How many bundles of architectural shingles make a square?
What a square is
Roofers measure in squares: 100 square feet of roof surface. That is surface area, not the floor area of the house, so pitch and overhangs make the roof bigger than the footprint. A typical Georgia house might have 20 to 35 squares.
Why three bundles
Bundles are sized so one person can carry them up a ladder. A common architectural bundle weighs roughly 70 pounds; GAF's Timberline HDZ, for example, is packaged three bundles to the square. Thicker premium and designer shingles carry more material per square, so their makers split a square into four or five bundles to keep each one liftable.
Ordering math
- Measure the roof surface and convert to squares.
- Add waste for cutting: about 10 percent on a simple gable roof, 15 percent or more on hip roofs with valleys and dormers.
- Multiply by the bundles per square on the wrapper.
Example: a 25 square roof with 12 percent waste needs 28 squares, or 84 bundles at three per square.
What that count leaves out
- Starter strip: sold by linear feet for eaves and rakes.
- Hip and ridge cap: sold by linear feet of hips and ridges.
- Underlayment, leak barrier and drip edge: ordered separately.
Do not try to make field shingles cover the ridge or the starter row; laminated shingles crack when folded and leave gaps when used as starter. Our measuring guide covers pitch factors, and roof replacement cost in Georgia explains how squares show up in a quote.