Shingle Bundle & Accessory Estimator
Enter sloped roof area, not floor area. Edge lengths and product coverages are in the advanced panel.
Roofing
Shingle Calculator
Quick answer: bundles = roof squares × (1 + waste %) × bundles per square, rounded up. A 2,000 sq ft roof is 20 squares; with 10% waste that is 22 squares × 3 = 66 bundles of architectural shingles, plus 2 bundles of starter for 180 ft of eaves and rakes and 2 bundles of ridge cap for a 40 ft ridge.
Already know your roof area from a measurement report or a contractor's quote? Enter it in squares or square feet to get the full asphalt shingle order: field bundles, starter strip, hip and ridge cap, nails, synthetic underlayment, and drip edge. Don't know the area yet? Start with the roof shingle calculator, which works it out from the house footprint and pitch.
How to calculate shingle bundles and accessories
Once the roof surface area is known, a shingle order is a set of separate counts. Field shingles are driven by area; starter, ridge cap, and drip edge are driven by the length of the roof's edges and peaks; nails follow the number of shingles; underlayment follows area again but without the cutting waste.
Bundles = ⌈ Asq × (1 + W) × B ⌉
Asq = roof area ÷ 100 · W = waste fraction · B = bundles per square · starter = ⌈(eaves + rakes) ÷ ft per bundle⌉ · cap = ⌈(ridges + hips) ÷ ft per bundle⌉
- Convert the roof area to squares. Divide square feet by 100. If your measurement report already lists squares, enter them directly.
- Pick a waste factor from the roof shape. Every valley, hip, and dormer creates angled cuts that cannot be reused. Use about 10% on a plain gable, 15% on a hip roof, and 20% when the roof is broken up by several valleys and dormers.
- Multiply by bundles per square and round up. Most 3-tab and architectural lines pack 3 bundles per square; heavy designer shingles often need 4 or 5.
- Total the edges. Add every eave and rake for starter strip and drip edge, and every ridge and hip for cap shingles. Divide each by the coverage printed on that product's wrapper and round up.
- Count nails as squares (with waste) × shingles per square × nails per shingle.
- Count underlayment rolls from the roof area without shingle waste, divided by the roll's net coverage after laps.
Worked example: hip roof re-roof
A measurement report lists 28.5 squares on a hip roof with 180 ft of eaves, no rakes, a 20 ft ridge, and four hips of about 24 ft each (96 ft). The homeowner chose architectural shingles and the area has a high-wind nailing requirement.
- Squares with 15% waste: 28.5 × 1.15 = 32.775; bundles: 32.775 × 3 = 98.3 → 99 bundles
- Starter: 180 ft ÷ 105 ft per bundle = 1.71 → 2 bundles
- Ridge cap: (20 + 96) = 116 ft ÷ 25 ft per bundle = 4.64 → 5 bundles
- Nails: 32.775 × 64 × 6 = 12,585.6 → 12,586 nails, or 2 cartons of 7,200 coil nails
- Underlayment: 28.5 ÷ 10 = 2.85 → 3 rolls; drip edge: 180 ft ÷ 9.83 ft per lapped piece = 18.3 → 19 pieces
Drip edge is figured at 10 ft per piece less a 2 in overlap at each joint (9.83 ft of net coverage), with no allowance for corner cuts — add a piece or two on roofs with many short rake sections.
Shingle sizes, counts per square, and nails
Shingles per square follow from the shingle's length and its exposure (the part left showing). A square is 14,400 square inches, so 3-tab shingles 36 in long at a 5 in exposure give 14,400 ÷ (36 × 5) = 80 per square, and metric-size shingles 39-3/8 in long at a 5-5/8 in exposure give about 65. Many architectural shingles are packaged at 64 to 66 pieces per square — the wrapper is the final word.
