What tools remove roof shingles, and how hard is a tear-off? Shingle shovels vs roofing forks vs spud bars, hand spudders and tine bars, slate rippers and pry bars, how long a tear-off takes, magnet sweepers, and what is under the shingles
The tool that removes asphalt shingles is a shingle shovel (tear-off spade or shingle remover): a flat steel blade with a serrated or smooth leading edge that slides under a course and pops the nails, and a fulcrum on its back so the handle pries the shingles up. A roofing fork does the same with tines and is faster on brittle old shingles; a spud bar (a heavy steel bar with a flat blue spring-steel blade) is for scraping gravel and built-up roofing off a flat deck, with a hand spudder for the details and a tine bar for breaking up the mat. A crew of four strips an average 20 to 30 square single-layer roof in half a day to a day; two layers, steep pitch, cold weather and a long carry to the dumpster can double it. The work is hard, dirty and done at the edge of a roof, so the fall protection rules apply from the first shingle.
C&R CR1033 Roofing Shovel, #3, Serrated, D-Handle, FulcrumThe product data lists the CRSH73 as a #3 serrated tear-off spade with an all-steel handle and fulcrumWhat a tear-off is. Stripping the old roof to the deck so the new one goes on sound wood with new underlayment and flashings. The tools are simple and the job is about pace, sequence and cleanup: start at the ridge, work down so debris falls onto stripped deck, keep the tarp and the trailer under the eave, pull or drive every nail, sweep the deck, inspect it, and dry it in before the weather. This page answers the tear-off questions as they are asked: which tools, how hard, how long, what a spud bar is and how it is used, what the pry bar is for, and what a magnet sweeper does afterward. The fall protection that goes with the job is in the OSHA roof rules guide linked below.
Tear-off, question by question
Tool specifications are from the product data on this site; the method is the trade’s and the NRCA Roofing Manual is the industry reference for deck inspection.
Tear-off in plain words
- Shingle shovel / tear-off spade: flat serrated blade with a fulcrum on the back; slide under a course and pry.
- Roofing fork: tines for brittle shingles and for loading debris.
- Spud bar: long bar with a flat spring-steel blade for scraping gravel and built-up roofing off a flat deck; hand spudder and tine bar for the details.
- A square of shingles is 230 to 400 pounds; a 25 square roof is three to five tons of debris.
- A crew of four strips 20 to 30 squares of single-layer shingles in half a day to a day; two layers or steep pitch doubles it.
- Work from the ridge down onto bare deck; pull every nail; sweep; inspect; dry in the same day.
- Fall protection from the first shingle: 1926.501(b)(10) and (b)(13).
- Magnet-sweep the yard twice.
Questions people ask
What tools are needed to remove roof shingles?
Shingle shovels or tear-off spades, a roofing fork, flat bar and cat’s paw, roofing hammer, snips, hook-blade knife, brooms, magnet sweeper, tarps, a debris trailer with a chute, and the fall protection the roof rules require.
How hard is it to remove shingles?
Physically hard (three to five tons of debris on an average roof), technically simple: slide the spade under, pry, repeat.
How long does it take to tear off roof shingles?
A crew of four, 20 to 30 squares of single layer: four to eight hours. Two layers, steep pitch or a long carry doubles it.
What is a spud bar?
A long steel bar with a flat spring-steel blade for scraping gravel and built-up roofing off a flat deck.
How do you use a spud wrench?
That is a different tool: an ironworker’s wrench with a tapered handle for aligning bolt holes, not a roofing spud bar.
What is the pry bar for demolition?
A flat bar for nails and flashing, a roofing bar for roofing nails, a cat’s paw for buried heads and a 24 to 36 inch wrecking bar for decking and fascia.
What is a pitch fork for on a roof?
Lifting brittle shingles that a blade shatters and loading the debris into the trailer.
Can you put two layers of felt on a roof?
Yes; two layers of 15 lb felt lapped 19 inches is the standard underlayment for 2:12 to 4:12 shingle roofs in the manufacturers’ instructions and the codes.
Why don’t roofers use tar paper anymore?
Many do; it is asphalt felt. Synthetic underlayment is lighter, tougher in weather and safer to walk on, so it has replaced felt on many crews.
Does a 30 year shingle really last 30 years?
The 30 is a warranty term; service life depends on ventilation, slope, climate and installation, and is often shorter in hot climates.
What is a slate ripper?
A long flat blade with a notched hooked tip that slides under a slate, catches the nail and shears it when the handle is struck.
How do you remove a torch-down or built-up roof?
With spud bars, hand spudders and a tine bar to lift the mat, or a power scraper on large decks; the torch-down guide linked below covers it.
Related guides
Shovels, spades and scoopsThe three types and what each is forPry bars, wrecking bars and nail pullersWhich bar for which jobMagnet sweepersNail cleanup after a roof jobRoofing torches and torch-downPropane torches and modified bitumenOSHA roof fall protection rulesLow-slope and steep roofsHow do you tie off on a roof?Anchor, lifeline, rope grab and SRLThe ratings, test results and standards shown here are the manufacturers' published values, reproduced as published. Nothing on this page is a recommendation by Bayshore Safety that any product is suitable for a particular task, hazard or workplace. Selecting safety products and protective equipment is the responsibility of the end user and the employer, based on their own hazard assessment and the regulations that apply to their work. Confirm every value on the manufacturer's own documentation before use.