Weight of Roofing Materials • Complete Reference Chart

By Jack Gray, Roof Online Editor • Last updated January 16, 2023

Table of Contents

The weight of roofing materials can vary to a surprising degree.
EPDM rubber, clay tiles, asphalt shingles, modified bitumen, asphalt BUR, PVC, copper panels, roofing slates, and cedar shingles.

How Much Does a Roof Weigh?

The total weight of a roof depends on the type of roof system (and the size of the roof, of course). Roof systems can vary wildly by weight, from well under a pound per square foot for an aluminum standing seam metal roof to over 15 pounds per square foot for very thick clay roof tiles.

Roof systems typically include more than one type of material, and the weight of a roof system can be determined by adding up the weights of the different roofing materials used in that system.

built-up roof, for example, will typically include the built-up membrane itself, the layer of gravel for a gravel-surfaced roof, and the insulation and cover board, which will vary in thickness and material type from roof to roof.

When it comes to estimating the weight of roofing materials for an existing roof, field verification of the in-place construction is necessary in order to see what materials are actually present on the roof. There also may be more than one roof system in place.

Don’t forget to add all roof assembly materials when calculating total roof weight. Depending on what you are using this information for, this can include the roof deck and the supporting structure (typically roof trusses and/or rafters) as well as the roof system itself.

Roofing Manufacturers Know the Exact Weight of Roofing Materials

Manufacturer technical data sheets (with the precise material weights) are almost always made available on the manufacturer’s website.

If you can’t find the information you’re looking for on their website, remember that almost every reputable manufacturer will provide a phone number so you can contact their technical department. The weight of roofing materials is important, lots of people ask for that information, and they should be able to tell you pretty quickly.

The staff in the technical department can usually answer any other question you might have, too, and they always seem happy to talk to someone!

For links to a huge directory of roofing manufacturers, organized by roofing material and product type, see our Roofing Manufacturers Directory.

You can also look at roofing materials on the Home Depot website. Both the weight of roofing materials and the square footage they cover are typically given in the product description, which allows you to figure out the weight per square foot of actual roofing products.

About Our Roof Weight Chart

The following table provides typical values for the weight of roofing materials and related building products. These values can be considered the dead load values or self-weight of roofing materials.

Where possible, the values for the weight of roofing materials were taken directly from manufacturer technical data sheets and are the actual weights of specific, representative products.

In a few cases, the weight of roofing materials we provide was calculated using more general manufacturer data, or taken from a non-manufacturer source that we consider reasonably authoritative.

In all cases, these values are meant to provide a general idea of what the various roofing materials weigh, and should not be used if precise values are needed for critical engineering calculations.

When precision is necessary, always refer to the data sheets of the actual, specific product you intend to use, or contact the technical department of the product manufacturer or material provider.

Table: Weight of Roofing Materials

Note: The values in the table are for the installed weight of roofing materials. Shingles, tiles, and panels overlap; the weights for these materials as installed on a roof will be higher per square foot than for the uninstalled weights of the same materials.

Since the table gives the weights per square foot for pretty much every material you might find on a roof, you should be able to use this table as a sort of roof weight calculator by adding up the total weights by area for the different materials that are in place on the roof.

