Is it time to replace your asphalt shingle roof? Are you wondering how many shingle bundles it’ll take?
Roofs are measured in squares, so shingle manufacturers break it down by the number of bundles needed per roofing square. I wouldn’t expect you to know this roofing jargon off the top of your head.
Especially considering the roofing industry isn’t the best at simplifying things enough for anyone to understand. I don’t believe in doing things that way.
For over 30 years, Bill Ragan Roofing has taken pride in educating homeowners on all things roofing. So, let’s break down how many bundles of shingles it takes to fill in a roofing square.
By the end, you’ll have the answers to the following questions:
- What is a roofing square?
- How many bundles of shingles are in a roofing square?
- How many shingles are in a bundle?
- How many shingle bundles will you need for your roof replacement?
What is a roofing square?
A roofing square is a 10x10 area of roof surface equal to 100 square feet. So, a roof with 2,000 square feet is equal to 20 squares.
The number of roof squares has a huge impact on the amount of materials required, dump fees, and overall labor costs. So, the number of roofing squares is a big consideration when estimating a new roof’s price.
How many bundles of shingles are in a roofing square?
Every roofing material has its own specifications that determine how much is required to fill a roofing square. For asphalt roofing, how many bundles are needed per square depends on the type of asphalt shingle.
For 3-tab and architectural, it takes 3 bundles of shingles to fill in a roofing square. This is pretty standard across the industry, but some higher-end architectural shingles may take 4.
On the other hand, it takes 3 to 6 bundles of luxury shingles to fill in a roofing square. For example, CertainTeed’s Belmont requires 4 bundles per square, CertainTeed’s Grand Manor takes 5, while GAF Slateline requires 3 bundles per square.
So, it really does vary for luxury shingles, but it should take 3 bundles of standard architectural shingles to fill a square. To be 100% sure about any shingle, look at the technical data or its packaging.
How many shingles are in a bundle?
After learning how many bundles are in a square, you’re probably wondering how many shingles that equals. There are usually 20 to 22 architectural shingles per bundle, which means it takes roughly 64 shingles to fill a roofing square with 3 bundles.
Like the bundles themselves, this is pretty standard across manufacturers. The table below shows the count for the most commonly used architectural shingles.
| Architectural shingle | Shingles per bundle | Shingles per square |
| CertainTeed Landmark | 21-22 | 65 |
| GAF Timberline HDZ | 20-22 | 64 |
| Owens Corning Duration | No less than 20 | 64 |
| TAMKO Heritage | Minimum of 20 | 64 |
For luxury shingles, it varies just like the number of bundles. Let’s look at these variations using the same shingles from the last section.
| Luxury shingle | Shingles per bundle | Shingles per square |
| CertainTeed Grand Manor | 10 | 50 (5 bundles) |
| CertainTeed Belmont | 12 | 50 (4 bundles) |
| GAF Slateline | 16 | 48 (3 bundles) |
As you can see, there’s no real uniformity with luxury shingles. This is simply because of differences in size and thickness.
How many shingle bundles will you need for your roof replacement?
Roofs on homes are obviously going to be much larger than one 100-square-foot section of roof area. So, let’s put it all together to help you determine how many shingle bundles it requires to replace your roof.
We’ll use architectural shingles as an example because they are the most commonly used roofing material in the United States.
As you know, 2,000 square feet of roof area equals 20 squares. This means that it takes 60 bundles of architectural shingles to replace a 2,000-square-foot roof.
Just know that your home’s square footage isn’t the same as your roof’s. Fortunately, there are ways to calculate a roof’s square footage for a more accurate estimation.
What other materials and components does an asphalt shingle roof need?
After reading this article, you know how many bundles and shingles it takes to fill a roofing square. Just remember variations are possible, so check the technical data or look at the packaging to be 100% sure.
But before going on, an asphalt roof replacement isn’t just buying some bundles and replacing the shingles. A roof is made up of multiple materials and components that fit together like a puzzle.
If even just one is missing, you’ll be looking at big problems down the road. That’s why I wrote another article breaking down what must be replaced when getting a new roof.
Check out The 9 Asphalt Shingle Roof Components to learn everything that should be included in an asphalt roof replacement.
