Cedar Shake Siding Cost Calculator

Cedar shakes and shingles are sold by the bundle, and coverage depends heavily on the exposure — how much of each course you leave visible. A tighter exposure looks refined but eats more material; a wider one covers faster. Because shakes are often used as a gable or accent, precise small-area math is where this tool earns its keep.

Measure the actual surface, pick an exposure, and the calculator converts area into squares and an approximate bundle count with a cedar-appropriate waste cushion built in.

At a standard exposure, four bundles of shingles cover roughly one square. Tighten the exposure and you'll need more bundles for the same wall; the square footage doesn't change, but the material to cover it does.

We'd rather be transparent than falsely precise. The quantity math is deterministic and matches standard takeoff practice, so if your inputs are right, your squares and piece counts are right. Where real-world variation lives — coverage by profile, and installed cost by region and crew — we use typical published figures and present them as ranges. That makes this a strong planning number, not a binding quote; a contractor's field measure remains the final word.

Your result above answers the main question. Before you buy, run through the practical points that most affect a cedar shake siding project, so the number translates cleanly into a real order.

• Confirm coverage: the default coverage is a planning figure. Check the exact coverage printed on your product's box or spec sheet and adjust it if it differs, since even a small change moves the piece count on a big wall.
• Match the waste to your walls: keep 10% for a simple rectangular house, and raise it toward 15% for gables, dormers, bay windows and lots of angled cuts, because those details generate short offcuts you can't reuse.
• Account for accessories: starter strip, trim, inside and outside corners, flashing and fasteners are all part of a complete order, not an afterthought — the takeoff above estimates each so your material list is whole.
• Keep a spare: hold back a piece or a full box for future repairs, since profiles and colors get discontinued over time and an exact match years later is hard to find.
• Time your order: have material delivered close to the start date, stored flat and dry, so it isn't sitting exposed or getting damaged before the crew arrives.

Re-run the numbers above after any change and lean on the per-wall audit to verify each surface one at a time, so what you order matches what the wall actually needs rather than a rough guess. That small habit is the difference between one clean delivery and a mid-project trip back to the supplier.