How Many Shingles for a 2,200 Square Foot House?
Roofing squares needed
27.1 squares
A 2,200 square foot footprint, 55 by 40, at a 6/12 pitch with ten percent waste.
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How that number is worked out
These are the figures this page was built with and every line the calculator produces from them. Change anything above and all of it moves.
- Building length55 ft
- Building width40 ft
- Roof pitch, rise per 12 in6 /12
- Waste allowance10 %
- Ridge length, 0 if unknown55 ft
Roofing squares needed27.1 squares
| Footprint area | 2,200 sq ft |
|---|---|
| Slope multiplier at 6/12 | 1.12 x |
| Actual roof surface | 2,460 sq ft |
| Squares before waste | 24.6 |
| Squares with 10% waste | 27.1order to this number |
The material list this produces
| Shingles, bundles (3 per square) | 82 |
|---|---|
| Synthetic underlayment, rolls (10 sq each) | 3 |
| Starter strip, linear ft | 216 |
| Ridge cap, linear ft | 55 |
| Drip edge, linear ft | 190 |
| Roofing nails, lb | 60 |
Roof pitch compared
Pitch is the number most people guess at, and it is worth more shingles than any other input. Same house, five pitches.
| Roof pitch | Roofing squares needed |
|---|---|
| 4/12 | 25.5 squares |
| 6/12 | 27.1 squares |
| 8/12 | 29.1 squares |
| 10/12 | 31.5 squares |
| 12/12 | 34.2 squares |
What else matters here
Twenty two hundred square feet of footprint at 6/12 is 2,460 square feet of roof, 27.1 squares with waste, eighty two bundles.
At this size the roof is being bought rather than built, so the contract is the part worth getting right. It should say how many layers are being torn off, what the price per sheet is if sheathing needs replacing and who decides, which underlayment and which membrane at the eaves and valleys, the nail pattern, and whether all the flashing is new or reused.
Two other lines are worth insisting on. Cleanup, meaning a tarped perimeter, a dumpster and a magnet sweep of the yard and drive. And the warranties, of which there are two: the manufacturer's on the material, which usually only reaches its headline term if the whole system came from one brand and was installed by a certified crew, and the contractor's on the workmanship, which is the one that actually covers a leak and is worth nothing without a certificate of insurance and a license number on the document.
What this calculator assumes
- Footprint times the slope multiplier gives the actual roof surface. A 6/12 roof is 11.8 percent larger than the ground it covers, which is the number most people forget.
- Three bundles per square is standard for both three tab and architectural shingles. Check your brand, a few premium lines run four.
- Synthetic underlayment is figured at 10 squares per roll, starter and ridge cap at one linear foot per foot.
Questions people ask
How many bundles of shingles for a 2,200 sq ft house?
About 82 bundles at a 6/12 pitch with ten percent waste, which is 27.1 squares.
What should a roofing contract include?
Layers torn off, the per sheet price for replacing bad decking, the underlayment and membrane specified, the nail pattern, whether flashing is new, cleanup, and both warranties in writing.
What is the difference between a material and a workmanship warranty?
The manufacturer covers defects in the shingles, often only at full term if the whole system is one brand installed by a certified crew. The contractor covers the installation, and that is the one that pays for a leak.
The roofing calculator takes any dimensions you like and hands back the same list.