How To Figure Roofing Shingles Needed

What Is A Bundle Of Shingles

A package of roofing shingles is called a bundle.

How many bundles of shingles per square?

Laminate or architectural shingles, one of the most common types of roofing shingles, are generally packaged in three bundles per square:

3 bundles = 1 roofing square

So in the 2400 square foot gable roof example, you would need 72 bundles of shingles .

Here are a couple more examples:

S To Calculate Your Roofs Square Footage

You just learned what a roofing square is. The number of roof squares has a huge impact on the cost factors, such as the amount of materials used, labor, and time.

Before investing in a new roof, wouldnt it be great to know how much itll cost per square?

If you answered yes, we have a great way to roughly calculate your roofs square footage to give you an idea of the cost of your new roof. Be aware, the only way to get a 100 percent accurate measurement is to have a local roofing contractor come out to professionally measure your roof.

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How Many Squares Per Roll Of Underlayment

The roll size depends on the type of underlayment product. Synthetic underlayment comes in 10 square rolls, while regular #15 felt comes in 4 square rolls.

So for the 24 square roof example, you would need 2.4 rolls of synthetic underlayment, or 6 rolls of regular #15 felt.

• 24 squares ÷ 10 squares per roll = 2.4 rolls of synthetic underlayment
• 24 squares ÷ 4 squares per roll = 6 rolls of regular #15 felt

Remember: Add 10%-15% for the waste factor on underlayment, as well.

Finally, if you have any questions about your estimate, ask a roofing contractor in your area. Most will be happy to give you a free estimate.

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How Many Bundles Of Shingles Do I Need For 600 Square Feet

You will need approximately 18 bundles of standard size 3-tab asphalt shingles or 24 bundles of architectural shingles for 600 square feet.

Thus, for a 600 square foot gable roof, you would need 18 bundles of shingles plus 10% of ridge, starter and wastages. Thus, it will take 18 bundles of 3-tab standard size shingles to cover 600 square feet roof. Thus, there are 18 bundles of standard size 3-tab shingles you will need to cover 600 square feet roof.

How Many Bundles Of Shingles Do I Need For 1000 Square Feet Roof

How do i calculate how many shingles I Need?, Once youve determined the square footage you need to cover, you can figure out the number of bundles you need by dividing the total square footage by 33. For example: if you have 2,000 square feet of roof to cover, that means youd need about 60 bundles of 3- tab asphalt shingles or 80 bundles of architectural shingles.

How many bundles of shingles do i need for 1000 square feet roof?, You will need approximately 30 bundles of standard size 3-tab asphalt shingles or 40 bundles of architectural shingles for 1000 square feet roof.

The number of bundles or squares you need will depend on the surface area of your roof, and its pitch or slope. For example, a 1,000 square foot roof will require 10 squares or 30 bundles of 3-tab shingles or 40 bundles of architectural shingles. A professional will likely purchase slightly more materials than necessary to ensure there is extra material if needed.

Laminate or architectural shingles, one of the most common types of roofing shingles, are generally packaged in three bundles per square. So in the 1000 square foot gable roof example, you would need 30 bundles of shingles .

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Draw Each Shape Individually Calculate Each Area And The Total Square Footage Of Your Roof

Now we have eight shapes to find the area of six triangles and two rectangles. Instead of breaking out the old textbooks to calculate triangle areas, we like to use a triangle calculator. It makes figuring out the area of triangles a lot simpler.

In the example above, we have two triangles with sides of 30, 20, and 20 feet. Pop those figures in the three-sides calculator and youll get an area of 198. Since we have two of those triangles, multiply by 2 for a running total of 396 square feet.

We have four remaining triangles, all with dimensions of 15, 20, and 25 feet. That same calculator reveals a result of 150 square feet. Since there are four of those triangles, multiply by 4 to get 600 square feet.

Lastly, we have two rectangles of 15 by 30 feet. This one is easy, just width times height for a total of 450 square feet for each one. Multiply by 2 and their total square footage is 900.

Adding all the areas up yields a total of 1896 square feet . Since roofing material comes in 100 square foot squares, youll need at least 19 of them for your roofing project. Itd be wise to get at least 20 to account for mistakes and waste.

Different Materials Have Different Weights

Most homes have one of two different kinds of asphalt shingles on their roofs. There are three-tab shingles, a more traditional-looking specimen with a smooth, light-weight look, and architectural shingles, which are thicker and designed to give surfaces a textured appearance. As you might imagine, architectural asphalt shingles weigh much more than their three-tab counterparts.

However, those weights are typically nothing compared to the load from more specialized materials. Clay, slate, and concrete tiles all weigh more than asphalt, many times over. In general, asphalt hits somewhere around 2.5 to 3 pounds per square foot. On the other hand, a load of ¾-inch slate tiles might weigh as much as 26 pounds per square footso thats definitely a drastic difference. You can use a roofing weight calculator, like this one, to figure out how much each material you pull off will weigh.

