Siding coverage / exposure per square by material

Typical published planning values — NOT a certified spec or professional advice. Coverage and exposure vary by product and installation; confirm on the manufacturer’s installation instructions and stated coverage. Moisture, flashing, sheathing and pre-1978 lead paint on old siding are a pro’s call — follow the manufacturer’s instructions, local code and the EPA RRP rule and hire a certified firm; lead-paint abatement, structural and moisture repairs and code certification are not engineered here.

This is our own coverage matrix and the moat behind the site. For every common siding material it gives the LABELED exposure and coverage per box/bundle/square, so you can turn a measured area into units with the identity units = ceil(area × (1 + waste) ÷ coverage). It is a dated snapshot of published manufacturer planning ranges, not a live feed. See how it’s derived in the methodology, and use it with the how-much-siding calculator, the boxes-by-material calculator and the coverage-per-square reference.

Siding coverage per unit by material (sq ft)Vinyl lap (double-4")200 / boxVinyl lap (double-5")200 / boxInsulated vinyl200 / boxCedar shingle / shake25 / bundleFiber cement lap plank100 / squareEngineered wood lap100 / squareWood / cedar bevel lap100 / squareSteel / aluminum lap100 / squareBoard & batten100 / square← smaller coverage (cedar shingle) = more units per square
MaterialTypical exposureCoverage per unitUnits for 1,336 sq ft + 10% waste
Vinyl lap (double-4")8" per panel200 sq ft/box8 boxs
Vinyl lap (double-5")10" per panel200 sq ft/box8 boxs
Insulated vinyl6–7"200 sq ft/box8 boxs
Cedar shingle / shake~5–8"25 sq ft/bundle59 bundles
Fiber cement lap plank4–8" (plank)100 sq ft/square15 squares
Engineered wood lap4–8"100 sq ft/square15 squares
Wood / cedar bevel lap4–8"100 sq ft/square15 squares
Steel / aluminum lap8"100 sq ft/square15 squares
Board & battenboard width100 sq ft/square15 squares

LABELED published planning snapshots — the manufacturer’s stated coverage and exposure win. 1 square = 100 sq ft. The units column derives from units = ceil(area × (1 + waste) ÷ coverage) for a 1,336 sq ft net area at 10% waste, as an illustration. Cedar shakes and shingles have a small exposure and a high waste factor. Snapshot: 2026-07-13.