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The Hip Roof Calculator returns the true surface area of a four-sided hip roof, the shingle bundles required with a hip-specific waste factor, the length of each hip rafter, the ridge length, and the hip-and-ridge cap bundles needed to finish it. Enter the building length and width plus the roof pitch and the tool multiplies the footprint by the pitch multiplier, applies 12-15% waste (hip roofs cut more material than gables), converts the result to squares and bundles, and uses the hip/valley multiplier to derive diagonal hip rafter length. Hip roofs resist wind better than gable roofs but cost 10-20% more to frame and re-roof because every course is cut at an angle and all four hip lines need cap shingles. Pair the output with our Shingles, Ridge Cap, Starter Strip and Waste Factor calculators for a complete bill of materials.
A hip roof slopes on all four sides, so there is no gable end. For the same footprint and pitch it has the same surface area as a gable roof — but it wastes more material, because every one of its four planes is cut on the diagonal.
| Footprint | Roof area | Squares | Bundles at 15% waste | Hip length each |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft | 1,118 sq ft | 11.2 | 39 | 18.8 ft |
| 1,500 sq ft | 1,677 sq ft | 16.8 | 58 | 22.5 ft |
| 2,000 sq ft | 2,236 sq ft | 22.4 | 78 | 30 ft |
| 2,500 sq ft | 2,795 sq ft | 28 | 97 | 37.5 ft |
| 3,000 sq ft | 3,354 sq ft | 33.5 | 116 | 37.5 ft |
Waste is set at 15% here rather than the 10% used for a simple gable. That is the standard allowance for a hip roof and it is geometry, not carelessness — a diagonal cut through a shingle leaves two triangular offcuts that fit nowhere else.
The surface area is identical for the same footprint and pitch, but the waste factor is higher — 15% against 10% — because all four planes are cut on the diagonal. It also needs cap on four hips as well as the ridge.
Yes, noticeably. There is no gable-end wall for wind to push against and the shape is more aerodynamic, which is why hip roofs are common in hurricane regions and can attract an insurance discount.
A hip roof has a much shorter ridge than a gable of the same size, so ridge vent alone often cannot provide enough exhaust. Hip vents running down the hips make up the difference.
Each hip runs diagonally from a corner up to the end of the ridge, so it is longer than either the plan diagonal or the rafter. Measure along the hip itself, or calculate it from the half-width and the rise.
Comparing shapes before you commit? Read gable vs hip roof.
More complex shape? Add up each plane in the roof area calculator.
Need the whole roof at once? The free roofing calculator works out roof area, squares, shingle bundles, underlayment, drip edge, ridge cap and installed cost from one set of measurements.