What is a roofing square?

A roofing square is a unit of measure equal to 100 square feet of roof surface. It takes approximately 3 bundles of standard 3-tab shingles to cover one roofing square.

How does roof pitch affect material quantity?

A steeper roof pitch means a larger actual surface area compared to the floor footprint below it. A 6:12 pitch has a pitch multiplier of about 1.118, meaning you need 11.8% more material than a flat roof of the same footprint.

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Roofing Squares & Shingle Estimator

Calculate roofing squares and shingle bundles needed based on roof dimensions and pitch.

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Roof Length (ft)

Roof Width (ft)

Roof Pitch (rise per 12" run)

Include 10% Waste Buffer

Roofing Squares & The Pitch Multiplier

Roofing material is sold in "squares" — one roofing square covers 100 square feet of roof surface. Shingles come in bundles; it typically takes 3 bundles to make one square. The actual roof surface area is larger than the floor footprint due to slope, accounted for with a pitch multiplier.

Roofing Area Formula

Base Footprint = Length × Width

Pitch Multiplier (6:12 slope) ≈ 1.118

Roof Area = Footprint × Pitch Multiplier × 1.10 (waste)

Squares = Roof Area ÷ 100 | Bundles = Squares × 3