Rising Material Costs: Pricing Strategies Colorado Roofing Contractors Are Using in 2026

May 2026 · Colorado Roofing Association

Most Colorado roofing contractors are already seeing material costs rise. In 2026, much of the pressure is coming from three areas:

• Petroleum costs. Asphalt is a petroleum product, so shingle costs tend to move with crude oil and refined fuel prices, not just local demand.
• Metal component costs. Higher Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum imports continue to push up the cost of metal roofing components. That shows up in panels, edge metal, fasteners, gutters, and other accessories that used to be a smaller part of the overall system cost.
• Delivery fees. Diesel prices increased sharply in early 2026, and many distributors passed fuel surcharges directly to contractors. 

What You Can Do Now

• Add a price escalation clause to your contracts. This ties material pricing to market conditions at the time of installation rather than the original bid date. Commercial projects often carry the greatest exposure because multiple roofing components can fluctuate in cost between bid and installation, including insulation, membrane, fasteners, etc. The NRCA's contract provisions library has sample clauses for contractor proposals, including material price volatility, material cost escalation, and price acceleration, built for exactly this environment.
• Ask suppliers for 90-day pricing commitments rather than daily spot quotes. This can provide more pricing stability when bidding work in a volatile market.
• Consider building a material contingency buffer into estimates where pricing volatility is high. It helps absorb movement between bid and installation and reduces the odds of a mid-project pricing conversation with the owner.
• Track key material costs weekly, not monthly. Petroleum-related pricing changes can move quickly. Knowing the direction early lets you time purchases and get ahead of supplier conversations before the cost hits a job.

CRA members can follow energy pricing and tariff developments through the association's legislative issues page.