Figuring Roof Squares

Shingles and other roofing materials such as underlayment are typically measured in squares that are 10 feet long and 10 feet wide with each square measuring 100 square feet.

Figuring roof squares.

The answer is the number of roofing squares for the roof. In cases where a roof has a complex shape such as in the image to the right measuring the dimensions and areas of each part of the roof to calculate total area will result in a more accurate measurement of area. There are several factors to keep in mind for any estimate. Convert the area to roofing squares.

Because each 100 square feet of roof is one roofing square divide the total area from step 1 by 100. The square footage of a hip roof area is identical to the square footage of a gable roof of the same size. As a rule of thumb there are 3 bundles to a square assuming that you are using three tab strip shingles. A square of shingles is the number of shingles needed to cover 100 sq feet of roof area.

Then add 10 to the number to account for waste. Get the square footage of roof and divide it by 100 and it will give the number of squares you need and for every decimal number over 3 buy a bundle to achieve the amount of material. As a result you might need to calculate an estimate of how much it will cost to replace your old roof with a new one. However shingles are packaged in a way that they are light enough for the average person to carry around.

Since it takes 3 bundles of shingles to cover a square plan to purchase 3 bundles for each square. The calculator cannot account for complex shapes based on a measurement of square footage alone. The only difference in this calculation to the one for a gable roof area is the amount of the ridge. The materials used for the shingles or seam panels the surface area of the roof with a measurement typically in squares and any special features related to the complexity of the roof itself.

To accurately calculate the area of your roof you must first determine its slope or pitch. Thus a moderate 6 in 12 roof pitch means that the roof rises 6 inches vertically for every 12 horizontal inches it runs. Before you do any roofing work you must calculate the roof s square footage to determine how much material you need. To calculate the size of the roof you need to measure the size of the roof as if it were flat account for roof pitch calculate square footage and finally determine how many squares of material are required for the roof the calculator above can handle all of this simply enter the length width and pitch and it will determine the size of the roof in squares.

A roof s pitch is determined by how much it rises vertically for every foot it runs horizontally. 1square of roofing covers 100 square feet of roof a bundle is 1 3 of a square.