Figuring Roof Square Footage

Shingles and other roofing materials such as underlayment are typically measured in squares that are 10 feet long and 10 feet wide with each square measuring 100 square feet.

Figuring roof square footage. When calculating square footage for your roof always add at least 10 percent of the total to account for waste. Calculate square footage for a roof by measuring and by performing some basic math equations. The top ridge will be shorter than the one of the gable roof but the four hips will add. The calculator cannot account for complex shapes based on a measurement of square footage alone.

If your roof is flat or has no more than a 3 in 12 pitch you can calculate its total square footage by simply multiplying the length by the width. With the area measurement you can learn the approximate cost of a new roof. The only difference in this calculation to the one for a gable roof area is the amount of the ridge. To calculate the size of the roof you need to measure the size of the roof as if it were flat account for roof pitch calculate square footage and finally determine how many squares of material are required for the roof the calculator above can handle all of this simply enter the length width and pitch and it will determine the size of the roof in squares.

In cases where a roof has a complex shape such as in the image to the right measuring the dimensions and areas of each part of the roof to calculate total area will result in a more accurate measurement of area. Next you will need to use a roofing materials calculator. Steep roofs measure your house at ground level then add in the roof s overhang for greater accuracy. Keep in mind that the average size of a roof is 1 700 square feet so your total will likely be 10 higher or lower than this figure.