Unless you’re an experienced roofer, you likely don’t know the exact meaning of a roofing square. But it’s a useful tool for determining the size of your roof and the cost of materials and labor. Knowing what a roofing square is will make your life easier when you need to estimate costs for your next roof project. Here’s why: best choice roofing
First of all, a roofing square is a hundred-square-foot area of roofing. This figure is a handy way to compare multiple estimates for the same project. It’s also convenient to use, especially if you don’t have a ruler handy. It can be useful to estimate the total area of your roof, as squares can help you compare prices. However, you shouldn’t make the mistake of thinking that squares must be literal squares. Instead, consider it a measurement of how much material and labor you’ll need to cover a particular roof area.
As mentioned, a roofing square is equal to one hundred square feet. You can calculate the exact amount of material needed by dividing the square’s surface area by the square’s perimeter. Generally, the more squares you have on a roof, the more you’ll have to pay to repair or replace it. This method is used by roofing contractors to calculate the roof size. It is also helpful for laying out rafter connections and stairs.
Roofing squares are also used to estimate how much underlayment you’ll need to cover a certain area. For instance, a two-thick roof, for example, will require 240 square feet of underlayment. Residential roofing companies sell underlayment in rolls of four squares, which is the standard measurement for the industry. A twenty-square-foot square requires three sheets of plywood. Similarly, a thirty-square-foot square will require sixty sheets of plywood sheathing.
To measure the squares of a roof, roofers first measure the width and length of the roof. From there, they multiply the two numbers to find the square footage of each plane. Some roofs have more than two planes, and you need to multiply the number of roof squares by the total square footage. Once you’ve made the measurement, you should switch over to square feet. You should also make sure to take into account the “headlap” factor, as this can throw off your calculations.
Roofing squares are also used to calculate the number of bundles of shingles required to cover a particular area. A roofing square is roughly equal to one-third of the roof area. Therefore, if you need to cover a twenty-square-inch area, you’ll need to purchase sixty bundles of shingles. So, while the answer is different for each roof, you should know that this calculation is useful for estimating the cost of your project.
