How to Figure Shingles for a Roof
Calculating how many shingles are needed for a roof uses a little math, some geometry and a bit of knowledge on how shingles are put on a house. Shingles are calculated by "squares," with each "square" being 100 square feet. Shingles are sold in bundles and the number of bundles per square is given. There will be waste from cutting, starter shingles and complicated roofs. When it's time to buy, don't skimp. Take your calculated number of squares and add one square to it. All measurements are made in feet. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Measure a simple gable roof from end to end and from the peak to the eave. Multiply the two numbers together for square feet and multiply by two to include both sides of the roof.
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Measure other roofs as triangles and rectangles. Calculate the area of each triangle and rectangle and add it to the total roof area. Measure from peak to eave, eave length and peak length.
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Multiply 1/2 by the base of the triangle, then multiply by height for the area of a triangular section. Multiply length by width for the area of a rectangle.
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Multiply calculated areas by two if there are two identical areas. Total all areas and round the number up to the nearest 100 square feet. For example 1,442 square feet rounds up to 1,500 square feet. Divide the rounded up number by 100, for the number of "squares."
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Divide the number of squares by the number of shingle bundles per square. Round this number up to an even number. Add 1 percent to the number of bundles for a simple roof, add 5 percent for hip roofs and up to 7 percent for more complicated roofs.
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Tips & Warnings
Always round up. Remember, you can always take an unused bundle back, but stopping in the middle of the job to go get more shingles wastes time
Use extra care on ladders and roofs. Get a helper to steady the ladder. Getting on and off a roof from and to a ladder requires good balance and footing.
