Architectural Shingles: (See Laminated Shingles)
Asphalt: A bituminous waterproofing agent applied to roofing materials during manufacture.
Deck: The structural surface to which the roofing or waterproofing system (including insulation) is applied.
Flashing: Pieces of metal or roll roofing used to prevent water seepage into a building around any intersection or projection in a roof, such as vent pipes, chimneys, adjoining walls, dormers and valleys.
Granules: Ceramic-coated colored crushed rock that is applied to the exposed surface of asphalt roofing products.
Hip: The inclined external angle formed by the intersection of two sloping roof planes. Runs from the ridge to the eaves.
Incline: The slope of a roof expressed either in percent or in the number of vertical units of rise per horizontal unit of run. Also referred to as slope.
Laminated Shingles: These shingles have more than one layer of tabs to create extra thickness. They are often referred to as three-dimensional or architectural shingles because they create visual depth on a roof and impart a custom look.
Membrane: A roof covering or waterproofing layer whose primary function is to repel water.
Pitch: The degree of roof incline or slope expressed as the ratio of the rise, in feet, to the span, in feet.
Re-covering: The process of covering an existing roofing system with a new roofing system.
Re-roofing: The practice of removing an existing roofing system and replacing it with a new roofing system.
Ridge: The uppermost, horizontal external angle formed by the intersection of two sloping roof planes.
Roll Roofing: Asphalt roofing products manufactured in roll form, either smooth- or mineral-surfaced.
Saturated Felt: An asphalt-impregnated felt used as an underlayment between the deck and the roofing material.
Self-Adhered Eave and Flashing Membrane: A self-adhering, waterproofing shingle underlayment designed to protect against water infiltration due to ice dams or wind-driven rain.
Strip Shingles: Manufactured in both standard and metric dimensions, these asphalt shingles are approximately three times as long as they are wide, and are distinguished by their number of cutouts or tabs. The most common are three-tab.
Square: A unit of roof measure covering 100 square feet.
Underlayment: Asphalt-saturated felt used beneath roofing to provide additional protection for the deck.
Valley: The internal angle formed by the intersection of two sloping roof planes.
Vapor Retarder: A material designed to impede the passage of water vapor into the roofing system.