How Many Shingles for a 3,500 Square Foot House?
Roofing squares needed
43 squares
A 3,500 square foot footprint, 70 by 50, 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 length70 ft
- Building width50 ft
- Roof pitch, rise per 12 in6 /12
- Waste allowance10 %
- Ridge length, 0 if unknown70 ft
Roofing squares needed43 squares
| Footprint area | 3,500 sq ft |
|---|---|
| Slope multiplier at 6/12 | 1.12 x |
| Actual roof surface | 3,913 sq ft |
| Squares before waste | 39.1 |
| Squares with 10% waste | 43order to this number |
The material list this produces
| Shingles, bundles (3 per square) | 130 |
|---|---|
| Synthetic underlayment, rolls (10 sq each) | 5 |
| Starter strip, linear ft | 276 |
| Ridge cap, linear ft | 70 |
| Drip edge, linear ft | 240 |
| Roofing nails, lb | 95 |
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 | 40.6 squares |
| 6/12 | 43 squares |
| 8/12 | 46.3 squares |
| 10/12 | 50.1 squares |
| 12/12 | 54.4 squares |
What else matters here
Thirty five hundred square feet of footprint at 6/12 is 3,913 square feet of roof, forty three squares with waste, a hundred and thirty bundles.
What comes off is as much of a logistics problem as what goes on. A square of architectural shingles weighs roughly 230 to 250 pounds, so one layer over thirty nine squares of roof is close to five tons of debris, and a second layer doubles it.
Dumpsters are rated by volume and this is a weight problem, so ask the hauler for a roofing rate rather than a general construction one and tell them the square count and the number of layers. A twenty yard container is a common size for a roof this big with one layer. Put plywood under the wheels on an asphalt drive, tarp the ground around the house before anything comes off, and agree who does the magnet sweep, because a roof tear off drops thousands of nails into a lawn.
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 3,500 sq ft house?
About 130 bundles at a 6/12 pitch with ten percent waste, which is 43 squares.
How much does a square of shingles weigh?
Roughly 230 to 250 pounds for architectural shingles, a little less for three tab. A single layer on a roof this size is close to five tons of tear off.
What size dumpster do I need for a roof tear off?
Give the hauler the square count and the number of layers and ask for a roofing rate, because it is a weight problem rather than a volume one. Twenty yards suits a large single layer roof.
The roofing calculator takes any dimensions you like and hands back the same list.