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A bundle of 3-tab shingles weighs about 60–70 lb and a bundle of architectural shingles about 65–80 lb, so with three bundles to a square a roof carries roughly 195 lb per square of 3-tab or 225 lb of architectural — about 2 to 2.3 lb per square foot of dead load. The Shingle Weight Calculator takes your roof area and shingle type (or the bundle weight from the wrapper) and returns the weight per square, the dead load in pounds per square foot, the bundles to order, the delivered weight in pounds and tons, and the weight of any layers you are tearing off, so you can book a dumpster with enough included tonnage. A 2,000 sq ft roof of architectural shingles is 66 bundles and about 4,950 lb delivered; one layer torn off is about 2.25 tons.
Shingle weight comes from the bundle: roughly 60–70 lb for 3-tab and 65–80 lb for architectural. Multiply by the bundles per square for the weight per square, and divide by 100 for the dead load per square foot. The exact figure is on the wrapper and the manufacturer data sheet.
| Type | Per bundle | Per square | Per sq ft | 2,000 sq ft roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3-tab asphalt | ~65 lb | 195 lb | 1.95 lb | 3,900 lb |
| Architectural (laminated) | ~75 lb | 225 lb | 2.25 lb | 4,500 lb |
| Designer / luxury laminated | ~85 lb | 340 lb | 3.40 lb | 6,800 lb |
| Roof area | 1 layer 3-tab | 1 layer architectural | 2 layers 3-tab |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,500 sq ft | 1.46 tons | 1.69 tons | 2.92 tons |
| 2,000 sq ft | 1.95 tons | 2.25 tons | 3.90 tons |
| 2,500 sq ft | 2.44 tons | 2.81 tons | 4.88 tons |
| 3,000 sq ft | 2.92 tons | 3.38 tons | 5.85 tons |
Dumpsters are priced with an included weight and an overage fee per ton, so book one whose allowance covers the tear-off with some margin.
Typically about 60–70 lb for 3-tab and 65–80 lb for architectural shingles; heavy designer lines can reach 85 lb or more. This calculator uses 65 lb and 75 lb as the defaults — the exact figure is printed on the bundle wrapper and the manufacturer's data sheet.
Multiply the bundle weight by the bundles per square. 3-tab is about 195 lb per square (3 × 65 lb), architectural about 225 lb (3 × 75 lb) and a four-bundle designer shingle about 340 lb (4 × 85 lb).
Divide the weight per square by 100. Architectural shingles at 225 lb per square add about 2.25 lb per sq ft of dead load; 3-tab about 1.95 lb. Framing is normally designed for far more than that, but a second layer doubles it.
Roughly the weight per square times the number of squares and layers. A 2,000 sq ft roof with one layer of architectural shingles is 20 × 225 = 4,500 lb, about 2.25 tons of debris before nails and underlayment; two layers is about 4.5 tons. Check the dumpster's included tonnage before you book it.
Bundles × weight per bundle. A 2,000 sq ft roof with 10% waste needs 66 bundles of architectural shingles, about 4,950 lb — far more than a typical pickup can carry in one load, which is why suppliers deliver by boom truck to the roof.
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.