Houses with a 4,000 square foot roof
A 4,000 square foot roof is the largest size on this list. It is a big house of 6,000 square feet or more on two floors, or a one-story with an attached three-car garage, porches and wings.
The ridge, drip edge and vent numbers below are for that one-story house: about 71 by 47 feet, under a 6 in 12 roof with 12 inch overhangs.
Shingle order for a 4,000 square foot roof
With 10 percent waste, architectural shingles at 3 bundles a square, #15 felt and 4 nails a shingle:
| Item | Quantity | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Shingle bundles, architectural | 132 | $5,939 |
| Squares | 40 on the roof, 44 to order | |
| Underlayment, #15 felt | 11 rolls | $385 |
| Roofing nails | About 11,264 | Not priced |
| Total | About $6,324 |
4,400 square feet with the waste is 44 squares, so 44 × 3 = 132 bundles, and 4,400 ÷ 400 = 11 rolls of felt. Prices: $44.99 a bundle and $34.99 a roll. The starting prices come from the store listings and cost guides under Sources, last checked in October 2026. Prices vary by region and season, so change any price to match your store or your quote.
IKO packs its Cambridge architectural shingles 56 bundles to a pallet, so 132 bundles is 2 full pallets plus 20 bundles. Other makers pack differently.
How waste and shingle type change the order
Ten percent waste suits a simple gable roof. With hips and valleys, plan on about 15 percent, which makes this order 138 bundles instead of 132.
| Waste | Squares to order | Bundles | Architectural shingles | Three-tab shingles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| None | 40 | 120 | $5,399 | $5,159 |
| 10%, simple gable roof | 44 | 132 | $5,939 | $5,675 |
| 15%, hips and valleys | 46 | 138 | $6,209 | $5,933 |
Three-tab shingles also come 3 bundles to a square, so the count holds and only the price changes. Shingles packed 4 bundles to a square would take 176.
Underlayment and nails for 4,000 square feet
11 rolls of #15 felt ($385), 22 rolls of #30 felt ($770) or 5 rolls of synthetic ($455). From 2 in 12 up to 4 in 12, the code wants a double layer, about 22 rolls of #15 felt. Nails: about 11,264 at 4 a shingle, or 16,896 at 6 for high wind; three-tab takes 14,080 or 21,120.
Ridge cap and drip edge on a 4,000 square foot roof
These go by length, not area. On the 71 by 47 foot house above, a gable roof has one long ridge; a hip roof has a short ridge and four hips that need cap too.
| Roof shape | Ridge | Hips | Cap bundles, 20 ft each | Cap cost | Drip edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gable | 73 ft | None | 4 | $300 | 255 ft |
| Hip | 24 ft | 148 ft | 9 | $675 | 244 ft |
Cap is $74.99 a bundle. The code wants drip edge on every eave and rake, lapped 2 inches, so buy a little extra.
Attic vents under 4,000 square feet of roof
The code sizes attic vents by the floor under them: 1 square foot of open vent for every 150 of attic, which is 3,204 square inches over the 3,338 square foot house above. It is 1,602 if 40 to 50 percent of the vents sit within 3 feet of the ridge and the rest low, plus a ceiling vapor retarder in climate zones 6 to 8. Check the net free area printed on each vent's box.
Is 4,000 square feet your roof or your floor?
This page is for 4,000 square feet of sloped roof. A roof is bigger than the floor under it, so the table works both ways.
| Roof pitch | Ground a 4,000 sq ft roof covers | Roof over a 4,000 sq ft floor | Bundles for that roof |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 in 12 | 3,795 sq ft | 4,493 sq ft | 149 |
| 6 in 12 | 3,578 sq ft | 4,765 sq ft | 158 |
| 8 in 12 | 3,328 sq ft | 5,123 sq ft | 170 |
| 10 in 12 | 3,073 sq ft | 5,548 sq ft | 184 |
| 12 in 12 | 2,828 sq ft | 6,028 sq ft | 199 |
The floor column is a one-story house one and a half times as long as it is wide, with 12 inch overhangs. With 4,000 square feet of floor and a 6 in 12 roof, the roof is about 4,765 square feet and takes 158 bundles, 26 more than the list above. On a two-story house with 2,000 square feet a level, it is about 2,445 square feet and 81 bundles. The roof area calculator measures your own.
