Roofing Calculator
Enter your roof footprint and pitch and get the full material list: squares, shingle bundles, underlayment, starter, ridge cap, and nails, plus a 2026 cost estimate. It is free to use and needs no signup.
The flat area the house covers (its outline on the ground), not the sloped roof. The pitch below converts it to true roof area.
Not sure? A typical house roof is 4:12 to 8:12. A flat roof is 0.
10% for a simple gable, 15% standard, 20%+ for a cut-up hip roof with lots of valleys.
Installed price for one square (100 sq ft). Materials only run far less; see the cost table below.
Illustration, not to scale
Illustration, not to scale
Roofing squares (with 15% waste)
25.7squares= 78 bundles
2,000 sq ft footprint × 1.118 (pitch) = 2,236 sq ft of roof (22.4 squares before waste).
A material list to price and order from, not a substitute for measuring the roof. Field-measure or take off the plan before you buy.
You estimated this from a rectangle.
A real roof has hips, valleys, and dormers a flat footprint misses. In Easy Takeoffs you measure every roof plane off the plan PDF to scale, apply the pitch as the slope factor, and get true squares and bundle counts off the drawing, not a guess. 14-day trial, no card.
How much does a new roof cost?
A new asphalt shingle roof runs about $4 to $9 per square foot installed in 2026, so a typical 2,000 square foot roof costs roughly $8,000 to $18,000. Labor is 40 to 60 percent of that, tear-off of the old roof adds more, and metal, tile, or slate cost more. Prices vary by region and roof complexity, so treat these as a starting point and get a local quote.
What a new roof costs by material (2026)
| Material | Per sq ft, installed | Per square (100 sq ft) |
|---|---|---|
| 3-tab asphalt | $3.50 to $8.75 | $350 to $875 |
| Architectural asphalt | $4.50 to $9.00 | $450 to $900 |
| Corrugated metal | $6 to $12 | $600 to $1,200 |
| Standing-seam metal | $10 to $18 | $1,000 to $1,800 |
| Concrete or clay tile | $10 to $25 | $1,000 to $2,500 |
| Slate | $10 to $30 | $1,000 to $3,000 |
2026 US averages, installed (materials + labor), from This Old House, Fixr, and Modernize. Labor is 40 to 60 percent of the total, and tearing off the old roof adds $0.50 to $1.50 per sq ft (more for multiple layers or tile). Confirm with a local contractor.
Cost by roof size (asphalt shingles, installed, 2026)
| Roof size | Squares | Installed cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft | 10 | $4,000 to $9,000 |
| 1,500 sq ft | 15 | $6,000 to $13,500 |
| 2,000 sq ft | 20 | $8,000 to $18,000 |
| 2,500 sq ft | 25 | $10,000 to $22,500 |
| 3,000 sq ft | 30 | $12,000 to $27,000 |
By ROOF size, not house footprint: a 2,000 sq ft house has more than 2,000 sq ft of roof once you add the pitch (about 12 percent more at 6:12) and the overhangs. Higher-end materials scale up from the per-square table above.
What materials do you need to roof a house?
A shingle roof is more than shingles. For each square (100 square feet) you need about 3 bundles of shingles and a share of underlayment, plus starter strip and ridge cap along the roof edges, and nails to fasten it all. The calculator totals each one from your footprint and pitch.
Roofing materials at a glance
| Material | How it is sold | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Shingles | By the bundle | 3 bundles per square (each about 33.3 sq ft) |
| Underlayment | By the roll | Synthetic about 10 squares; #15 felt 4; #30 felt 2 |
| Starter strip | By the bundle | About 110 linear feet, along the eaves and rakes |
| Ridge & hip cap | By the bundle | About 20 to 25 linear feet, along ridges and hips |
| Nails | By the box | About 320 per square (480 for high wind); ~980 per 5 lb box |
Standard 3-tab and architectural shingles are both 3 bundles per square; premium designer lines run 4 to 5. Starter and cap are edge quantities, so they depend on your roof shape, not just its area.
How do you measure a roof for shingles?
You measure a roof by planes. Find the length and width of each roof plane, multiply to get its footprint, then apply the pitch slope factor for the true surface. Add the planes together and divide by 100 for squares.
- 1
Sketch the roof and split it into rectangles, one per plane (each side of a gable, each section of a hip).
- 2
Measure the length and width of each plane in feet, from the ground, a ladder, or a plan.
- 3
Multiply length by width for each plane, then multiply by the pitch slope factor for the true sloped area.
- 4
Add the planes together and divide by 100 for roofing squares, then add 10 to 20 percent for waste.
How do you calculate roofing squares?
Roofing is measured in squares, and one square is 100 square feet of roof. Multiply your footprint by the pitch slope factor to get the true roof area, divide by 100 for squares, then add 10 to 20 percent for waste before you order. Each material then comes off the squares or the roof edges. Here is the math, with a worked example.
- Roof area
- footprint area × the pitch slope factor
- Squares
- roof area ÷ 100 (one square = 100 sq ft)
- Shingle bundles
- squares × 3, plus waste, rounded up (3 bundles per square)
- Underlayment rolls
- squares ÷ 10 for synthetic (÷ 4 for #15 felt), plus waste, rounded up
- Starter & ridge cap
- edge length ÷ the product coverage (starter about 110 ft per bundle, cap about 20)
- Nails
- about 320 per square at 4 nails per shingle (480 at 6 for high wind)
Ordering adjustments
Order to the waste allowance, not the bare roof area: 10 percent for a simple gable, 15 percent for hips and valleys, up to 20 percent for a complex, cut-up roof. Round every material up to whole bundles, rolls, and boxes, and keep the roof area itself un-inflated so you can check it against the plan.
