Roofing Material Calculator
Get a complete bill of materials for a shingle roof — not just bundles. Enter your roof area and edge lengths to estimate shingles, ridge cap, starter, underlayment, drip edge, ice & water shield, and nails in one list.
Roof & Shingles
Linear Measurements (feet)
Accessories depend on these edge lengths. Pre-filled with an example gable — replace with your roof's measurements.
Bill of Materials
2,000 sq ft · 10% waste| Material | Qty | Unit |
|---|---|---|
Architectural field shingles 4 bundles/square × 20.0 squares + 10% waste | 88 | bundles |
Hip & ridge cap Along 45 lf of ridges + hips (~25 lf/bundle) | 2 | bundles |
Starter strip Along 158 lf of eaves + rakes (~100 lf/bundle) | 2 | bundles |
Synthetic underlayment 1000 sq ft/roll, +10% overlap | 3 | rolls |
Drip edge Along 158 lf of eaves + rakes | 16 | 10 ft pieces |
Ice & water shield 270 sq ft band (eaves/valleys), 200 sq ft/roll | 2 | rolls |
Roofing nails ~7,041 nails (320/square), 7,200/box | 1 | coil boxes |
💡 Quantities are rounded up to whole units and use industry-typical coverage. Always confirm each product's actual coverage on its wrapper, and order a little extra for cuts and repairs.
Estimates only. See how this calculator works — the formulas, assumptions, and sources behind it.
What a Complete Roof Takeoff Includes
Most calculators stop at shingle bundles, but field shingles are only part of the order. A real material list is driven by two things: the roof area(for shingles, underlayment, and nails) and the roof's edge lengths (for everything that runs along an edge). Here is what each line covers and the coverage rate this tool assumes.
- Field shingles
- The main roof covering. 3 bundles per square for 3-tab, 4 for architectural, plus your waste factor. Start from sloped roof area, not the building footprint.
- Hip & ridge cap
- Pre-bent caps that finish the ridges and hips. About 25 linear feet per bundle — driven by your ridge + hip length, not area.
- Starter strip
- The first sealed course along eaves (and often rakes) that locks down the first shingles against wind. About 100 linear feet per bundle.
- Underlayment
- The deck-wide moisture barrier under the shingles. Synthetic covers ~1,000 sq ft per roll; #15 felt ~400; #30 felt ~200. We add 10% for overlap.
- Drip edge
- Metal edging along eaves and rakes that directs water into the gutter and protects the deck edge. Sold in 10-foot pieces.
- Ice & water shield
- Self-adhering membrane in valleys and (in cold climates) along eaves to stop ice-dam leaks. One 36-inch roll covers ~200 sq ft; we use a 3-foot coverage band.
- Roofing nails
- Coil nails for the field shingles — about 320 per square. Sold in boxes of ~7,200 (roughly 120 squares).
How to Measure Each Edge
The accessory quantities are only as good as your edge measurements. Add up the total length of each edge type across the whole roof, in feet:
- •Eaves — the horizontal bottom edges where the gutters hang.
- •Rakes — the sloped edges at gable ends, running from eave to ridge.
- •Ridges — the horizontal top lines where two roof planes meet.
- •Hips — sloped ridges where two planes meet outward (on hip roofs).
- •Valleys — sloped lines where two planes meet inward and channel water.
Don't have your roof area yet? Start with the roof area calculator or trace an irregular roof with the draw roof tool, then come back to build the full material list.
Roofing Material FAQ
- What materials do I need to replace a roof besides shingles?
- A complete shingle roof needs more than field shingles. The usual list is: starter strip (along eaves and rakes), hip and ridge cap shingles (along ridges and hips), underlayment over the whole deck, drip edge (along eaves and rakes), ice and water shield (eaves in cold climates, plus valleys), and roofing nails. Forgetting the accessories is the most common reason DIYers make a second trip to the supplier.
- How do I measure eaves, rakes, ridges, hips, and valleys?
- Eaves are the horizontal bottom edges; rakes are the sloped edges at the gable ends; ridges are the horizontal top lines where two planes meet; hips are the sloped outward ridges; valleys are the sloped inward lines where two planes meet. Measure each total length in feet (add up every run of that type). Eaves and rakes drive starter, drip edge, and eave ice-and-water; ridges and hips drive cap shingles; valleys drive valley ice-and-water.
- How much ridge cap and starter strip do I need?
- Hip and ridge cap is sold by the bundle and covers roughly 25 linear feet per bundle, so divide your total ridge + hip length by 25 and round up. Dedicated starter strip covers about 100 linear feet per bundle — divide your eave + rake length by 100. Coverage varies by product, so check the wrapper.
- Do I need ice and water shield?
- In cold climates, code typically requires ice and water shield along eaves (extending past the interior wall line) to protect against ice dams. Valleys should get it in any climate. This calculator adds an eave band when you check the cold-climate box, plus a band in every valley you enter. One 36-inch roll covers about 200 sq ft.
- How accurate is this roofing material estimate?
- It uses industry-typical coverage rates and rounds up to whole units, so it is a solid planning list — but actual product coverage varies (a bundle of architectural shingles, a roll of underlayment, or a box of nails can differ by brand). Confirm coverage on each product and order a little extra for cuts, waste, and future repairs.