What goes on a roofing material list?

Shingles, underlayment, starter, hip and ridge cap, drip edge, ice and water shield, valley metal and nails, each sized from the roof area or an edge length. Vents, pipe boots, flashing and sealant are counted by hand.

Do I add waste to every material?

No. Waste goes on the shingles and the nails that follow them. The other lines come from the true area or measured lengths and are rounded up to whole units.

How many roofing nails do I need per square?

About 264 at 4 nails per shingle and 396 at 6, based on 66 shingles per square. A 7,200-nail box covers about 27 squares at 4 nails and 18 at 6.

Why is a 10 ft stick of drip edge counted as 9.83 ft?

Each stick laps the next by about 2 in, so it covers 10 ft minus 2 in of edge. Change the lap under Assumptions if you lap more.

Should I enter the plan area or the true area?

The true (sloped) area. A footprint or plan area comes up short on every pitched roof, so multiply it by the pitch factor first, or use the roof square footage calculator.

Free calculator

Roofing Material Calculator for a full re-roof list

Enter the roof area, the waste and the edge lengths. You get shingles, underlayment, starter, cap, drip edge, ice and water, valley metal and nails, in the units you order them.

The formulas

Every line is rounded up to whole units. ⌈ ⌉ means round up. Lengths are in lineal feet, the area in square feet.

Shingle bundles: ⌈area ÷ 100 × (1 + waste ÷ 100) × bundles per square⌉ The only line that takes the waste percentage.
Underlayment rolls: ⌈area ÷ net coverage per roll⌉ Net coverage already allows for the laps.
Starter bundles: ⌈(eaves + rakes) ÷ starter per bundle⌉ Starter runs along both the eaves and the rakes.
Cap bundles: ⌈(ridges + hips) ÷ cap per bundle⌉ Cap covers every ridge and hip.
Drip edge sticks: ⌈(eaves + rakes) ÷ (stick length − lap)⌉ A 10 ft stick with a 2 in lap covers 9.83 ft.
Ice and water rolls: ⌈(eaves × courses + valleys) ÷ roll length⌉ One course down each valley.
Valley metal pieces: ⌈valleys ÷ piece length⌉ Measured along the valley, on the slope.
Nail boxes: ⌈squares with waste × 66 × nails per shingle ÷ 7,200⌉ 66 shingles per square, 7,200 coil nails per box, typically.

Worked example

A cross-gable house with a hipped wing: 2,350 sq ft of true area, 12% waste, 168 lf of eave, 64 lf of rake, 38 lf of ridge, 56 lf of hip and 24 lf of valley, with 2 courses of ice and water at the eave and 4 nails per shingle. Default assumptions for the rest.

Squares with waste: 2,350 ÷ 100 = 23.5 squares; 23.5 × 1.12 = 26.32 squares
Shingles: 26.32 × 3 = 78.96, rounded up to 79 bundles
Underlayment: 2,350 ÷ 1,000 = 2.35, rounded up to 3 rolls
Starter: (168 + 64) ÷ 105 = 232 ÷ 105 = 2.21, rounded up to 3 bundles
Cap: (38 + 56) ÷ 25 = 94 ÷ 25 = 3.76, rounded up to 4 bundles
Drip edge: 10 ft − 2 in = 9.83 ft net per stick; 232 ÷ 9.83 = 23.6, rounded up to 24 sticks
Ice and water: (168 × 2 + 24) ÷ 66 = 360 ÷ 66 = 5.45, rounded up to 6 rolls
Valley metal: 24 ÷ 10 = 2.4, rounded up to 3 pieces
Nails: 26.32 × 66 × 4 = 26.32 × 264 = 6,948 nails; 6,948 ÷ 7,200 = 0.97, rounded up to 1 box

Order 79 bundles of shingles, 3 rolls of underlayment, 3 bundles of starter, 4 bundles of cap, 24 sticks of drip edge, 6 rolls of ice and water, 3 pieces of valley metal and 1 box of nails.

