How To Calculate How Many Roof Shingles You Need

October 15, 2022

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How Many Clumps Of Lath Are There In A Square

How to Calculate Shingles Needed

Four packs for one square. A square is 100 square meters. If you use some of the heavier roofs, most will cover a single package of about 33 square feet of roof, so for a 28,000 square foot roof it would take around 850 packages of shingle! 2 answers. Regular architectural laths are about 3 packs per square.

Potential Signs That Your Roof May Need To Be Replaced:

Shingle edges are curled or shingle tabs are cupped.

Bald spots where granules are missing.

Cracked shingles.

Your roof is at least 20 years old while many shingles today are produced for durability, many factors can accelerate the aging of shingles. For example, if your roof is not properly ventilated, it can negatively impact your shingles.

The roof just looks old and worn.

Neighbors are getting new roofs. Homes built around the same time period can be experiencing the same types of weather conditions can mean that your roof is nearing its useful life.

Dark streaks. Airborne algae cause dark streaks on roof decks. While this may not necessarily harm the roof shingles, it may not look good.

Moss can grow on roof surfaces that dont get much sunlight, especially in cool, moist climates. Moss growth can be more than a cosmetic issue. Moss holds moisture against the roof surface and over time in freezing climates can cause damage to the granules on the top of the shingles. Moss can be brushed off but it wont prevent it from growing again take care not to damage the shingle surface. You may need to contact a professional roofing contractor.

August 28, 2019 By Taylor-Made Roofing

How To Measure A Roof For Shingles

There are several different methods to calculate the square footage of your roof. If you remember back to grade school, youll recall that youll multiply the length times the width to find the area of a rectangle.

If you are lucky enough to have a simple roof, say a gabled roof with two identical sides or even a single sloping roof, then calculating your roof area will be a breeze. On the other hand, if you have a roof with hips and multiple gables, then youll need to spend a bit more time calculating your roof square footage.

Here are several ways to measure roof area for shingles.

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What Is A Roofing Square

Roof surfaces are measured in squares.

A roofing square is equal to 100 square feet of the roof.

To determine the number of squares on the gable roof example in this post, divide its total of 2400 square feet by 100 .

This means you would need 24 squares of shingles to cover that roof. Be sure to add 10%-15% to all your material totals for trim allowance .

Pro Tip: Want to skip doing some math?Order a FREE RoofScopeX aerial roof reportto see the size of your roof in squares, as well as the slope of your roof.

Keep the report on hand for future conversations with roofers or when reviewing estimates for your next roof replacement or repair.

How Much Do Shingles Weigh

How to Calculate Shingles Needed Including Ridge Caps

To calculate shingle weight, youâll need to understand bundles and squares. A square of shingles is a roofing term for 100 square feet of material. It typically takes 3 bundles of shingles to cover a square of roof. While youâll hear both terms, bundle is more commonly used when purchasing shingles, while square is associated with a completed roof or shingle removal.

Keep in Mind: The exact weight per bundle or square of shingles depends on the manufacturer. Also, remember that older shingles will weigh less as they are worn down by the elements over time.

Type

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Calculate The Number Of Shingles Needed For Ridges

Ridges are covered with different shingles than the rest of your roof. That is because it is impossible to lay out so many shingles on a ridge without overlapping them due to their shape. The general rule is that 10% more shingles are needed for the ridge than for the rest of the roof. For example, if you have a gable roof that measures 16 feet long, you will need to buy 1.6 times as many shingles as if you were to cover the roof without a ridge. If a hip roof measures 18 feet long, then two times as many shingles will be necessary.

Builder Mike Guertin Explains 3 Ways To Calculate The Quantity Of Shingles Youll Need For Your Next Roofing Job

One of the biggest challenges for experienced builder and novices alike is accurately estimating materials for a construction projectespecially for roofs, because they can be difficult to access for taking measurements.

But dont fretIn this excerpt from my book Roofing with Asphalt Shingles, I describe three reliable methods for determining the area of a roof, plus Ive included tips for estimating the number of extra shingles youll need for waste, overlaps, and starter shingles.

Note: be sure to take your time and double-check your numbers when calculating the quantity of shingles, underlayment, flashings, and other materials needed for yourroofing project. The more accurate your estimates, the less time youll waste waiting for material deliveries during the project.

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How Many Shingles Do I Need For A 2424 Garage

For this example, well use the same type of roof a simple gabled roof. For our purposes, well say that the roof extends 1.5 around each side.

