►  Roofing Terminology
►  Roof Slope/Pitch
►  Roofing Material Types
►  Wood Shake Types
►  Insulating Value of Common Building Materials
►  Underwriters Laboratories Testing
►  Underwriters Laboratories Impact Resistance Testing
►  State of Texas Roofing Program
   

Asphalt - A waterproofing agent applied to roofing materials during manufacture.
Battens - Parallel strips of wood, fastened to the roof deck, to which roof coverings are sometimes applied.
Blow-off - A condition in which roofing  flap up and down with the wind, and finally blow off the roof entirely.
Bundle - A one-man manageable package of roof covering.
Butt end - The lower edge of a roofing shake or the thicker end of a tapered shake.
Course - A horizontal row of roll underlayment on roof covering running the length of a roof segment.
Deck - The surface (generally of plywood) installed over roof framing to which roofing underlayment and roof coverings is applied.
Dormer - A small structure projecting from a sloped roof, usually with a window in the gable end.
Efflorescence - White residue that leaches out of concrete based materials.
Exposure - The portion of a roof covering unit exposed to the weather after installation, usually expressed in inches.
Eave - The lower horizontal edge of a sloped roof where it extends past an exterior wall.
Felt - Organic fiber mat impregnated with asphalt and used as an underlayment.
Flashing - Sheet metal (usually) laid into the joints and valleys of a roof to prevent water seepage.
Gable - The upper portion of an endwall that comes to a triangular point at the ridge of a sloping roof. 

Gable roof - A type of roof containing sloping planes of the same pitch on each side of the ridge.

                                              
Hip - The inclined external angle formed by the intersection of two sloping roof planes.  Runs from the ridge to the eaves.    

Hip roof - A type of roof containing sloping planes of the same pitch on each of four sides.

Ice dam - Condition formed by the thawing and refreezing of melted snow, especially at the lower roof edge on the roof overhang and in gutters.  Can cause water to pond and flow and under roof covering causing leaks.
Laminated shingles - Strip shingles containing more than one layer of tabs to create extra thickness.  Also called three-dimensional shingles or architectural shingles.
Lap - To cover the surface of one shingle or roll with another.

Mansard roof - A type of roof containing two sloping planes of different pitch on each of four sides.  The lower plane has a much steeper pitch than the upper, often approaching vertical.  Contains no gables.

Overhang - The portion of a roof structure that extends beyond the exterior walls of a building.
Pallet - Wooden platform used for storing and shipping bundles of roofing material.
Rafter - The supporting framing member immediately below beneath the roof deck, sloping from the ridge down to the top of the exterior wall.
Rake - The inclined edge of a sloped roof over an exterior wall. 
Ridge - The uppermost horizontal external angle formed by the intersection of two sloping roof planes.
Rise - The vertical distance from the eaves line to the ridge.
Roll roofing - Roofing products manufactured in roll form.
Roof Covering - Exterior roofing materials (such as shingles or shakes) that protect the sheathing. The visible component of the installed roof.
Roof Structure - Rafters and trusses that support the roof.
Run - The horizontal distance from the eaves to a point directly under the ridge.
Shading - Slight differences in color between individual roof covering units resulting from normal manufacturing.
Sheathing - Exterior grade boards used as a roof deck material.

Shed roof - A roof containing only one sloping plane.  Has no hips, ridges, valleys or gables.

Square - A unit of roof measurement equaling 100 square feet of roof area.
Starter - Roofing material applied at the eaves that provides protection by filling in the space below the first course of roof covering. Usually required to be of the same material as the roof covering.
Strip shingles - Asphalt shingles that are approximately three times as wide as they are long.
UL - Underwriters Laboratories, Inc.
Underlayment - Product used beneath roof covering to provide primary moisture protection for the roof deck.
Valley - The internal angle formed by the intersection of two sloping roof planes.

