Roofing Nails Calculator
Enter your roof size and shingle type to get a total nail count and how many boxes to buy. Accounts for standard 4-nail and high-wind 6-nail patterns.
Nails per square by shingle type and pattern
| Shingle type | Shingles/sq | 4-nail pattern | 6-nail pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-tab shingles | 80 | 320 | 480 |
| Architectural shingles | 64 | 256 | 384 |
| Strip shingles | 86 | 344 | 516 |
Standard vs. high-wind nailing
Most manufacturers require 4 nails per shingle for warranty compliance in standard conditions. High-wind zones (90+ mph) typically require 6 nails per shingle. Check your local building code and shingle manufacturer specs — incorrect nailing can void the warranty.
What size roofing nails?
Most residential shingle jobs use 1¼" nails for new decking and 1¾" nails over existing shingles. Nails should penetrate at least ¾" into the roof deck. Coil nailers typically use 1¼" × 0.120" smooth or ring shank nails — check your nailer's spec before buying.
Hand nailing vs. coil nailer
Coil nailers use spools of 120–7,200 nails depending on the product. A standard 3 lb box of loose nails contains about 300 nails — enough for roughly 1 square of architectural shingles with a 4-nail pattern. Buy a size that lines up cleanly with your job's square count to minimize leftovers.