Well first calculate one face of the roof. The length of the roof is 24+1.5+1.5, which equals 27. The roof pitch is 4:12, which means the width of the roof is about 12.5. Add 1.5 of overhang to this number and you get 14 of roof width on one roof face.

Multiply 27 by 14 and you get 378 square feet for one roof face. The total roof area is 756 square feet. Divide this number by 100 to determine the amount of roof squares youll need, which equals 7.56 roofing squares.

Multiply 7.56 roofing squares by 3 bundles per square. Thus, 23 bundles of shingles are required to cover a 24×24 garage with 1.5 overhangs on all sides.

How Many Roofing Shingles Do I Need

How Many Nails Do You Need Per Roofing Shingle?

To estimate how much roofing material you need, such as bundles of architectural shingles or rolls of synthetic roofing underlayment, you need to know the total square footage of your roofs surface.

How to Calculate Total Square Footage of Your Roof

To find your roofs total square footage:

Measure the length and width of each plane on the roof then multiply length times width.

Add the square footage of each of the planes together.

Example #1: Shed Roof with One Roof Plane

For example, this shed roof has one roof plane.

Multiply length times width :

A x B = 40 x 30 = 1200 sq. ft. for the total square footage of the roof.

Example #2: Gable Roof with Two Roof Planes

This gable roof has two planes.

So to derive the total square footage of the roof, you would:

Multiply length times width and length times width to get the square footage for each plane.

Add the two planes together.

For example:

Ready to get an estimate? Find an independent roofing contractor in the Owens Corning Roofing Contractor Network near you.

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Installing Roof Shingles In 11 Steps:

To start installing shingles, line up aluminum drip edge flush with the edge of the roof and make a pencil line at the top on each end of the house.

Using the chalk line, snap a line between the two marks to get a straight edge.

Pull the drip edge down about a half-inch from that line to create a gap between the drip edge and the fascia board.

Nail the drip edge in place using 1¼-inch galvanized roofing nails and a hammer.

Repeat steps for gabled ends, installing the drip edge up the roof along the gable.

Lay out 30-lb. asphalt roofing felt paper and nail it in place using 1¼-inch galvanized roofing nails.

To lay out the design for the shingles, begin at the bottom of the roof and place a tape measure ½ inch from the edge of the roof to ensure the shingles overhang the drip edge.

Using the chalk line, snap a straight line on each 5-inch increment.

Use the chalk line to snap a straight line vertically every 6 inches.

Install a starter course by cutting off the three tabs on a shingle, leaving only the top tar section.

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Figure Out The Area Of The Shed Plus The Overhangs

Determine the squre footage of the shed foot print by measuring the length and width of the shed including the overhangs. For example, if you have a simple 12 foot by 16 foot shed you add the overhangs to those dimensions. If the overhangs are 1-0 then you have 2 extra each dimension. 14 x 18 = 252 sf. flat.

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How To Lay Shingles

Many people wonder how to lay shingles on the roof, but in their majority, home owners pay contractors thousands of dollars for a job that is not difficult to do. If you consider working on this project on your own, here is a set of instructions on how to lay shingles.

Step 1Determine the Number of Shingles Needed

Estimate how many shingles it will take to cover the whole roof area. Start by measuring from the peak to the overhang at the lower edge of the roof. Get the total area in square feet and subtract the area covered by chimneys and other surfaces that do not require shingles. The result will determine how many shingles are needed for the project. Go to a home improvement store to buy a sufficient number of shingles needed to cover the entire roof.

Step 2Prepare Everything Needed

Make sure to be fully prepared with all necessary tools and materials before you start laying shingles on the roof. Other materials needed include a roofing nailer, felt paper, starter strips, and utility knife.

Step 3Remove Old Shingles

Replace old shingles if required. Do not lay the new shingles on top of the old ones since it will increase the chances of leaks. Tear the old shingles away from the roof first.

Step 4Prepare the Roof

Step 5Start Laying Shingles

Estimating The Size Of Your Roof Surface

Every roof is unique, of course, and the size and shape of yours will factor into the final weight of the materials you toss in the dumpster. Roofers typically measure surfaces in squaresone square is equal to 100 square feet. Have a 2000 square foot roof? Youve got 20 squares, and so forth.

While the type of roof and the underlayment can affect the final weight, as a general rule, for asphalt shingles, you can estimate around 250 pounds per square for standard three-tab shingles, and about 400 pounds per square for architectural shingles. Remember, again, if you have multiple layers of shingles, you need to multiply the total amount of squares by the number of layers before you find the weight. For instance, a 2000-square-foot roof with two layers of shingles should be treated as 40 squares, not 20, because the weight will be doubled.