Worked example
2,000 sq ft footprint, 6:12 pitch, architectural shingles, 15% waste
- 2,000 × 1.118 = 2,236 sq ft of roof
- 2,236 ÷ 100 = 22.36 squares
- Add 15% waste: 22.36 × 1.15 = 25.7 squares
- Bundles: 25.7 × 3 = 77.1, round up to 78
Roofing reference tables
Shingle and underlayment coverage
| Item | Coverage |
|---|---|
| Shingle bundle | About 33.3 sq ft (3 per square) |
| Synthetic underlayment roll | About 10 squares (1,000 sq ft) |
| #15 felt roll | About 4 squares (400 sq ft) |
| #30 felt roll | About 2 squares (200 sq ft) |
| Starter strip bundle | About 110 linear feet |
| Ridge & hip cap bundle | About 20 to 25 linear feet |
| Roofing nails | About 320 per square (~980 per 5 lb box) |
Coverage from GAF, Owens Corning, and IKO spec sheets. Confirm the exact figure on your product wrapper.
Waste allowance by roof complexity
| Roof | Waste |
|---|---|
| Simple gable, no valleys | 10% |
| Hip roof or a few valleys | 15% |
| Complex, cut-up, many dormers | 15 to 20% |
Order 1 to 2 extra bundles from the same color lot for future repairs.
Shingle lifespan by type
| Shingle | Typical lifespan |
|---|---|
| 3-tab asphalt | 15 to 20 years |
| Architectural asphalt | 25 to 30 years |
| Metal | 40 to 70 years |
| Tile or slate | 50 to 100 years |
Actual life depends on climate, ventilation, and installation quality.
Roofing Calculator Questions
Three bundles cover one square (100 square feet), for both standard 3-tab and architectural shingles, since each bundle covers about 33.3 square feet. Premium designer shingles are heavier and run 4 or 5 bundles per square, so check the coverage on the wrapper.
Divide your total roof area by 100 and round up. Use the roof area, not the house floor area: multiply the footprint by the pitch slope factor first. A 2,000 square foot roof is 20 squares, which is about 60 bundles before waste, or roughly 66 to 69 with a 10 to 15 percent allowance.
Multiply the footprint area by the pitch slope factor. You cannot use the house floor area directly, because a sloped roof is larger than the ground it covers. A 2,000 square foot footprint at 6:12 (slope factor 1.118) is about 2,236 square feet of roof; at 8:12 it is about 2,400.
A roofing square is 100 square feet of roof surface. Roofers price and order almost everything by the square: shingles, underlayment, and labor. Your roof area divided by 100 is the number of squares.
Add about 10 percent for a simple gable roof, 15 percent for a hip roof or one with a few valleys, and up to 20 percent for a complex, cut-up roof with many valleys and dormers. Also buy 1 to 2 extra bundles from the same color lot for future repairs.
Asphalt shingles run about $4 to $9 per square foot installed, so a typical 2,000 square foot roof costs roughly $8,000 to $18,000. Metal runs $6 to $18 per square foot, and tile or slate $10 to $30. Labor is 40 to 60 percent of the total. Prices vary by region, so get a local quote.
For a 2,000 square foot roof, asphalt shingles typically run about $8,000 to $18,000 installed, metal about $12,000 to $36,000, and tile or slate more. Remember a 2,000 square foot house has more than 2,000 square feet of roof once the pitch is added, which raises the total.
Installed in 2026: 3-tab asphalt $3.50 to $8.75, architectural asphalt $4.50 to $9.00, corrugated metal $6 to $12, standing-seam metal $10 to $18, tile $10 to $25, and slate $10 to $30 per square foot. Multiply by 100 for the cost per square.
Labor is usually 40 to 60 percent of an installed roof, or about $1.50 to $3.50 per square foot ($150 to $350 per square). Steep, cut-up roofs and hard-to-reach jobs cost more per square than a walkable gable.
Removing a single layer of asphalt runs about $0.50 to $1.50 per square foot ($50 to $150 per square). Multiple layers or heavy materials like tile and slate run $2 to $5 per square foot. Dumpster and disposal add a few hundred dollars, and permits $250 to $500.
Architectural (laminate) shingles are thicker, heavier, and last longer, with a dimensional look, and cost more ($4.50 to $9.00 per square foot installed versus $3.50 to $8.75 for 3-tab). Both are 3 bundles per square, so the material count is the same; the price and lifespan differ.
Underlayment covers the same area as the shingles: one synthetic roll per 10 squares, or a #15 felt roll per 4. Starter runs the eaves and rakes at about 110 linear feet per bundle, and ridge cap runs the ridges and hips at about 20 to 25 linear feet per bundle. Nails run about 320 per square.
Yes. It is free, needs no signup, and runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter is uploaded anywhere.
No. This calculator works from a footprint and pitch you type in, and it estimates the edges from a rectangle. To measure every roof plane, hip, and valley off a PDF plan to scale and get bid-ready squares and bundles, use Easy Takeoffs, the construction takeoff software built to measure off plans. 14-day trial, no card.
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