How Far Should Roofing Shingles Overhang

How to cut shingles off the edge of a roof in a straight line.

How far should roofing shingles overhang. Knowledgeable roofers will install shingles at just the right overhang for your roof type. Too little can allow water to seep into rake or fascia boards. Here phil explains how much overhang a roof should have at the gutter. Most shingle manufacturers along with the asphalt roofing manufacturers association s residential asphalt roofing manual call for a 1 4 inch to 3 4 inch overhang at both rakes and eaves.

The rake edge is the extreme edge of the roof on either side. Too much overhang and the shingles could blow off in high winds. Each has their own reasoning for a slightly different amount of overhang. You may find other styles and sizes of drip edges in the store including j channel drip edges but these are intended for windows doors and other applications.

Anywhere from a 1 2 to a 1 overhang is acceptable as you can tell from the varying comments amongst the previous posters. The edge of a roof in professional vernacular is called the rake edge. A architect and roofing consultant harrison mccampbell responds. The edge of the shingles should hang over the edge of the roof between an inch and an inch and a half or between a half inch and three quarters of an inch if drip edge flashing is installed and in most cases it should be.

In my opinion the shingles should never be exactly even with the edge of any drip edge flashing.