How to Calculate Roofing Nails
- 1). Measure the height and length of one roof side on the blueprint, by using the architecture scale ruler, and note them on your piece of paper.
- 2). Determine the angle of the roof slope by calculating the roof's rise. Multiply the measured height by the rise factor listed on the blueprint and record it.
- 3). Create a right triangle by holding your ruler vertically on the blueprint near the slope, marking its point of intersection with the roof base using a pencil. Measure the distance between your mark and the edge of the roof to find the triangle base.
- 4). Employ the Pythagorean theorem (a² + b² = c²) to determine the total distance of the roof slope. Square the triangle base length and add it to the squared roof height distance. Enter the result into your calculator and press the square root button to find the total slope distance.
- 5). Calculate the number of vertical rows of nails needed. Count the number of trusses marked on the blueprint for your roof side. Divide the length of the roof by the total number of trusses and record your result.
- 6). Calculate the number of horizontal nail rows needed by dividing the slope distance by 16.
- 7). Estimate the total number of nails needed for your roof side by multiplying the number of vertical nail rows by the number of horizontal nail rows.
- 8). Repeat Steps 1 through 7 for each roof side and add them to estimate the total number of roofing nails needed.
Source...