Count The Sheathing Pieces

The easiest method to figure your square footage is to estimate using the exposed roof sheathing. If youre shingling over your old shingles, then this method wont work. But if you are completely removing your old roofing or completing a new build, then this method works for you.

A complete piece of roof sheathing is 4 x 8. Thus, the square footage of one piece is 32 feet squared. Count up all the sheets on all sides of your roof. Add them up. Then account for half or quarter pieces on the edges and roughly add them up to make complete pieces.

Once complete, you can multiply the number of sheathing pieces you have by 32, which will give you a fairly accurate picture of the square footage of your roof.

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Calculate The Square Footage Of The Roof Area With The Roof Pitch And Base Area

Find your roof pitch from the first step in the following table and multiply the amount you just got by the corresponding roof pitch multiplier. The result is the total roof square footage youll need to get roofing material for.

In our example, the roof pitch was 6/12. The pitch multiplier would be 1.118. So, take the 2,100 square feet, multiplied by 1.118 to get 2,347 square feet of roofing material. Since roofing material like shingles come in squares of 100 square feet apiece, wed need at least 24 of them. If you have a relatively flat roof , you can simply avoid using a pitch multiplier and make sure to round up on your equipment estimate.

Roof Slope

1.414

How Many Nails Will You Need

Home Improvement & Maintenance : How to Calculate Shingles Needed

Nails will also be required for any roofing project. The average 3-tab shingle needs four nails per shingle. High wind areas and other types of shingles may need more. 320 nails will be needed to install a square of standard 3-tab shingles, assuming four nails per shingle and 80 shingles per square.

Calculating The Area From The Buildings Square Footage

1Find the square footage or square meterage of your home. Youll need this information to estimate the area of your roof. You can find this information online on real estate websites or on your house or building title.XResearch source

Keep in mind that this estimation wont include any areas like garages or enclosed patios that the roof covers. You may need to measure these rooms by hand to figure out the area.

To figure out the area of a square or rectangular room, measure length and width and multiply them together to get the area. Add that to your square footage total.

2Measure the pitch of your roof in the attic. Mark a length of 1 foot on a long level, starting from one end. Hold the end you measured from against the bottom of a rafter so its sticking straight out horizontally and is level. From the 1 ft spot you marked on the level, measure upward to the rafter. The number is the first part of the pitch, while 12 inches is the second part of the pitch. So if you measured a 5 going up, the pitch is 5/12, or 5 inches every 1 foot.XResearch source

Youre basically making a triangle. The level and measuring tape will make a right angle, while the rafter will be the hypotenuse of the triangle.

Most roofing calculators will accept this measurement as is, such as 5/12.

The pitch is important because it increases the area of the roof by stretching out the height.

For example, the slope factor for 5/12 is 1.08.

How Much Roofing Underlayment

Up till now, we were discussing how to measure roofing shingles for re-roofing. When talking about a new roof, the same amount of square footage is required for the underlayment.

You will find underlayment in rolls of four squares each. In order to determine how many rolls of underlayment you would need, you need to divide the number of squares for 2 planes by rolls of one square.

Rolls of underlayment required: 280 sq. ÷ 4 = 70 rolls

If you are applying the shingles over an asphalt roof, then you dont need underlayment.

Pro Tip: In order to avoid any delays in installment due to shortage of shingles, add 10% to the total material requirement for trim allowance.

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How Many Shingles Do I Need For A 1212 Shed

How many shingles do i need for a 12×12 shed | How many bundles of shingles do i need for a 12×12 shed | how to calculate shingles quantity for 12×12 shed.

Calculation of shingles quantity is simple and easy if your shed roof is flat, but majority of house in US have pitch roof that makes calculation of square footage area for pitch roof difficult. The shed footprint is 12×12 = 144 sq ft but the roof surface is quite a bit more due to slope. Gambrel roofs have different slopes and configuration pitch but generally the roof surface is roughly twice the footprint in square footage.

This article describes the basic maths calculation to calculate roof materials such as shingles. If you have ever question yourself how many squares footage or square is my house roof? this article will help you find the square footage of your roof. This article describe about the maths formula to figure out how much shingles you need to order.

When you talked Roofing is about using the term square, a square equal to 100 square feet of roof or a 10 foot by 10 foot area. So a roof that has 200 square feet of area has 2 squares. Remember that unless the roof is flat, the square footage of the building is different than the square footage of the roof because of the slope or pitch of the roof and the overhangs.