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RoofCostLab

Material take-off

Roof Shingle Calculator

Enter your roof area to get a complete shingle order: bundles, underlayment, starter strip, ridge cap, drip edge and fasteners, with waste included.

Shingles come three bundles to a roofing square (100 sq ft). For a 2,000 sq ft roof you need 60 bundles before waste, or about 68 bundles with a standard 12% waste factor, plus 5 to 6 rolls of underlayment.

Calculate your shingle order

Enter true roof area. Perimeter drives drip edge and starter strip.

sq ft
ft

For drip edge and starter strip.

ft

For ridge cap shingles.

Shingle bundles

68

including waste

Roofing squares 20.0
Underlayment rolls 6
Starter strip 2 bundles
Ridge cap 2 bundles
Drip edge (10 ft) 18 pieces
Material cost

What a complete shingle order includes

Field shingles are the bulk of the order but never all of it. A roof that only has bundles delivered will stall on day one. The full list is: field shingles, underlayment, starter strip along every eave and rake, ridge cap for ridges and hips, drip edge around the whole perimeter, ice and water shield at eaves and valleys in cold climates, and roofing nails.

Starter strip matters more than its cost suggests. It is what seals the first course down and resists wind uplift at the edge, which is where nearly every wind failure begins. Cutting field shingles to fake it voids most manufacturer warranties.

Bundles, squares and coverage

Standard asphalt shingles, both 3-tab and architectural, are packaged three bundles per square. A bundle weighs 60 to 80 lb and covers about 33 sq ft. Premium designer shingles are heavier and often run four or five bundles per square, so check the wrapper before you scale an order.

Ridge cap coverage depends on the product. A bundle of hip and ridge shingles typically covers 20 to 33 linear feet. Order by the linear foot of ridge plus hip, then divide by the coverage printed on the bundle.

Frequently asked questions

How many bundles of shingles do I need?

Divide your roof area by 100 to get squares, multiply by 3 for bundles, then add 10 to 15% for waste. A 2,000 sq ft roof needs 60 bundles plus waste, so order about 68.

How many square feet does a bundle of shingles cover?

About 33 square feet for standard 3-tab and architectural shingles, since three bundles make up a 100 sq ft square.

How much does a bundle of shingles cost in 2026?

Standard asphalt shingles run about $30 to $48 per bundle, which is roughly $90 to $145 per square. Architectural shingles sit at the upper end of that range and last longer than 3-tab.

How many nails per shingle?

Four nails per shingle in standard conditions and six in high-wind zones, which works out to roughly 320 nails, about 2.5 lb, per square. Most jobs use 10 to 12 lb of nails per 20 squares.

Do I need underlayment under shingles?

Yes, code requires it. Synthetic underlayment has largely replaced felt because it is lighter, tears less and stays stable if the roof is left exposed. Budget one 400 sq ft roll per three to four squares.

How much ice and water shield do I need?

In cold climates code typically requires coverage from the eave edge to at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall line, plus full coverage in every valley. That usually means two to three rolls on an average home.

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