Weight of Roofing Materials
These are the weights of typical actual products; the weights of other actual products of the same type may vary.
Roofing Material Pounds per
Square Foot
(lb/ft²)
Pounds per Square
(100 Sq. Ft.)
Kilograms per
Square Meter
(kg/m²)
Source
Asphalt Shingles
“3-Tab” or “Strip”
1.95 lbs 195 lbs 9.52 kg CertainTeed
Asphalt Shingles
“Architectural”, “Dimensional”, or “Laminate”
3.05 lbs 305 lbs 14.89 kg CertainTeed
Asphalt Shingles
“Designer”, “Luxury”, or “Premium”
4.25 lbs 425 lbs 20.75 kg CertainTeed
Built-up Roof Membrane
3-Ply, Gravel-Surfaced
6 lbs 600 lbs 29.3 kg Owens Corning Roofing and Asphalt; GAF
Built-up Roof Membrane
3-Ply, Smooth-Surfaced
2.33 lbs 233 lbs 11.38 kg Owens Corning Roofing and Asphalt; GAF
Built-up Roof Membrane
4-Ply, Gravel-Surfaced
6.3 lbs 630 lbs 30.76 kg Owens Corning Roofing and Asphalt; GAF
Built-up Roof Membrane
4-Ply, Smooth-Surfaced
2.58 lbs 258 lbs 12.60 kg Owens Corning Roofing and Asphalt; GAF
Clay Tile Roofing 6 – 15 lbs 600 – 1500 lbs 29 – 74 kg Ludowici Roof Tiles
Concrete Tile Roofing 6 – 11 lbs 600 -1100 lbs 29.29 – 53.71 kg Boral USA;
Entegra Roof Tile
Copper Panel Roofing
16 oz. Copper, Flat Seam
1.1 lbs 110 lbs 5.37 kg Revere Copper Products
EPDM Roof Membrane
60-mil, Ballasted
(Membrane and Stone Ballast Only)
10.75 – 20 lbs 1075 – 2000 lbs 52.5 – 97.65 kg Firestone Building Products
EPDM Roof Membrane
60-mil, Fully-Adhered
(Membrane Only)
0.47 lbs 47 lbs 2.29 kg Firestone Building Products
EPDM Roof Membrane
90-mil, Fully-Adhered
(Membrane Only)
0.56 lbs 56 lbs 2.73 kg Firestone Building Products
Gypsum Roof Board
1/2-Inch Thick
2.0 lbs 200 lbs 9.8 kg Georgia Pacific Gypsum
Ice and Water Shield
Self-Adhering
0.29 lbs 29 lbs 1.42 kg GCP Applied Technologies
Modified Bitumen
2-Ply Membrane
2.0 lbs 200 lbs 9.8 kg Siplast
OSB Roof Sheathing
7/16-Inch Thick
Approximate Weight
1.4 lbs 140 lbs 6.84 kg APA – The Engineered Wood Association
Perlite Board
Insulation/Cover Board
Per Inch of Thickness
0.94 lbs 94 lbs 4.59 kg Johns Manville
Plywood Roof Sheathing
15/32-Inch Thick
Approximate Weight
1.4 lbs 140 lbs 6.84 kg APA – The Engineered Wood Association
Polyisocyanurate Insulation Board
Per Inch of Thickness
0.216 lbs 21.6 lbs 1.05 kg Siplast
Polystyrene (EPS)
Insulation Board
Per Inch of Thickness
0.105 lbs 10.5 lbs 0.51 kg Siplast
Polystyrene (XPS)
Insulation Board
Per Inch of Thickness
0.148 lbs 14.8 lbs 0.72 kg Siplast
PVC Roof Membrane
60-mil, Fully-Adhered
(Membrane Only)
0.40 lbs 40 lbs 1.95 kg Carlisle SynTec
PVC Roof Membrane
80-mil, Fully-Adhered
(Membrane Only)
0.55 lbs 55 lbs 2.69 kg Carlisle SynTec
Roofing Felt
(Underlayment)
Asphalt Impregnated, #15
0.07 – 0.13 lbs 7 – 13 lbs 0.34 – 0.63 kg US Department of Energy
Roofing Felt
(Underlayment)
Asphalt Impregnated, #30
0.16 – 0.27 lbs 16 – 27 lbs 0.78 – 1.32 kg Atlas Roofing Corporation
Slate Roofing
3/16-Inch Slates (Standard)
7 lbs 700 lbs 34.18 kg Slate Roofs, National Slate Association, 1926
Slate Roofing
1/4-Inch Slates
10 lbs 1000 lbs 48.82 kg Slate Roofs, National Slate Association, 1926
Slate Roofing
3/8-Inch Slates
15 lbs 1500 lbs 73.24 kg Slate Roofs, National Slate Association, 1926
