A bundle covers roughly 100 to 120 linear feet. Add up every eave and every rake — not just the eaves — then add 10% for cuts. Most manufacturers require starter along the rakes as well for the wind warranty to stand.
The Starter Strip Calculator returns the bundle count of starter strip shingles needed to run a continuous starter course along every eave and rake on your roof. Starter strips are pre-cut, sealant-edged shingles that anchor the first course and the rake edges, providing critical wind-uplift resistance. Enter total eave plus rake linear feet and the tool returns bundle count using standard coverage of about 105-120 linear feet per bundle. Pair with our Shingles and Ridge Cap calculators.
Starter strip runs along the eaves and up the rakes, sealing the first course and giving the wind nothing to lift. A bundle covers roughly 100 to 120 linear feet depending on the brand.
| Eaves + rakes | Bundles at 105 ft | With 10% waste |
|---|---|---|
| 60 ft | 1 | 1 |
| 100 ft | 1 | 2 |
| 140 ft | 2 | 2 |
| 180 ft | 2 | 2 |
| 220 ft | 3 | 3 |
Cutting field shingles down for starter is common and works, but it removes the factory adhesive strip from the most wind-exposed course on the roof.
The first course of shingles at the eave has nothing below it to seal against, and the rake edge has nothing beside it. Starter strip puts a continuous band of factory adhesive exactly where the wind gets its first grip. Nearly every blow-off failure begins at an eave or a rake, and nearly every one of those had no starter or had starter fitted the wrong way up.
Add up the eave lengths and the rake lengths separately, then add them together — many people count only the eaves and end up short by a third. Bundle coverage varies between roughly 100 and 120 linear feet depending on brand and whether the strip is used full width or split, so read the wrapper rather than assuming. Add 10% for cuts and corners.
Yes. Most manufacturers require starter along the rakes to keep the wind warranty, and the rake edge is exactly where wind gets under shingles.
A bundle covers roughly 100 to 120 linear feet. Add up all eaves and rakes, add 10% for cuts, then divide.
You can, and plenty of roofs are built that way, but cutting field shingles removes the factory sealant strip from the most wind-exposed course. Purpose-made starter has the adhesive in the right place.
After. At the eave the order is drip edge, then underlayment over it, then starter over that. At the rake the order is underlayment, then drip edge over it, then starter. Starter is always the last thing before the first course of field shingles.