A roofing square is a unit of measurement used in the roofing industry to quantify the area of a roof. It is a standard unit and simplifies calculations for estimating the amount of roofing materials needed for a project. One roofing square is equal to 100 square feet (10 feet by 10 feet) of roof area.
When roofing contractors talk about the size of a roof, they often refer to it in terms of squares. For example, if a roof is said to be 20 squares, it means the total roof area is 2,000 square feet (20 squares x 100 square feet per square).
This measurement is particularly useful because it allows for easy estimation and comparison of roofing material quantities. It's common to see roofing materials, such as shingles, sold in bundles, and the number of bundles required for a job is calculated based on the number of squares in the roof. Additionally, roofing costs are often quoted in terms of price per square.