Steel siding is the option almost nobody asks me about — and the one a certain kind of homeowner ends up happiest with. We install EDCO steel siding across Minneapolis and the western Twin Cities, and every year a handful of projects start with a homeowner saying some version of the same thing: "I never want to think about my siding again."
That's the steel customer. If that sentence isn't you, steel probably isn't your answer, and I'll show you why with real numbers. If it is you, keep reading, because steel does things no other siding on this site can claim.
The short answer
Steel siding is worth it in Minnesota if you're keeping the house long-term and you want the one siding that's effectively immune to rot, expansion-cracking, and woodpeckers — backed by the strongest material warranty in the residential category (lifetime limited, and transferable). It is not worth it if you're on a tight budget or a short ownership horizon: a typical Twin Cities full-house EDCO install runs $40,000 to $80,000+, roughly double LP SmartSide and well past James Hardie. You're buying decades, and decades cost money upfront.
What steel siding actually costs here
| Siding | Typical Twin Cities full-house install | Expected lifespan |
|---|---|---|
| Vinyl | $12,000 – $20,000 | 15–25 years |
| LP SmartSide | $18,000 – $32,000 | 30–40 years |
| James Hardie | $22,000 – $40,000+ | 40–50 years |
| EDCO steel | $40,000 – $80,000+ | The warranty is lifetime — read that again |
Those are installed ranges from our own Twin Cities quotes, not national averages. Where your house lands inside a range depends on size, stories, trim complexity, and tear-off. We quote line-item, so you see exactly what moves the number.
The product line we install is EDCO's Entex Series — Horizontal, Dutchlap, Vertical, and Board-and-Batten profiles — so the look ranges from classic lap to modern farmhouse, not the corrugated farm-building image people sometimes picture when they hear "steel."
Where steel earns the premium
It doesn't rot. Ever. Every wood-based product on the market — and even fiber cement, which absorbs water — has a moisture story you have to manage. Steel doesn't have one.
Woodpeckers retire. If you've ever paid to patch woodpecker holes in LP or cedar, you know why this line item matters in the western suburbs.
No expansion-cracking. The freeze-thaw movement that opens joints and stresses rigid products isn't a failure mode here.
The warranty is the category's strongest. Lifetime limited, and transferable — which quietly matters at resale, because "the siding is warrantied for the next owner" is a sentence your listing agent will enjoy.
Fire doesn't feed on it. Steel is non-combustible. Same class of peace-of-mind as Hardie's fire story, without the water-absorption asterisk.
What I don't love about steel — the honest list
The price of entry. $40,000 is where the conversation starts. For most Twin Cities homes on a normal budget, LP SmartSide or Hardie delivers 80 percent of the durability story for half to two-thirds the money. I say that as the guy selling the steel.
Hail dents it. Steel rarely cracks or breaks through the way rigid products can — but a serious hailstorm can leave cosmetic dimples, and here's the insurance wrinkle: some policies carry cosmetic-damage exclusions specifically for metal. Before you buy steel in a hail-prone pocket, read your policy for that clause, and read my siding hail-claims guide for how those arguments actually go.
Fewer crews know it. Steel is its own trade — cutting, hemming, and fastening are different from wood-based products, and a crew that treats it like vinyl will telegraph every mistake. In raking evening light, a sloppy steel install shows waviness that a textured product would hide. Ask any steel bidder how many steel houses they did last year, and ask for addresses.
Color selection is a commitment. The finish is factory-applied and excellent, but you're not repainting steel on a whim the way you might repaint LP in fifteen years. Pick the color like it's permanent, because it functionally is.
When steel makes sense — and when it doesn't
Steel is my recommendation when: it's your long-term or forever home; you're done managing wood-adjacent maintenance; woodpeckers or rot have already cost you money once; or you want the strongest, most transferable warranty story in siding.
I'll point you elsewhere when: the budget wants to stay under $35K, the ownership horizon is under ten years, or you're in a heavy-hail pocket with a cosmetic-exclusion policy and a steep deductible. There's no shame in the LP answer. It's the one I give most often.
Joe's note
The steel projects I remember are the second-time customers — people who paid for siding once, watched it fail or fade or get pecked apart, and came back saying "this time, the permanent one." Steel's real product isn't panels. It's never having this conversation again. That's worth $40,000 to some homeowners and not to others, and both of those answers are correct.
FAQ
Is steel siding worth the cost in Minnesota?
For long-term owners, often yes: immunity to rot, expansion-cracking, and woodpeckers, plus a lifetime limited transferable warranty — the strongest in residential siding. For budgets under ~$35K or ownership horizons under ten years, LP SmartSide is usually the better value.
How much does EDCO steel siding cost installed?
A typical Twin Cities full-house EDCO install runs $40,000 to $80,000+, depending on home size, stories, trim complexity, and tear-off. That's roughly double LP SmartSide and above James Hardie.
Does steel siding dent in hail?
It can dent cosmetically, though it rarely cracks or breaks through the way rigid products do. Check your homeowners policy for a cosmetic-damage exclusion on metal before choosing steel in a hail-prone area — some carriers won't pay for dents that don't breach the finish.
Does steel siding rust in Minnesota?
Modern factory-finished steel siding like EDCO's Entex Series is engineered against corrosion, and rot and moisture damage — the failure modes that kill wood-based siding here — simply don't apply. The material warranty is lifetime limited and transferable.
What styles does steel siding come in?
The EDCO Entex Series we install comes in Horizontal, Dutchlap, Vertical, and Board-and-Batten profiles — classic lap looks through modern farmhouse. It's a long way from the corrugated-metal image people expect.
Is steel siding loud when it rains?
No — that's a metal-roof question, not a siding one. Roofs take rain straight on; walls mostly don't, and siding panels install over sheathing and housewrap, not open framing. A steel-sided house doesn't sound any different inside than one sided in LP or Hardie.
Want to see whether steel pencils out for your house? Call Modern Exterior Systems at 952-206-6339. I'll measure everything and quote steel next to LP and Hardie, line by line, so the premium is a number you can judge instead of a feeling. No pressure. Or request your free estimate online.
Modern Exterior Systems is a women-owned, family-operated roofing and exterior contractor based in Eden Prairie, MN, serving the Twin Cities metro. Owner Joe Dvorak brings two decades of hands-on construction experience, CertainTeed ShingleMaster and Malarkey Emerald Pro certifications, and a LIFETIME workmanship warranty to every project. BBB A+ rating.
