When you're making decisions about your roof, shingle style, color, and overall cost are likely top of mind. However, there's one detail that can make a big difference to your roof's performance and visual appeal: the shingles you select for your roof's hips and ridges. A roof's ridge occurs where two planes meet, typically at the roof's highest peak, while the hips are the vertical junctions between roof planes. The type of shingle used to cover these areas is critical to protecting your home and the roofing system's overall health and longevity.
Read on to learn about ridge cap shingles, so you can make informed decisions when discussing roofing options with your contractor.
What Is a Ridge Cap Shingle?
Many homeowners don't realize their roof's ridges and hips require a special cap shingle. So, what is a roof cap? According to senior product manager Jeff Avitabile at GAF, "it's made of the same materials as a regular asphalt shingle, but it's specifically designed to finish the roof at the ridge or the hips—anywhere that two adjacent planes meet."
"[Roof caps] are intended to protect the ridge from wind-driven rain, snow, blow-offs, and all the elements just as regular shingles are." The difference, he explains, is that to properly protect the roof at these ridge points, the shingles have to be able to bend or form to their angles.
3-Tab Versus Ridge Cap Shingles
Avitabile shares that, for many years, it was standard practice to finish roofs' ridges and hips by hand-cutting and installing 3-tab singles to cover these vulnerable areas. "Historically, when contractors installed a 3-tab shingle roof, they would cut the 3-tab shingles to make the ridge caps," he explains. "As contractors began offering architectural shingles, they just naturally continued that same process for finishing the ridge."
It became apparent that the 3-tab shingle method used on the roof's ridges and hips didn't provide the same aesthetic appeal or performance compared to the architectural shingles installed on the rest of the roof. Field-cut 3-tab shingles are often thinner and less dimensional than architectural shingles, often aren't an exact color match, and don't offer the same hail resistance or wind uplift ratings. Hand-cutting 3-tab shingles can also result in uneven edges and an overall unfinished look.
"When you use a field-cut 3-tab, it's very flat, and it essentially doesn't accent those areas of your roof," says Avitabile. "When you have an architectural shingle like GAF Timberline on your roof, you see the dimension and color contrast. But when the ridge and hip—a very visible area of your roof—is finished with 3-tabs, you see a muted, less-than-desirable color match."
Benefits of Ridge Cap Shingles
Using cap shingles specifically manufactured for your roof's hip and ridge offers enhanced performance and warranty options for your home. "We designed these ridge cap shingles specifically to bend over the ridge, bend over the hip," Avitabile explains. "The sealant we apply to these is intended to perform under extreme weather and wind conditions that the hips and ridges are subject to. When you cut up a 3-tab shingle, it'll have the glue dots remaining from when it was used as a field shingle, but it's not optimized for performance on these areas of the roof."
Cap shingles can also offer Class 3 and Class 4 impact resistance, a key consideration if you live in a part of the country that's prone to hail. "Our prefabricated ridge cap is tested and designed from the same material as the impact-resistant shingle," adds Avitabile.
Engineered for performance and made with quality control in mind, ridge cap shingles can also precisely match the shingle color you choose for the rest of your roof, delivering a visually consistent look that can boost curb appeal.
Talk to Your Contractor
Many contractors recognize the benefits of these pre-manufactured, ready-to-install hip and ridge cap shingles and have made them a new standard for their roofing installations. Others may still prefer the 3-tab method due to habit or short-term cost savings. That's why it's important to consult with your contractor about their method and material choices for this critical part of your roof. Your roof is an investment in your home, and you want to be sure you're getting the protection it deserves. For durable, long-lasting performance and a polished, cohesive look, talk to your contractor about ridge cap shingles.
Looking for a roofing contractor? Find a GAF-Certified* Contractor near you.
*Contractors enrolled in GAF certification programs are not employees or agents of GAF, and GAF does not control or otherwise supervise these independent businesses. Contractors may receive benefits, such as loyalty rewards points and discounts on marketing tools from GAF for participating in the program and offering GAF enhanced warranties, which require the use of a minimum amount of GAF products. Your dealings with a Contractor, and any services they provide to you, are subject to the GAF Contractor Terms of Use.