Keep in mind that some roofs have multiple layers of shingles, so that can affect your weight as well.

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How To Measure A Roof For Shingles From The Ground

Remember when your high school algebra teacher said you needed to know how to calculate slope. He may have been thinking about measuring the square footage of a roof.

This method allows you to calculate roof slope and determine the roof area while keeping both feet firmly on the ground.

Begin by measuring the distance from the edge of the eave to the point at which you can barely see the slope of the roof. This works best if you can attach the tape measure to the eve, then walk to the appropriate place and take the measurement at eye level.

This measurement is the horizontal run of the roof. Now, stand under the gutter of the roof you are measuring the slope for and measure the distance from your eye to the roof overhang. This is the roof rise.

Divide the roof rise by the horizontal run to get your roof pitch. For example, if the rise is 60 inches and the run is 120 inches, youll have a roof pitch of 6/12.

As in the method described above, measure the length of the roof from the edge of one eave to the other and the width from one eave to the other. For example, a roof that measures 60 feet by 40 feet would be 2,400 square feet.

Next, use the table below to determine the slope factor. In our example, the 6/12 roof would have a slope factor of 1.118. In our above example, you would multiply 2,400 square feet times the slope factor to get the total square footage of 2,683 square feet.

Instructions For The Shingle Calculator

Enter the approximate value for how many square feet the house has in the first number box.

Select how steep the roof is. A 4/12 pitch is relatively easy to walk, an 8/12 is very difficult to walk, and a 12/12 is impossible to walk.

Select the complexity of the roof. One roof line is simple, two to four roof lines is average, and anything over four roof lines is complex.

Choose whether or not your roof is new or will have multiple layers to remove.

Finally, choose what type of new roofing will be used.

This calculator is only an estimation. It is not as accurate as measuring each roof plane and adding the square feet together. It does take into account for an average number of offsets and an overhang. It also takes into account for the starters, the edges, and the ride caps. The squares returned include everything.

The formula for solving for the area of a roof involves climbing onto the roof. Measure each roof plane. For shapes such as trapezoids, triangles, and trapeziums, find the average length by finding the center of the width. Remember to add two feet for valleys. Add the square footage of all of the roof planes together. Divide this by one hundred for the number of squares. There are three bundles of shingles for each square.

To determine how many will be needed for starters and edges, measure the entire perimeter of the roof and divide it by three. Since there are twenty six shingles in a bundle of twenty year shingles , divide the result by twenty six.

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Finding The Total Roof Area

Once the area of the roofs footprint is known, the overall roof area can be found by accounting for the roofs pitch. The pitch of the roof is the rise over a 12-inch run. Use our roof pitch calculator to find the pitch of your roof.

Next, multiply the footprint of the roof by the multiplier below for your roof pitch to find the overall roof area.For example, a 4/12 pitch roof that is 100 square feet:

100 × 1.054 = 105.4ft2

Roof Pitch Area Multipliers

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How To Measure Your Roof Area From The Ground

A more accurate way to calculate the area of the roof than using Google Earth is to get outside to estimate the roof pitch and the base area of the property. Using these two figures, we can get a good idea of the shingle roofs square footage and estimate your asphalt shingles needs and costs. This DIY technique can be helpful, especially if you are not comfortable getting on your roof, or if you have limited access to it.

Ground measures only work well for a gabled roof, since there are usually just two main rectangular pitches to calculate area for. For more complex roof shapes, like hip roofs, youll need to work with a roofer or measure from on top of the roof itself to calculate its total area.

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How Many Bundles Of Shingles Do I Need For 900 Square Feet

You will need approximately 27 bundles of standard size 3-tab asphalt shingles or 36 bundles of architectural shingles for 900 square feet.

Thus, for a 900 square foot gable roof, you would need 27 bundles of shingles plus 10% of ridge, starter and wastages. Thus, it will take 27 bundles of 3-tab standard size shingles to cover 900 square feet roof. Thus, there are 27 bundles of standard size 3-tab shingles you will need to cover 900 square feet roof.

:-As per general rule of thumb, you will need 3 bundles of standard size 3-tab asphalt shingles or 4 bundles of architectural shingles for 100 square feet roof. So, for 1000 square feet gable roof, you would need 30 bundles of shingles. For 1200 square feet gable roof, you would need 36 bundles of shingles. For 1500 square feet roof, you would need 45 bundles of shingles. For 2000 square feet roof, you would need 60 bundles of shingles. For 1800 square feet roof, you would need 54 bundles of shingles.

Hip And Ridge Cap Roofing Shingles

A bundle of hip and ridge cap roofing shingles has between 20 and 24 shingles. GAF hip and ridge shingles have 30 pieces per bundle. Owens Corning hip and ridge shingles have 24 shingles per bundle.

