Galvanized roofing nails tend to resist rust formation and they are a suitable option for asphalt shingles.
Nails or staples for roofing shingles.
However always consult your local building authority for exact code requirements.
When estimating nail or staple usage for your roofing project you should budget 400 nails or staples per square.
The international building code requires that roofing nails have a minimum 12 gauge shank and a 3 8 inch diameter head.
Owens corning requires using either galvanized steel stainless steel or aluminum nails to affix shingles.
Staples also offered excellent holding strength and could be installed over a larger roof area quickly.
The installation manual for the cssb says that staples for attaching sidewall shingles must be stainless steel.
3 4 staples pull out with 5 10 lbs.
For one staples cost less than nails adding to their profit per roof.
5 8 staples which penetrate only 1 4 can pull out with as little as 1 lb.
When properly installed a staple grabs and holds more material than the small head nail could ever hope to.
Of force per staple.
In the past roofers preferred staple guns for attaching shingles to roof sheeting.
As we state in our companion article asphalt shingle installation best practices the preferred fastener is galvanized roofing nails with a minimum 12 gauge shank and head diameter of at least 3 8 inch.
Breaking it down further you ll typically use four fasteners per 3 tab shingle.
Although staples are allowed in some jurisdictions they do not provide the same holding power.
Roofing nails staples.