Slate Roofing
1/2-Inch Slates
20 lbs 2000 lbs 97.65 kg Slate Roofs, National Slate Association, 1926
Slate Roofing
3/4-Inch Slates
30 lbs 3000 lbs 146.47 kg Slate Roofs, National Slate Association, 1926
Spray Polyurethane Foam
Closed Cell
Per Inch of Thickness
0.25 lbs 25 lbs 1.22 kg Henry Company
Standing Seam Metal
0.032″ Aluminum
Panel Width: 12 Inches
0.692 lbs 69.2 lbs 3.38 kg Fabral Metal Wall and Roof Systems
Standing Seam Metal
16 oz. Copper
Panel Width: 12 Inches
1.25 lbs 125 lbs 6.10 kg Copper Roofings: A Manual, Copper and Brass Research Association, 1925
Standing Seam Metal
24-Gauge Steel
Panel Width: 12 Inches
1.49 lbs 149 lbs 7.27 kg AEP-Span
Steel Roof Panels
26-Gauge Corrugated
1.13 lbs 113 lbs 5.52 kg Industrial Metal Supply Company
Steel Roof Deck
18-Gauge Corrugated
2.9 lbs 290 lbs 14.16 kg Western States Metal Roofing
Steel Roof Deck
20-Gauge Corrugated
2.3 lbs 230 lbs 11.23 kg Western States Metal Roofing
Steel Roof Deck
22-Gauge Corrugated
1.9 lbs 190 lbs 9.28 kg Western States Metal Roofing
Stone-Coated Steel
Roof Tiles
26-Gauge
1.5 lbs 150 lbs 7.32 kg DECRA Roofing Systems
Thatch
(Approximate Typical Weight)
7 lbs 700 lbs 34.18 lbs Thatch Advice Centre
TPO Roof Membrane
60-mil Fully-Adhered
(Membrane Only)
0.29 lbs 29 lbs 1.4 kg Carlisle SynTec
TPO Roof Membrane
80-mil Fully-Adhered
(Membrane Only)
0.40 lbs 40 lbs 1.95 kg Carlisle SynTec
Wood Fiberboard
Insulation/Cover Board
High-Density
Per Inch of Thickness
1.375 lbs 137.5 lbs 6.71 kg Blue Ridge Fiberboard, Inc.
Wood Shingles
Western Red Cedar
16-Inch Shingles
Installed Weight When Dry
1.99 lbs 199 lbs 9.7 kg BC Shake & Shingle Association
Wood Shingles
Western Red Cedar
16-Inch Shingles
Installed Weight When Wet
3.2 lbs 320 lbs 15.62 kg BC Shake & Shingle Association
Wood Shingles
Western Red Cedar
24-Inch Shingles
Installed Weight When Dry
4.26 lbs 426 lbs 20.8 kg BC Shake & Shingle Association
Wood Shingles
Western Red Cedar
24-Inch Shingles
Installed Weight When Wet
6.4 lbs 640 lbs 31.25 lbs BC Shake & Shingle Association
Zinc Roof Panels
Thickness: 0.031 Inches
1.43 lbs 143 lbs 7 kg elZinc America

About the Author

Jack Gray is a principal roof consultant and vice president at the Moriarty Corporation, an award-winning building enclosure consultant firm founded in 1967. He is also the editor of the Roof Online website.

Mr. Gray has worked in the roofing industry for over 25 years, with training and practical experience in roof installation, roof inspection, roof safety, roof condition assessment, construction estimating, roof design & specification, quality assurance, roof maintenance & repair, and roof asset management.

He was awarded the Registered Roof Observer (RRO) professional credential in 2009.

He also served as an infantry paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division and attended Cornell University. Read full bio.


  1. Complete List of Roofing Types
  2. How to Find the Area of a Roof
  3. Roof Decks
  4. Weight of Dimensional Lumber
  5. Weight of Metals
  6. Weight of Pavers
  7. Weight of Plywood and OSB
  8. Weight of Pressure-Treated Lumber
  9. Weight of Sheet Steel