ShingleTallySquares, bundles and everything else a roof needs, counted properly.

Shingles for a 32 × 52 ft roof at 12/12, hip

Shingles
82bundles
27.1 squares for a 32 × 52 ft footprint at 12/12 — hip, 15% waste
Footprint32 ft52 ft1,664 ft²×1.4142,353 ft²of actual roof27.1 squares82 bundles · 15% waste+6.9 squaresthat footprint alone misses
Bundles3 per square82bundles
Squares (with waste)27.1sq
Roof area1,664 ft² footprint × 1.414 pitch factor2,353ft²
Pitch factor√(1 + (12/12)²) — pure geometry1.414
Waste allowanceevery hip is a run of angled cuts15%
Starter shingles168 ft of eave and rake2bundles
Hip & ridge cap97 ft of ridge and hips5bundles
Underlaymentsynthetic, 10 squares per roll3rolls
Ice & water shieldeaves, 24″ inside the exterior wall line — check if your code requires it713ft²
Roofing nails — standard4 per shingle, about 8,660 nails62lb
Roofing nails — high wind6 per shingle — required in high-wind zones and by most warranties above 110 mph93lb
Walkable12/12 is past the point most people can stand onNo — staging needed
Footprint width
32 ft
Footprint length
52 ft
Pitch
12 /12
Roof type
hip

Footprint is not roof area

This is where roofing estimates go wrong, and they go wrong in the direction that leaves you short on a Saturday.

A 32 × 52 ft footprint is 1,664 ft² on the ground. At 12/12 the roof over it is 2,353 ft² — the pitch factor is 1.414, which is √(1 + (12/12)²). Pure geometry, no fudge factor.

Order off the footprint and you are 6.9 squares short before waste is even counted.

Squares and bundles

27.1 squares with 15% waste for a hip roof — 82 bundles at three per square.

Waste is not one number. A simple gable cuts only at the rakes. A hip roof cuts along every hip. A cut-up roof with valleys and dormers throws away a fifth of what you buy, and no amount of careful planning changes that.

The two lines everyone forgets

Starter: 2 bundles for 168 ft of eave and rake. Hip and ridge cap: 5 bundles for 97 ft.

These are separate products, not field shingles cut down. Using field shingles as starter voids most manufacturers' wind warranties, which is discovered at the claim rather than at the purchase.

Underneath

3 rolls of synthetic underlayment, and 713 ft² of ice-and-water shield at the eaves — 24 inches inside the exterior wall line, which is what the IRC asks for where it applies. Check whether your jurisdiction requires it.

62 lb of roofing nails at four per shingle, or lb at six for a high-wind zone.

Two things to price before you decide it is DIY

Tear-off: about 7,442 lb of old shingle to strip and skip.

And access. Above 8/12 a roof stops being walkable for most people, and roof jacks, planks or scaffolding cost real money that belongs in the estimate before you decide this is a DIY job.

Notes

  • **Footprint is not roof area, and the gap is bigger than people expect.** A 32 × 52 ft footprint is 1,664 ft² on the ground but **2,353 ft²** of roof at 12/12. Ordering off the footprint leaves you 6.9 squares short — and that is before waste.
  • The pitch factor is √(1 + (rise/12)²). There is no estimate in it and no manufacturer fudge — it is the hypotenuse. 12/12 gives 1.414.
  • 15% waste for a hip roof: every hip is a run of angled cuts. A simple gable wastes least because the only cuts are at the rakes; every hip and valley adds a run of angled cuts that produce offcuts nothing else uses.
  • Starter and cap are separate purchases, and they are the two lines that get left off estimates. 2 bundles of starter for 168 ft of eave and rake, 5 bundles of hip and ridge for 97 ft. Using field shingles as starter voids most manufacturer wind warranties.
  • At 12/12 this is not a walkable roof for most people. Roof jacks and planks, or scaffolding — and that cost belongs in the estimate before you decide whether this is a DIY job.
  • Tear-off is the other half of the job. A single layer of asphalt shingle weighs 200–350 lb per square, so this roof carries about 7,442 lb of old material to remove and skip.

Nearby sizes

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