture and layers, and give you the recover, tear-off, or coating path with cost on each. Request a roof inspection or call (806) 404-1250.
Frequently asked questions
How much does modified bitumen cost per square?
A roofing square is 100 square feet, so modified bitumen runs about $600 to $1,000 per square as a recover and $1,200 to $1,800 per square as a tear-off with insulation. Check whether a quote is per square or per square foot, because the two are easy to confuse.
How long does a modified bitumen roof last in Texas?
A two-ply system typically lasts 15 to 20 years, and a well-drained three-ply system with a granule cap can reach 20 to 25. Seams, flashing, and ponding water decide whether the roof reaches that range. More on the system itself is in our guide to modified bitumen roofing in West Texas.
Does insurance pay for a hail-damaged modified bitumen roof?
Insurance may cover repair or replacement when the hail damage is documented with photos and a condition report, depending on your policy. Do not let anyone coat or patch over hail damage before it is documented, because that can weaken the claim.
Can you coat an existing modified bitumen roof instead of replacing it?
Yes, if the membrane is dry and sound, which core cuts and a moisture survey confirm. A coating costs far less than replacement but will not fix wet insulation or failed seams underneath.
