How it works
This is the common three-tab asphalt strip shingle. The first view names the parts of one shingle; the second names what changes when they are laid in rows.
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One shingle
Cutouts divide the lower part of the strip into tabs, and the lower edge of the tabs is the butt. A self-sealing strip of adhesive runs above the cutouts. In a slice, the shingle is a mat coated with asphalt, with granules pressed into the top.
On the roof
A starter strip goes along the eave first. Each course, or row, laps over the one below and hides its top. The part of a shingle left showing is its exposure. Roofing nails go just above the cutouts, where the next course covers them.
- On a roof you see only the tabs. The rest of each shingle is under the course above.
Questions and answers
What are the parts of a shingle called?
A three-tab asphalt shingle has tabs, the cutouts between them, a butt edge and a self-sealing strip. In section it is a mat, an asphalt coating and granules. Laid on a roof, shingles form courses, each with an exposure.
What is a shingle made of?
An asphalt shingle has three layers: a base mat of glass fiber or felt, an asphalt coating on the mat, and mineral granules pressed into the top of the coating.
What is the exposure of a shingle?
The part left showing to the weather once the next course is laid over it. On a three-tab shingle the exposure is the tabs; the rest of the shingle is covered.
What is the strip of tar on a shingle for?
It is the self-sealing strip, an adhesive put on at the factory. Warmed by the sun, it bonds each course to the one below, which helps the tabs stay down in wind.