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About this reference

About the roofing wiki

A short account of what this site is, who publishes it, where its definitions come from, and the rules it keeps.

Updated September 12, 2026 · Every figure links to its source · Sources

Who publishes it

The roofing wiki is a reference published by the National Roofing Directory network. The directory lists roofing contractors across the United States by state and city and keeps a state-by-state guide to roofing licensing and to manufacturer certifications; this site is the glossary that sits beside those listings, so that a homeowner who has just been told the deck needs new sheathing, or that the cricket behind the chimney has failed, can find out what that means before signing anything.

The site is a publication, not a contractor. It names no roofing business, takes no advertising for one, and carries no reviews, ratings or endorsements.

Where the definitions come from

Each entry's definition is attributed on the sentence to a named source. For the trade's vocabulary that is the glossary published by the National Roofing Contractors Association. For rules — how far a drip edge must extend, when a chimney needs a cricket, how much attic ventilation a roof needs — it is the relevant chapter of the 2021 International Residential Code or the 2021 International Building Code, with the section named. For asphalt shingles it is the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association; for wind and hail performance, the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety and its FORTIFIED standard; for single-ply, metal, wood-panel and truss systems, the trade associations for those products; for heat-island questions, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Where a number appears, it is the source's number and the source is linked beside it. Where we could not find a number we trust, there is no number. Prices in particular are absent by design: every cost section explains how the work is priced and who does it, and leaves the figure to the estimate.

The rules it keeps

  • One entry per term, one H1 per page, a definition first.
  • Every definition and every figure linked to its source on the sentence.
  • Model-code citations are the 2021 IRC and IBC; the edition in force where you live may differ, and it governs.
  • No reviews, no ratings, no contractor names, no invented statistics.
  • Each entry ends with a single, understated link to the National Roofing Directory's listings, because that is the next step once the term is understood.

Corrections are welcome. If a definition drifts from its source, or a code section has moved in a newer edition, the entry will be updated and the date at the top of the page changed.

Next step

Find a roofer who does this

The reference exists so that the conversation with a contractor starts on equal terms. When you are ready for that conversation, the directory lists contractors by state and city.

Find roofing contractors near you

Sources

  1. Roofing glossary — National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA)
  2. 2021 International Residential Code, Chapter 9: Roof Assemblies — International Code Council (ICC)
  3. 2021 International Building Code, Chapter 15: Roof Assemblies and Rooftop Structures — International Code Council (ICC)
  4. Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association — ARMA
  5. FORTIFIED Home — Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)
  6. Using cool roofs to reduce heat islands — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency