If you are hiring a contractor for a roofing job on your house, you could hear them say the size of your roof referred to in the roofing square.

Learning all the roofing terms may be daunting, and we understand entirely. Consider the essential terms you'll need to know while reviewing the estimate for your new roof.

The word "roofing square" is one of the most essential. But what exactly is it, and why is it important to understand?

What is a Roofing Square?

A roofing square is a 10x10 area equivalent to 100 square feet of roof surface area. How much roofing material and labor you need to replace your roof depends on how many squares it has.

If your roof is large, the cost of replacing it will be higher. A square of roofing material (asphalt shingles) typically requires three bundles of roofing supplies.

A lot will rely on the material you choose when it comes to a new roof. Roofing squares are confusing to some homeowners, and they prefer to have the cost broken out per square foot.

Bundle of Shingles: What Is It?

The way an asphalt shingle producer bundles their product is referred to as a bundle. For this reason, the manufacturer restricts each package to a reasonable weight so it can be lifted and moved about the roof quickly. The contractor will determine the number of bundles required for a project based on the measurements collected and the number of squares on your roof.

Roofing squares make it simpler to estimate how many packages of shingles your house needs, but other considerations come into play as well. With architectural elements, your roof will have more rakes, valleys, and eaves, which means there will be a more significant number of beginning and ending points. Roofers consider any overhangs or dormers on the house since these architectural elements might cause shingle waste during installation. Depending on the intricacy and pitch of your roof, your contractor may put in a waste factor and/or change their fees.

>>Related post: How Much Do You Know About Aerial Roof Measuring Reports

Indicators Of The Cost Of A Roofing Square

The cost of a roof is influenced by a wide range of variables, including but not limited to:

Your home's geographical location

Your roof's size or footprint

Your choice of roof material (these conversions are less applicable to EPDM and TPO flat roofing materials)

Quality of the materials

The current market of the roofing material industry (this fluctuates, just like gasoline)

Warranty duration after a replacement

The contractor's degree of expertise and credentials

How soon do you need a new roof? (timeline)

>>Related post: A Guide On How To Measure And Get Aerial Roof Measurements

Other Roof Styles Make "Roofing Square" Common

Because every roof has a distinct form and design, you can't always divide the square footage by 100 to obtain the number of squares...

A gable roof is pretty simple, but a gambrel or mansard-type roof might be trickier to measure. For increasingly complex roofs, such as those with mansards or hipped peaks, "waste" becomes an important consideration. When shingles have to be chopped to fit into small places, there is waste (like valleys and dormers). Along the roof deck, the nails are sometimes spaced unevenly.

You rapidly learn that not all square feet of measurement are made equal when dealing with more complicated roof types. In the end, the term "roofing square" serves as a bridge between basic and sophisticated constructions.