Wood Shingles

Wood shingles are similar to clapboards in that they are applied in horizontal and
overlapping courses. They are also used for roofing. Unlike clapboards that are sold by
the gross face area of the material, shingles are sold in units that correspond to the
surface area they cover when applied. Some terms are:
Square: Area expressed in units of 100 square feet.
Also, the amount of shingles required to cover 100 square feet at a given
exposure; the basic sales unit for shingles.
Bundle: A convenient packaging unit, easily handled by one worker, that
contains a quantity that is a multiple of a one square. For most wood shingles this
is 4 bundles per square.
Butt: The thick end of the shingle.
Course: The application of individual shingles in horizontal rows that are spaced
a uniform vertical distance apart.
Coverage: The net area covered at a given exposure. Also, the number of
overlapping layers or thickness’ of shingles when applied. Most wood shingles
have three layers or triple coverage.
Exposure: The amount of surface left visible in overlapping courses when
measured vertically from butt to butt. The coverage per square yields 100 square
feet when applied at a specific exposure.
Headlap: The length of shingle not exposed.
Rated Exposure: That exposure expressed in inches that will yield 100 square
feet of coverage.
Grades: Clears, extras, #1, #2, Blue label, Red label, etc.
Species: Western red cedar, Eastern white cedar, Alaskan yellow cedar, Cypress,
Eastern white pine, White oak, etc.
Sizes: Random widths, usually not less than 4 inches, 12-36 inches long
7/16 inch and thicker.
Most common sizes: 16 inches @ 5” exp. or 18 inches @ 51/2” exp.
Examples:
One square of shingles will cover 100 square feet of roof when applied with a rated
exposure of 5 inches. The same square will cover only 80 square feet when applied in
courses with a 4 inch exposure.

Exposure X 100sq.ft. = coverage, or 4 X 100 = 80 sq.ft. per square

Rated exposure 5

How many square of shingles are needed to cover a 1200 sq. ft. roof at 4 ½ inch
exposure if shingles with a rated exposure of 5 inches are used?

1200 sq. ft. divided by 41/2”X100sq.ft. = 1200 sq.ft. X 5”exp. = 13 1/ 3= 13 sq2

bdl
5 41/2”X 100 sq.ft.

R. Adam Preservation Carpentry NBSS copyright 1998