Glossary
Roofer Terms & Vocabulary
15 essential roofer terms with plain-English definitions: the vocabulary you’ll hear in training and on day one.
Key roofer vocabulary
These 15 terms come up constantly in roofer training, on the job and in interviews. Knowing them helps you follow instructions, document accurately and sound prepared.
- Decking
- The plywood or OSB boards under the roofing.
- Drip edge
- Metal edging that directs water off the roof edge.
- EPDM
- A rubber single-ply membrane for low-slope roofs.
- Exposure
- The part of each shingle left visible.
- Flashing
- Metal or membrane that seals joints around chimneys, walls and vents.
- Ice and water shield
- Self-adhering membrane used in valleys and eaves to stop leaks.
- Modified bitumen
- An asphalt-based roll roofing often torch- or cold-applied.
- Pitch
- The steepness of a roof, written as rise over run, such as 6/12.
- Ridge cap
- Shingles or metal that cover the peak of the roof.
- Square
- 100 square feet of roof area, the standard roofing unit.
- Starter strip
- The first row of shingles at the eave.
- Tear-off
- Removing existing roofing down to the deck.
- TPO
- Thermoplastic polyolefin: a white single-ply membrane for flat roofs.
- Underlayment
- A water-resistant layer installed over the deck before roofing.
- Valley
- Where two roof slopes meet and channel water.
Practice these terms
Test yourself with the free Roofer practice test: it includes vocabulary questions built from this list. For a complete course, see Roofer training.
Browse terms from every career in our career glossary.