What each line is based on

Typical coverage only; check each wrapper. The Example column is the worked example above.
Material	Typical coverage	Sized from	Example
Shingles	3 bundles per square	True area + waste	79 bundles
Synthetic underlayment	1,000 sq ft net per roll	True area	3 rolls
Starter	105 lf per bundle	Eaves + rakes	3 bundles
Hip and ridge cap	25 lf per bundle (20–35 lf is common)	Ridges + hips	4 bundles
Drip edge	9.83 ft net per 10 ft stick	Eaves + rakes	24 sticks
Ice and water shield	66 lf per 36 in roll	Eaves × courses + valleys	6 rolls
Valley metal	10 ft per piece	Valleys	3 pieces
Coil nails	7,200 per box; 264 per square at 4 nails	Squares with waste	1 box

What a re-roof material list covers

A re-roof order is more than shingles. Every line on the list comes from one measurement: the sloped area for shingles and underlayment, and an edge length for everything that runs along an edge. This calculator covers the eight lines most jobs need: shingle bundles, underlayment rolls, starter, hip and ridge cap, drip edge, ice and water shield, valley metal and coil nails.

It leaves out the parts you count instead of measure: vents, pipe boots, step and counter flashing, chimney flashing, sealant and ridge vent. Walk the roof or go through the photos and add them by hand.

Which length feeds which line

Eaves and rakes run around the outside of the roof, so they set the drip edge and the starter. Ridges and hips are the peaks, so they set the cap. Valleys get valley metal and one course of ice and water. The eaves also take the ice and water courses you pick, 1, 2 or 3, depending on how far up the slope your code asks for.

Measure rakes, hips and valleys along the slope. Their plan length from a drawing comes up short on any pitched roof. Eaves and ridges are level, so their plan and true lengths are the same.

Waste goes on the shingles

The waste percentage only changes the shingle count, and the nails that follow it. Underlayment, starter, cap, drip edge, ice and water and valley metal come from the true area or a measured length, and rounding up to whole rolls, bundles, sticks and pieces leaves the slack.

Pick the waste from the roof’s shape: 6–10% for a simple gable at 4–6/12 with no penetrations, 10–14% for a gable with hips and moderate complexity, 15–20% for a hip-dominant roof with dormers at 6/12 and up, 18–25% for a cut-up, steep roof with valleys, crickets and chimneys, and 25%+ for mansards, turrets and organic shapes.

Check the assumptions against the wrapper

The defaults are typical, not universal: 3 bundles per square, 1,000 sq ft net per roll of synthetic underlayment, 105 lf of starter and 25 lf of cap per bundle, 66 lf per 36 in roll of ice and water, 10 ft drip edge sticks with a 2 in lap and 10 ft pieces of valley metal. Cap coverage varies the most; 20–35 lf per bundle is common. Change any number under Assumptions to match the product you are buying.

A square holds about 66 shingles, so 4 nails each is 264 nails per square and 6 is 396. Use 6 where your code or the shingle’s high-wind instructions call for it. In the example, that takes the order from 1 box of 7,200 to 2.

Need the edge lengths? Trace the roof on satellite imagery: RoofStruct gives you free, unlimited self-serve measuring and PDF reports, no card, with every eave, rake, ridge, hip and valley totalled.

Roofing material questions

What goes on a roofing material list?: Shingles, underlayment, starter, hip and ridge cap, drip edge, ice and water shield, valley metal and nails, each sized from the roof area or an edge length. Vents, pipe boots, flashing and sealant are counted by hand.
Do I add waste to every material?: No. Waste goes on the shingles and the nails that follow them. The other lines come from the true area or measured lengths and are rounded up to whole units.
How many roofing nails do I need per square?: About 264 at 4 nails per shingle and 396 at 6, based on 66 shingles per square. A 7,200-nail box covers about 27 squares at 4 nails and 18 at 6.
Why is a 10 ft stick of drip edge counted as 9.83 ft?: Each stick laps the next by about 2 in, so it covers 10 ft minus 2 in of edge. Change the lap under Assumptions if you lap more.
Should I enter the plan area or the true area?: The true (sloped) area. A footprint or plan area comes up short on every pitched roof, so multiply it by the pitch factor first, or use the roof square footage calculator.