Roofing Terminology

Understanding Roofing Terminology

Have you received a roofing estimate, but you’re completely baffled by the words being used? Maybe your contractor keeps throwing out terms, and you’ve been nodding along despite not knowing what they’re talking about. Whatever the case, S&K Roofing is here to make this easier for you! We know that the roofing industry has lots of unique terms that a non-roofing expert may not be familiar with. That’s why we’ve compiled this glossary of roofing terms for your convenience. Below are some commonly used terms that identify parts of a roof and types of roofing.

A-C

• Built-up roof: A low slope (or flat-seeming) roof covered with alternating layers of roofing felt and hot-mapped asphalt, then topped off with a layer of gravel, is known as a built-up roof.
• Cornice: The portion of the roof projecting out from the side walls of the house is a cornice.
• Counterflashing: This is the flashing that’s embedded at its top in a wall or other vertical structure. It’s then lapped down over shingle flashing.
• Courses: This refers to the horizontal rows of shingles or tiles on a roof.

D-F

• Drip: This is the strip of metal that extends out beyond the eaves or rakes to prevent rainwater from rolling from the shingles and back onto the wooden portion of the house.
• Eaves: The lower edge of a roof that usually overhangs beyond the edge of the house is referred to as the eave.
• Fascia: This is the trim board behind the gutter and eaves. It helps give roofs that “finished” look.
• Flashing: Sheet metal or other material is used at junctions of different planes on a roof to prevent leakage.
• Felt: Roofers use “tar papers,” which are usually made of a combination of asphalt and either paper or rags.
• Frieze board: Frieze boards are boards at the top of the house’s siding. They form a corner with the soffit.

G-L

• Gable: Gables are triangular upper parts of a wall that close the end of a ridged roof.
• Hip: A roof hip is an external angle at the junction of two sides of a roof whose supporting walls adjoin.
• Joist: In a flat roof, a joist is a horizontal structural member over which heating is nailed.

M-R

• Rafter: Rafters are typically slanted structural parts of the roof to which sheathing is nailed.
• Rake: The slanting edge of a gabled roof extending beyond the end wall of the house is known as a rake.
• Ridge: If you see two sloping roof planes, the horizontal line at the top edge is the ridge.

S-T

• Sheathing: Rigid material (often 1 by 6 inches or 1-inch by 12-inch boards or sheets of plywood is nailed to the rafters. Shingles or other outside roofing materials are then secured to this material, which is the sheathing).
• Shingle flashing: Shingles on a roof have flashing that is laid in strips underneath, then bent up the edge of a chimney or wall. This is called shingle flashing.
• Slope: The number of inches of vertical rise in a roof per 12 inches of horizontal distance is referred to as the slope or the pitch of the roof.
• Soffit: Soffits are the boards that enclose the underside of that portion of the roof, which extends out beyond the sidewalls of the house.
• Square: One square of the roof is 100 square feet of roof or the amount of roofing material needed to cover 100 square feet when properly applied.

U-Z

• Underlayment: The underlayment refers to the material, typically roofing felt, that is laid on top of sheathing before shingles are applied.
• Valley: If your roof has two sloping sections that come together at an angle less than 180 degrees, this is referred to as the valley.
• Valley flashing: Where two sections of roof slope together is a valley, and the flashing used in these sections is the valley flashing. It extends under to shingles on both sides of the valley.

Have More Questions? Ask S&K Roofing Today!

Still not sure what some terms mean, or need help contextualizing them? The team at S&K Roofing has you covered. When you’re ready to start your next roofing project, we’re the company to call!

Contact S&K Roofing today to request a quote for a replacement roof in DC, Maryland, or Virginia!