"Squafe" and "Thousand"

To the salesman or builder who does not handle red cedar shingles every day the unit of sale of red cedar shingles remains somewhat of a mystery. What is a "thousand" and what is a t'square" ?

In the 24" shingle both No. I and No. 2 Royals (also including the almost obsolete Imperial) the so-called "thousand" consists of nine bundles packed 14 double c6urses to the bundle. A "square" of the same grade is, of course, the estimated quantity of shingles to cover 100 square feet. The recommended exposure for the 24" shingle on the roof is 7f", and therefore the so-called "roof square" for Royals is four bunches, and the "side-wall square" is three bunches figured on in exposure bf t0' to the weather. In quoting Royals by the square or giving an order for them by this unit one should specifically state whether it is the three-bundle square or the four-bundle square that is desired, depending, of course, on whether they are to be used for the roof or the side-walls.

On the l}u 5/2y4 Perfection Shingles, the "thousand" consists of five bunches with twenty double courses to the bunch. The "square" consists of four bunches packed with eighteen double courses to the bunch. This is figured on a'if" weather exposure and is for use on roofs. If a wider exposure is given, this quantity will of course cover more than 100 square feet. To convert from thousand into squares in this grade use a factor of 72 per cent.

On the 18" 5/2 Eureka, the "thousand" consists of four bunches packed 25 double courses to the bunch and the "square" is figured on the same basis as the Perfection; namely, four bunches packed with lE double courses figured on a 5/2" weather exposure. The factor in converting from thousand to squares is the same as in the Perfection; namely 72 per cent.

On the 16" grades, including the 5/2 Perfect or XXXXX, Extra Clear, and 5/2 or 6/2 Extra Star A Star, the "thousand" consists of four bunches p4cked with 25 double courses. The "square" consists of four bunches packed with 20 double coqrses. The exposure figured on a 5" basis is intended for roof purposes.

On the various grades and sizes of Dimension Shingles, "square" and "thousand" are figured according to the number of pieces in the bundle, but most of those who are vitally concerned in the sale of these shingles recommend that Dimension Shingles be sold by the net count; in other words, by the thousand pieces rather than by the "M" or ttsquare.tt

It is a peculiar fact that the natural or unstained shingle is most commonly sold by the "M" and the stained shingle by the "square." This is probably due to the fact that the stained shingle competes more directly in its sale with asphalt shingles, tile and slate, all of which are sold by the square. The "thousand" is such an illogical and clumsy unit that it should have been discarded years ago; in fact, should never have been used as a unit of sale. However, old prejudices and customs keep the "thousand" on the map, and it may be that it will never be entirely dislodged. This was very apparent years ago when the Shingle Association tried to force the use of the "square" unit on all grades of shingles.

A great deal of misconception exists in the minds of builders and consumers of shingles which is apparent by reading the comments of many of these people in technical articles and in reference books where phrases appear such as "There arc 250 shingles to a bundle." Naturally, the builder who buys shingles by the "thousand" and finds that there are four bundles to the "thousand" figures that one of these bundles should contain 250 shingles.

However, as long as the "thousand" is with us as a basis of sale, we will have to figure on changing the "thousand" to the "square" by the above ratios.

D. H. CLARK. '(From StarlCs Stainbow.)