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

Shingles for a 44 × 46 ft roof at 8/12, hip

Shingles
84bundles
28 squares for a 44 × 46 ft footprint at 8/12 — hip, 15% waste
Footprint44 ft46 ft2,024 ft²×1.2022,433 ft²of actual roof28 squares84 bundles · 15% waste+4.1 squaresthat footprint alone misses
Bundles3 per square84bundles
Squares (with waste)28sq
Roof area2,024 ft² footprint × 1.202 pitch factor2,433ft²
Pitch factor√(1 + (8/12)²) — pure geometry1.202
Waste allowanceevery hip is a run of angled cuts15%
Starter shingles180 ft of eave and rake2bundles
Hip & ridge cap99 ft of ridge and hips5bundles
Underlaymentsynthetic, 10 squares per roll3rolls
Ice & water shieldeaves, 24″ inside the exterior wall line — check if your code requires it649ft²
Roofing nails — standard4 per shingle, about 8,952 nails64lb
Roofing nails — high wind6 per shingle — required in high-wind zones and by most warranties above 110 mph96lb
Walkable8/12 is past the point most people can stand onNo — staging needed
Footprint width
44 ft
Footprint length
46 ft
Pitch
8 /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 44 × 46 ft footprint is 2,024 ft² on the ground. At 8/12 the roof over it is 2,433 ft² — the pitch factor is 1.202, which is √(1 + (8/12)²). Pure geometry, no fudge factor.

Order off the footprint and you are 4.1 squares short before waste is even counted.

Squares and bundles

28 squares with 15% waste for a hip roof — 84 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 180 ft of eave and rake. Hip and ridge cap: 5 bundles for 99 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 649 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.

64 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 7,693 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 44 × 46 ft footprint is 2,024 ft² on the ground but **2,433 ft²** of roof at 8/12. Ordering off the footprint leaves you 4.1 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. 8/12 gives 1.202.
  • 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 180 ft of eave and rake, 5 bundles of hip and ridge for 99 ft. Using field shingles as starter voids most manufacturer wind warranties.
  • At 8/12 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 7,693 lb of old material to remove and skip.

Nearby sizes

Read more