What a 4,000 square foot shingle roof costs
Shingles and felt come to about $6,324, or $6,060 with three-tab, before nails, cap, drip edge, flashing, vents, delivery and tax. Installed, HomeAdvisor puts an asphalt shingle roof at $4 to $12 per square foot, which is $16,000 to $48,000 here, plus $4,000 to $20,000 for the tear-off. The 4,000 square foot roof cost page breaks that down.
The job at 4,000 square feet
At 40 squares, the shingles come on two to three pallets and the tear-off takes more than one dumpster load or a large truck. The job runs a week or more for most crews. A roof this size is usually split into sections, finished one at a time, so the house is never open to the weather in one big piece.
Before you order
Big roofs hide problems. Ask for the roof deck to be checked as each section is stripped, and agree on a price per sheet for replacing rotten decking before work starts, so a surprise does not stall the job.
Other roof sizes
The next size down, 3,500 square feet, takes 116 bundles.
1,000 sq ft1,200 sq ft1,500 sq ft1,600 sq ft1,800 sq ft2,000 sq ft2,200 sq ft2,400 sq ft2,500 sq ft3,000 sq ft3,500 sq ft
Common questions
How many bundles of shingles do I need for a 4,000 square foot roof?
132 bundles at 3 a square with 10 percent waste, or 138 with 15 percent for hips and valleys.
How much do shingles cost for a 4,000 square foot roof?
About $6,324 for architectural shingles and felt, or $6,060 with three-tab, at store prices checked in October 2026. Nails, flashing, ridge cap and labor are extra.
How many bundles of ridge cap do I need for a 4,000 square foot roof?
About 4 on a plain gable over a 71 by 47 foot house, with a 73 foot ridge, or 9 as a hip roof, with 171 feet of ridge and hips. Measure yours and enter it in the calculator.
How many squares is a 4,000 square foot roof?
40 squares. With 10 percent waste you order 44 squares, which is 132 bundles at 3 bundles a square, or 138 bundles at 15 percent waste.
How many pallets of shingles for a 4,000 square foot roof?
About two and a half. With 10 percent waste the roof takes 132 bundles, and IKO packs its Cambridge shingles 56 bundles to a pallet: 2 full pallets plus 20 bundles. Other brands pack differently.
How many bundles of shingles do I need for a 4,000 square foot house?
About 158 with 10 percent waste for a one-story house, because 4,000 square feet of floor under a 6 in 12 roof with 12 inch overhangs has about 4,765 square feet of roof. A steeper roof takes more.
Tools for this job
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- Chalk line. Snaps straight lines so every row of shingles stays even.
- Roofing hatchet. Drives roofing nails and has a gauge that sets how much of each shingle shows.
- Hook blades for a utility knife. Cut shingles from the top without slicing what is underneath.
- Flat pry bar. Lifts old shingles and pulls nails.
- Roof safety harness kit. Ties you to an anchor on the roof so a slip does not turn into a fall.
Sources
- International Residential Code 2021, Chapter 9: roof drainage (R903) and roof coverings (R905)
- GAF Timberline HDZ specifications (architectural shingles)
- GAF Royal Sovereign specifications (three-tab shingles)
- McCoy's Building Supply: roof shingle prices
- McCoy's Building Supply: roofing underlayment prices
- McCoy's Building Supply: GAF TimberTex hip and ridge cap shingles
- International Residential Code 2021, Chapter 8: attic ventilation (R806)
- IKO Cambridge technical data sheet (architectural shingles, bundles per pallet)
- HomeAdvisor: shingle roof replacement cost, with removal of the old roof
Facts on this page were last checked against these sources in October 2026.