Cedar shingle roofing and cedar shingle siding are made from the same material installed differently. The roof application is steeper, wetter, more demanding, and more consequential when it fails. The grade, the exposure, the fastener, the underlayment, and the ventilation below the shingles are all different specifications from the wall, and all of them matter more on the roof because the stakes are higher.
A freshly installed cedar shingle roof is pale straw-gold. Over the first three years it silvers to a warm grey. By year ten it has settled into a grey with subtle texture — the individual shingles visible as a surface rather than as a uniform plane. In shade or in damp conditions it may develop a green tint from algae, which is manageable. The profile is lower and more even than a shake roof — shingles are sawn smooth and taper consistently.
Roofing shingles are graded: #1 Blue Label is all-clear, edge-grain western red cedar, the correct specification for roofing. #2 Red Label contains flat grain and some sapwood and is not appropriate for exposed roofing. Standard roofing shingle sizes are 16", 18", and 24" (called "perfections"). Exposure on a 4:12 or steeper roof is 5" for 16" shingles, 5-1/2" for 18", and 7-1/2" for 24".
Cedar shingle roofing requires ventilation below the shingles to perform correctly — a 1x4 skip sheathing system at the correct spacing allows the shingles to dry from below after rain and prevents premature decay. Solid sheathing under cedar shingles without adequate ventilation produces a roof that fails in 15 to 20 years rather than the 30 to 40 it should achieve.
Cedar shingle roofing is the historically correct roofing material for vernacular New England residential buildings from the Colonial period through the early 20th century, in locations and contexts where slate was not specified. The weathered grey of a cedar shingle roof against white clapboard or grey shingle siding is one of the defining visual combinations of the region.
From roofing suppliers. Specify #1 Blue Label western red cedar shingles in the appropriate length. Installation by a roofer experienced with cedar — not all roofers install cedar correctly. Skip sheathing at the correct spacing is a non-negotiable detail.
Number 1 Blue Label western red cedar shingles, 18-inch length, 5-1/2-inch exposure on slopes 4:12 and steeper, over 1x4 skip sheathing at appropriate spacing, for roofing on traditional New England residential buildings. Stainless steel nails. Copper step and counter flashings. No solid sheathing under cedar roofing without a ventilated batten system above it.
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