How long is a stick of drip edge?

A quick worked example

Say a ranch house has two 50-foot eaves and four 18-foot rakes. Eaves total 100 feet and rakes 72 feet, so 172 linear feet. Divided by about 9.83 feet per stick, that is 17.5, so 18 sticks, plus two or three spares for corner folds and mistakes, or about 20 to 21 sticks.

Why the overlap matters

Butting pieces end to end leaves a seam where wind-driven rain can reach the fascia. A 2 inch lap, installed so water moves over the joint rather than into it, keeps water heading outward. At outside corners, roofers cut and fold the pieces to wrap the corner rather than leaving an open gap.

Other length options

Some suppliers sell longer lengths, and some crews bend custom edge metal on a portable brake for long runs, which means fewer laps. Ten-foot sticks remain the common stock length at Georgia supply houses and home centers.

Fastening each stick

The code calls for fasteners no more than 12 inches apart along the deck flange, so each stick takes roughly ten or more nails, using roofing nails that meet the shingle fastener requirements.

Eave and rake sequence

At eaves the drip edge goes on first and the underlayment laps over it. At rakes the underlayment goes on first and the drip edge laps over it, so water running across the deck never gets behind the metal.

More in drip edge explained and how roofers measure a roof.