 

Asphalt/Composition Shingles:     There are two basic types of “comp shingles”. Organic-base asphalt shingles are comprised of a felt mat made of wood and paper fibers covered top and bottom with protective layers of asphalt, then coated on top with mineral granules of various colors. The more popular fiberglass-base asphalt shingles substitute a fiberglass mat, making them more fire resistant.  Available in many attempts to simulate traditional roofing materials such as shake and slate, by adding layers of material for depth and shadow effects, asphalt shingles are popular as an inexpensive roofing solution and relatively easy to install.

Plastic/Rubber Products:     Products of this type are generally composed of the following materials:  polyurethane, polyethylene, EPDM rubber, TPOC plastic, reinforced vinyl, or recycled plastic/rubber, and then molded in various colors to desired profiles attempting to resemble shakes, slate or ceramic tile.  These roof coverings tend to be the most technologically innovative and long lived, but may require special tools, techniques and training for proper installation.

Ceramic Tile:     Composed of finely powdered shale mixed with water, then extruded to the desired profile, allowed to dry and then kiln fired, clay tiles are available in a variety of traditional colors and styles often seen in Florida, California, and southwestern states.  They require experienced craftsmen for installation and are fire, wind and UV resistant.    

Concrete Tile:    Concrete tile is composed of Portland cement, sand, and water, mixed in varying proportions.  The mixture is extruded into individual molds to form tiles in a variety of colors and in profiles such as shake, slate and other historic styles.  They provide excellent fire and wind resistance, though some may require special installation for maximum performance in high wind areas.  They are usually sprayed with a clear acrylic sealer to retard moisture absorption.  Lightweight concrete tile may be available in your area at 560 to 720 lbs. per 100 square feet.  It will contain filler materials to accomplish this lighter weight.  Standard concrete tile weighs 900 to 1300 lbs. per 100 square feet.

Metal Shake Tiles/Panels:    Primarily perceived as a commercial roofing product, metal is now being formed to simulate traditional residential roof coverings in various colors and profiles.  Metal products are long lasting, lightweight, fire resistant, and some are available with a stone coating imbedded in the surface to give them a more aesthetically pleasing visual texture.  Specially fastened systems may be required for wind resistance.

Slate:    Quarried in the northeastern U.S. and numerous other countries, slate is a premium high cost roofing material requiring specially skilled and experienced tradesmen to install.  A slate roof lends the aura of high quality and provides classic beauty as well as excellent fire, wind, and UV resistance.

Wood Shingles/Shakes:    Most wood shakes and shingles are cut from Western red cedar, but are also available in Eastern cedar, redwood, cypress, oak or pine on a limited basis.  They may be treated with preservative and/or fire resistant chemicals.  Thick (to 1”) wood roofing products are available in hand-split or sawn surface textures.  The thinner wood shingle always has a sawn appearance.  All wood roof coverings are available in different quality “grades”, are lightweight when dry, and are relatively easy to install.  A wood shake appearance continues to be the look of choice for the majority of U.S. roofs, regardless of material type.

NAME	LENGTH AND THICKNESS	DESCRIPTION
Straight-Split
	Length and thickness varies	Produced in the same manner as Taper-Split shakes but since they are split from the same end of the block, the shakes acquire the same relative thickness throughout their length.
Handsplit and Resawn
	15" Starter 18" X 1/2" Mediums 18" X 3/4" Heavies 24" X 3/8" Starter 24" X 1/2" Mediums 24" X 3/4" Heavies	Split faces and sawn backs, the logs are first cut into desired length sections. Blanks of proper thickness are split from the section and then run diagonally through a bandsaw to produce two tapered shakes from each blank.
Taper-Sawn
	24" X 5/8" 18" X 5/8"	Sawn both sides
Taper-Split
	24" X 1/2"	Produced by hand, using a sharp bladed steel froe and a mallet.  The natural taper is achieved by reversing the wood block, end-for-end, with each split.
A wood shingle is a sawn product generally available in 16", 18" and 24" length with uniform butt thickness.  They are generally thinner than wood shakes.

        ENDUR•ALL Technologies, Inc.,  6200 So. Syracuse Way, Suite 125, Greenwood Village, CO 80111     303-670-0774