Starter Shingles, Hip and Ridge, and the Lines Left Off a Quote
Nobody searches for starter shingles until a roofer mentions them or a quote leaves them out. They are two of the cheapest lines on a reroof and two of the easiest to substitute without telling you.
The short version
What they are and why they exist
Three things. The third is why this page is worth your five minutes before you sign anything.
A starter shingle is a solid strip that goes down first, at the eave. No cutouts, no tabs, and its factory sealant line positioned specifically to catch the first course of shingles where that course is most exposed. Everything else on the roof is laid off it.
Hip and ridge shingles are the caps that finish the edges. Thicker and pre-shaped so they bend over a hip or a ridge without cracking. They cover the most exposed line on the whole roof.
Both get substituted with cut-up field shingles. It is legal, it is common, and it is the difference between a quote that looks cheaper and a roof that is. The manufacturer's installation instructions name these parts, and in North Carolina those instructions are the document that decides what your roof is required to have.
The job
Four things a starter strip is doing
All four stop happening when it is cut from a field shingle instead.
What it does
How
Why it matters
Seals the first course down
Factory adhesive, positioned at the eave
The first course has nothing below it to bond to. A starter puts a sealant strip exactly where the shingle tab needs to grab.
Covers the first course joints
Solid strip, no cutouts
The gaps between the first row of shingles sit directly over the deck. A solid starter is what is under those gaps.
Gives the eave a straight edge
Uniform width off the bundle
Every course above is set off the first one. A wandering starter line shows all the way up the roof.
Carries the wind rating
Named in the installation instructions
Manufacturers set their wind terms assuming a starter is there and placed as published.
The sealant position is the whole argument. On a field shingle the adhesive sits where the next course up will land. Cut that shingle and lay it at the eave and the adhesive is now somewhere in the middle of the strip rather than near the edge, which is exactly where wind gets under a first course. The strip looks right from the driveway and is not doing the one job it was put there for.
Coverage
How much a bundle covers
Check the wrapper rather than a rule of thumb: every manufacturer packages these differently, and starter sold on a roll covers a different length again.
GAF publishes about 120.33 linear feet for a bundle of Pro-Start, from 19 full sheets that split into 38 pieces at 6.5 by 38 inches. GAF's product page is here. We are quoting one manufacturer deliberately rather than publishing a table of all of them, because the figures move with the product and a stale table is worse than none.
What to do with that number. Measure the eaves, not the whole perimeter, unless the instructions for your shingle call for starter up the rakes as well, which several now do. Add the rakes if so. That is your linear footage, and it is a line your quote should already contain.
Hip and ridge
Why a cut field shingle cracks up there
A hip or ridge cap has to bend through a sharp angle and stay bent, outdoors, through every temperature this state produces.
Architectural shingles are laminated, which is what makes them look good and last on a slope, and it is also what makes them a poor thing to fold. Cut into caps and bent over a ridge in cold weather, the laminate starts fine and opens up over the following couple of winters. The cracks appear along the ridge line, which is the most wind-exposed and most visible part of the roof.
Purpose-made caps are formed for the bend and are a small line on a quote. If your quote does not name them, ask what is going on the ridge before you sign it.
On your quote
Four lines worth looking for
None of these is expensive. All of them are easy to leave unnamed.
Starter, named by product. Not "starter course" or "eave treatment". A product name means a product is being bought.
Hip and ridge, named by product. Same reason. "Ridge cap" on its own can mean cut field shingles.
Underlayment, named by type. Felt and synthetic are different purchases, and our underlayment guide compares them on cost per square.
Taken from what Google already shows for this search.
Are starter shingles the same as regular shingles?
No, and the difference is where the glue is. A starter is a solid strip with its sealant line positioned to catch the first course of shingles at the eave. A field shingle has cutouts and its sealant sits where the course above will land. Turn a field shingle into a starter and the adhesive ends up in the wrong place, which is the whole problem.
Can you use a cut-up 3-tab as a starter strip?
Roofers have done it for decades and it is still the most common shortcut on a cheap quote. Two things happen. The sealant strip ends up too far up the shingle to grip the first course properly at the edge, and the cutouts, if the tabs are not removed, leave gaps over the deck at the eave. It also steps outside the installation instructions, which in North Carolina is the document that decides what is required at all.
How many linear feet are in a bundle of starter shingles?
It varies by product, so check the wrapper rather than a rule of thumb. GAF publishes about 120.33 linear feet for a bundle of Pro-Start, from 19 full sheets split into 38 pieces at 6.5 by 38 inches. Other manufacturers package differently, and a starter sold on a roll covers a different length again.
What are hip and ridge shingles, and can I just cut field shingles?
They are thicker, pre-shaped caps made to bend over an edge without cracking. You can cut field shingles into caps, and on an architectural shingle it is a bad idea: the laminated layer is stiff, and bending it over a ridge in Carolina cold starts the cracks that show up two winters later. Purpose-made caps are a small line on a quote and the most exposed part of the roof.
What shingles should I stay away from?
Less a brand question than an age and spec one. Anything already discontinued, because you will never match it for a repair. Anything rated below 110 mph here. And on a reroof, any quote that does not name the starter, the caps and the underlayment as separate lines, because the ones left unnamed are the ones being substituted.
How do I tell if my roof has proper starter shingles?
Look up at the eave from the ground with the light behind you. A proper starter gives a clean, unbroken line with the first course sitting tight on it. Cut 3-tab usually shows a slightly ragged edge and, after a few seasons, first-course tabs that lift at the corners. We photograph the eave on every inspection, so you can see yours without going up.
Free on-site inspection
Get your roof checked before you sign a quote
We get on the roof, photograph what is actually there, and hand you a written report with a price. No charge, and no obligation to book the work with us. If the roof has years left in it, that is what the report will say.