| Shingle type | Typical size | Exposure | Shingles per square | Bundles per square | Nails/sq at 4 per shingle | Nails/sq at 6 per shingle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard 3-tab | 12 × 36 in | 5 in | 80 | 3 | 320 | 480 |
| Metric 3-tab | 13-1/4 × 39-3/8 in | 5-5/8 in | about 65 | 3 | about 260 | about 390 |
| Architectural / laminated | 13-1/4 × 39-3/8 in (common) | 5-5/8 in | 64–66 (calculator uses 64) | 3 | 256–264 | 384–396 |
| Heavy designer / luxury | Varies by line | Varies | Check wrapper | 4–5 | Check wrapper | Check wrapper |
Bundles by roof area and waste (3 bundles per square)
| Roof area | 10% waste (gable) | 15% waste (hip) | 20% waste (cut-up) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 squares (1,000 sq ft) | 33 | 35 | 36 |
| 15 squares (1,500 sq ft) | 50 | 52 | 54 |
| 20 squares (2,000 sq ft) | 66 | 69 | 72 |
| 25 squares (2,500 sq ft) | 83 | 87 | 90 |
| 30 squares (3,000 sq ft) | 99 | 104 | 108 |
| 35 squares (3,500 sq ft) | 116 | 121 | 126 |
Ordering tips and common mistakes
- Don't cut field shingles for starter unless the maker allows it. Purpose-made starter has its sealant strip where the first course needs it. Cutting tabs off 3-tab shingles is a traditional method, but many architectural warranties call for the matching starter product.
- Use the cap shingle made for your line. Laminated architectural shingles cannot be cut into hip and ridge caps the way 3-tab can; budget the cap bundles separately.
- Check whether rakes need starter. Some manufacturers require starter along the rakes as well as the eaves for wind warranty coverage; others only at the eaves. Set the rake length to 0 if yours does not.
- Nail count depends on the pattern, not just the roof. High-wind zones and very steep slopes commonly call for 6 nails per shingle, which adds half again as many nails. Use nails long enough to penetrate the deck — follow the wrapper and local code.
- Order ice and water membrane separately. Where ice dams are a concern, codes typically require self-adhered membrane along the eaves; valleys usually get it too. This calculator's underlayment count is for synthetic underlayment over the field.
- Keep one or two spare bundles. Shingle colors vary between production runs, so a few unopened bundles from the same lot make later repairs blend in. Many suppliers accept returns of unopened bundles — ask before you order.
- Measure the sloped surface, not the floor. A 2,000 sq ft house footprint can carry 2,300+ sq ft of roof once overhangs and pitch are added. If you only have the footprint, convert it first with the roof area or roof shingle calculator.
Shingle order FAQ
How many bundles of shingles do I need for 1,000 square feet?
1,000 sq ft of roof surface is 10 squares. At 3 bundles per square that is 30 bundles with no waste, or 33 bundles with 10% waste for a simple gable roof and 35 bundles with 15% waste for a hip roof. The 1,000 sq ft must be the sloped roof area, not the floor area of the house.
How many nails do you need per square of shingles?
Multiply shingles per square by nails per shingle. Standard 12 × 36 in 3-tab shingles with a 5 in exposure run 80 per square, so 320 nails at 4 per shingle or 480 at 6 per shingle. Metric-size architectural shingles run about 64 to 66 per square, so roughly 256 to 264 nails at 4 per shingle. Always follow the nailing pattern printed on the wrapper.
How much starter strip do I need for a roof?
Add up every eave and, if your shingle maker calls for it, every rake edge, then divide by the linear feet per starter bundle printed on the wrapper. Many starter products cover roughly 100 to 120 linear feet per bundle. A roof with 100 ft of eaves and 80 ft of rakes at 105 ft per bundle needs 2 bundles.
How many bundles of ridge cap do I need?
Add the length of every ridge and hip, then divide by the coverage on the cap shingle wrapper, which is often around 20 to 33 linear feet per bundle. A hip roof with a 20 ft ridge and four 24 ft hips has 116 ft of cap line, so at 25 ft per bundle it needs 5 bundles.
How many rolls of underlayment do I need for my roof?
Divide the roof area in squares by the net coverage of one roll. Many synthetic underlayment rolls are sold as 10 squares (1,000 sq ft), so a 28.5-square roof needs 3 rolls. Felt rolls cover much less, often 2 to 4 squares, and ice and water membrane is ordered separately by the linear foot of eaves and valleys.
How we built this calculator: results use the standard volume, area, and coverage formulas shown on this page, with typical U.S. material densities, bag yields, and waste factors that you can override. Written and checked by the YardsCalculator editorial team. Last reviewed: October 2026.
Last updated: October 9, 2026