Owens Corning hip and ridge shingles come as a 36Ã12 3-tab shingle, with pre-cut perforations that allow you to tear off each hip and ridge shingle. So one shingle is 3 hip and ridge shingles. They sell packs of 24 shingles, but each shingle contains 3 hip ridge shingles, so you get 72 in all. This will cover 33 linear feet of your hip or ridge.

GAF hip and ridge shingles are 12 x 12, and it takes 30 of them to make 20 linear feet. If you use them to make hip joints to your peaks, then the linear length may be less as youll use more shingles to bridge the peak to hip transition.

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Headlap 1 Square Isnt Always Exactly 100 Square Feet

If youre hiring a qualified contractor for your project, then you dont need to worry about this, but if youre replacing your own roof you need to understand headlap!

Earlier we mentioned that a roofing square is equal to 100 square feet. While true in most cases, this calculation does not consider headlap.

What is headlap? Headlap is the overlap of a row of shingles on top of the next row, which helps protect against water penetration. Because of headlap, a square of roofing shingles never really equals exactly 100 square feet of roofing when you line all the materials up.

Put plainly as possible: one square of roofing is not 100 square feet exactly, but is enough to cover 100 square feet of roofing area. The materials themselves may, and often are, more than 100 square feet in total.

What Is Slope Factor

Taking a 2D measurement of a roof either online via Google Earth or by measuring the exterior walls of the home doesnt account for the elevation of the roof, which adds square footage. Slope factor is a convenient way of using the pitch of your roof to convert a 2D measurement to an accurate measurement of the roofs square footage.

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What Is The Average Retirement Age

The average retirement age in the United States is 63, but when you decide to retire depends on many factors:

• Savings. Social Security retirement benefits average $1,544.70 as of this writing. However, for most people, this is not enough to cover living expenses. There is a severe shortage of retirement savings among most Americans. If you dont have enough money for your nest egg, you may not be able to retire when you want or you may not be able to pay your bills if you cant work. As a result, many lower their standard of living once they stop earning a regular income.
• Lifestyle. The amount of money you need for retirement depends on your desired lifestyle. Traveling, for instance, will require you to have a larger retirement account balance than staying local and downsizing.
• Location. The higher your cost of living, the more money you need to retire comfortably. Your retirement years may be shortened if you relocate to a less expensive region.
• Health. You are able to work to a greater or lesser extent depending on your health. You may have to retire sooner if you suffer from chronic or debilitating health issues.

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How Many Bundles Of Shingles Do I Need For 800 Square Feet

You will need approximately 24 bundles of standard size 3-tab asphalt shingles or 32 bundles of architectural shingles for 800 square feet.

Thus, for a 800 square foot gable roof, you would need 24 bundles of shingles plus 10% of ridge, starter and wastages. Thus, it will take 24 bundles of 3-tab standard size shingles to cover 800 square feet roof. Thus, there are 24 bundles of standard size 3-tab shingles you will need to cover 800 square feet roof.

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How Many Bundles Of Shingles Do I Need For 1100 Square Feet:

You will need approximately 33 bundles of standard size 3-tab asphalt shingles or 44 bundles of architectural shingles for 1100 square feet.

Thus, for a 1100 square foot gable roof, you would need 33 bundles of shingles plus 10% of ridge, starter and wastages. Thus, it will take 33 bundles of 3-tab standard size shingles to cover 1100 square feet roof. Thus, there are 33 bundles of standard size 3-tab shingles you will need to cover 1100 square feet roof.

How Many Extra Shingles Should You Buy

If you order shingles based solely on the area of the roof, you wont have enough. Youll need shingles for starter courses along the eaves and sometimes at rakes, and youll need shingles to cap hips and ridges. Cutting shingles also generates waste. In some places, including at the rakes, against walls and chimneys, and at valleys, youll need to cut shingles. Some of the cutoffs will be big enough to use as starter shingles or in other areas where cut shingles are needed, but smaller cutoffs will be waste.

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How To Estimate Roofing Materials

This article was co-authored by David Bitan. David Bitan is a roofing professional, licensed contractor, and the owner and founder of Bumble Roofing based in Southern California. With over 12 years of construction industry experience, David specializes in restoring, repairing, and maintaining residential, commercial, and industrial roofs. With over 60 years of combined experience, Bumble Roofing provides easy, friendly services to structures including residential, commercial, industrial, multi-family, and government buildings along with hospitals, hotels, and churches. This article has been viewed 697,513 times.

Knowing how to estimate roofing materials is important. Not only will it help eliminate waste, but it will also ensure that you buy just enough for the roofing job. Youll have to calculate your roof area, or the overall size of your roof, to determine the amount of materials youll need. This wikiHow will show you how to estimate roofing materials for your next project.

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