route_metric

The default metric for routes that don't explicitly specify a metric.

The default value -1 means that the metric is chosen automatically based on the device type. The metric applies to dynamic routes, manual (static) routes that don't have an explicit metric setting, address prefix routes, and the default route. Note that for IPv6, the kernel accepts zero (0) but coerces it to 1024 (user default). Hence, setting this property to zero effectively mean setting it to 1024. For IPv4, zero is a regular value for the metric.