What is a Roof Square? We Answer!

Are you considering hiring a roofing contractor but finding yourself a bit clueless about the terms they use, like roof square?

With any industry, some terms and phrases are thrown about as if everyone is an insider. The roofing industry isn’t much different. Terms like hip roof or ridge vent are somewhat easy to figure out, but a roofing square can be a little tricky.

This is why today we will aim to answer your question, what is a roofing square? We explain below.

What is a roofing square exactly?

A roofing square refers to 100 square feet of roofing materials (usually asphalt shingles).

While your home is often measured in terms of total square footage, a new roofing project uses a roofing square to determine how much material is required for a roof replacement.

Here is an example of how it works:

1. Hypothetically, you have a 1,000-square-foot roof
2. This would equate to 10 roofing squares
3. A roofer would estimate the cost of your project based on ten squares

What is the purpose of roofing squares?

A contractor measures a house in square feet, determining the number of roofing squares needed. The purpose or reason for using “Square” is how the singles are bundled.

One roofing square provides enough shingles to cover 100 square feet of roof and is an easy metric to estimate accurately. Standardizing roofing squares across the industry keeps the new roof installation process consistent when measuring a roof.

How much does it cost per square?

A common question roofing contractors get is how much it costs per square?

Your roofing cost is based on several factors, including labor, the underlayment, the new roofing material, the ridge vent, and the flashing. Aside from the ridge vent, most roofers will use the number of squares to factor in shingles, underlayment, and labor.

They have a price point per square for the type of shingles you select.

Other factors like vents, skylights, and repairs can also increase the total cost but are not always needed/required.

Types of Roofing Materials & Costs:

Asphalt Shingles

Asphalt shingles are the most common shingle installed not only in Idaho but also all around the country. They are affordable and durable, and with recent advancements, they look great (architectural shingles).

Typically, the cost of asphalt shingles per square can range from $300 to $750, depending on the type of shingles you select. This includes installation and tearing off the old roofing materials.

Three-tab shingles will be on the cheaper end when compared to architectural shingles. Architectural shingles with a wind warranty will cost more but last longer.

Cedar Shake Shingles

Many homeowners are steering away from wooden shingles since architectural shingles can provide the same look. However, the cost is also another factor.

Cedar shake wood shingles are typically not known for their durability but for their aesthetics. All this to say, the cost per square starts at $400 and can exceed $800.

Metal Roofing

Metal roofs are not measured by square, but instead, by square feet. If you are good at math, you will see that an asphalt material roof per square foot can range from $3 to $7.50 on average.

A metal roof requires more expertise and the material itself is simply more expensive, which is why it is typically 2-3x more to have your roof replaced with metal. Metal roofs cost anywhere from $8-$16 per square foot.

Metal roofs are known to last longer overall, and many homeowners will have portions of their roof – like the porch – done in metal, with the rest using asphalt shingles.

Roofing square & a final word:

At this point, you might know more about roofing squares and how to estimate the cost of your roofing project to be dangerous.

Like most projects for home renovation, square footage is at the center when it comes to estimating costs. If you want to find your roof’s square footage prior to hiring a contractor, you can use tools online like Roofgrafor or search “Roof square footage tool.”

Just remember roof squares refer to 100 square feet! So don’t go out there and get on your roof with a measuring tape!