10x12 Gable Shed — 222 Gibson St SE · Phase 5, Order 3 · What to ask for, why, and how it lays out on the wall.
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Western Red Cedar sidewall shingles for a 10×12 garden shed in Atlanta 30316.
• Certigrade stamped, No. 2 Red Label
• 16" (Fivex) — please also quote 18" (Perfection) for comparison
• Net wall area ~270 sq ft, running 7" exposure, single-coursed
• Plus a doubled starter course (~46 lineal feet of wall perimeter)
• Delivery to 30316
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Price per square, and how many bundles to a square? | Four bundles is standard. Fewer means you're not getting a real square |
| What does one square cover at 7" exposure? | Their number, not yours — this is what you divide 270 by |
| Is it Certigrade stamped, and what mill? | The label is the only thing making "No. 2" mean anything |
| Price on R&R (rebutted-rejointed)? | Edges trimmed parallel, butts squared — courses lay tight and uniform. Costs more; worth pricing |
| Price on No. 1 Blue Label? | Over 270 sq ft the step up may be small |
| Do you carry 304 stainless ring-shank siding coils, 1¾"? | ~1,540 needed, and Rule 2 makes stainless mandatory on cedar. Sourcing them with the shingles beats hunting separately |
Certigrade is the Cedar Shake & Shingle Bureau's stamp for sawn shingles. Related marks: Certi-Split (hand-split shakes), Certi-Sawn (taper-sawn shakes), Certigroove (machine-grooved sidewall).
| Grade | Clear zone from the butt (16") | Use |
|---|---|---|
| No. 1 Blue Label | Full length — 100% clear, heartwood, edge grain | Roofs, premium walls |
| No. 2 Red Label ← ours | 11" | Good sidewall grade |
| No. 3 Black Label | 6" | Utility / economy |
| No. 4 Undercoursing | — | Never exposed |
| 16" (Fivex) | 18" (Perfection) | |
|---|---|---|
| Butt thickness | 5 butts = 2" (~0.40" ea.) | 5 butts = 2¼" (~0.45" ea.) |
| Max sidewall exposure | 7½" | 8½" |
| No. 2 clear zone | 11" | 14" |
| 1 square covers, at max exposure | ~150 sq ft | ~154 sq ft |
Decision: 16". Coverage at max exposure is nearly identical (150 vs 154 sq ft), so unless 18s price within ~3% per square, 16s are cheaper for the same wall. On a 10×12 building with 77½" walls, more courses also reads better than fewer — big shingles on a small shed look coarse.
When 18s would win: the 14" clear zone is far more forgiving if the only Red Label you can source looks marginal; the butt is thicker for a stronger shadow line; and in some markets 18" Perfection is the volume product while 16s are special order. Don't fight your supplier's stock for a small aesthetic gain — but do the cost-per-covered-square-foot math first.
| Wall | sq ft |
|---|---|
| Two 144" eave walls @ 77½" | 155 |
| Two 120" gable walls @ 77½" | 129 |
| Two gable triangles (30" rise at 6:12) | 25 |
| Gross | 309 |
| Less door (62½"×72"), two windows, gable vent | −40 |
| Net to cover | ~270 |
At 7" exposure a square of 16" shingles covers about 140 sq ft, so ~1.9 squares, or about 2.2 with 15% waste.
Pick the exposure so courses land evenly. Don't just default to the maximum.
The wall is 77½". At the 7½" maximum that's 10.3 courses — leaving a third-of-a-course sliver at the top. Eleven courses at about 7-1/16" divides cleanly and stays under the max.
Work it out on paper, snap your lines to it, and the top course meets the fascia as a full course instead of a ripped strip. It is the difference between a wall that looks laid out and one that looks like it ran out.
The shingle gun is still an open decision — a coil siding nailer taking 1¾"–2" wire coils with stainless coils available for that model. Buy (~$130–180) or rent for shingle week. See Nail Guns & Fasteners.