What length does drip edge come in?
Short answer. Drip edge is almost always sold in 10 foot pieces, the standard length at roofing supply houses and home centers. Because pieces must overlap at least 2 inches, each one covers a little less than 10 feet, and roofers figure the count from the total eave and rake length plus extra for laps and waste.
Standard and custom lengths
- 10 feet. The stock length for preformed aluminum and galvanized steel drip edge in L-style, T-style and gutter apron profiles.
- Custom bent. Sheet metal shops and roofers with a brake can bend drip edge from coil stock in other lengths and profiles, which helps when matching odd trim colors or extra tall fascia.
- Field cuts. Pieces are cut on site for short runs, corners and dormers.
How to figure how many pieces
- Measure the eaves (the level bottom edges) and the rakes (the sloped side edges) and add them together. Rakes are longer than they look from the ground because they follow the slope.
- Code requires at least a 2 inch overlap where pieces meet, so each 10 foot piece covers about 9 feet 10 inches.
- Add 5 to 10 percent for corner cuts and waste.
Example: 140 feet of eave plus 80 feet of rake is 220 feet, which works out to 23 pieces plus a couple of spares.
How it shows up in an estimate
Insurance estimates and most contractor estimates price drip edge per linear foot, using the eave and rake totals from the roof measurement report. If the drip edge quantity looks short compared with the roof's perimeter, the rakes may have been left out. See drip edge explained and how roofers measure a roof.