Roof Ridge Cap: Types, Vented vs. Solid and Common Failures
Updated · By the Roof to Footing editors
A roof ridge cap is the row of folded shingles or bent metal that covers the peak where two roof planes meet. It seals the joint at the top of the roof, and on most modern roofs it also covers a ridge vent that lets hot, moist air out of the attic. Because it's the highest and most wind-exposed part of the roof, the ridge cap is often the first thing to blow off in a storm.
Shingle ridge caps
On a composition (asphalt shingle) roof, the ridge is covered with hip and ridge cap shingles. There are two ways to get them:
- Manufactured ridge cap shingles. Pre-bent, thicker pieces sold to match the roof shingles. They're required for many shingle warranties and hold up better in wind.
- Cut from 3-tab shingles. The old way: cut each 3-tab into three pieces and fold them over the ridge. It's cheaper but thinner, and you can't cut architectural shingles this way because of their laminated layers.
Each piece overlaps the one before it, facing away from the prevailing wind, with two nails per piece in the area the next piece covers.
Metal ridge caps
Metal roofs use a bent metal ridge cap, fastened through the panels' ribs or to clips on standing seam. Under the cap go closure strips: foam or vented profiles shaped to the panel ribs, which keep out wind-driven rain, snow, insects and birds. A metal ridge without proper closures is a common leak and nesting site.
Vented vs. solid ridge
| Vented ridge | Solid (unvented) ridge | |
|---|---|---|
| What's under the cap | A slot cut in the deck and a ridge vent product | Continuous deck |
| Purpose | Exhaust for attic ventilation | Just sealing the peak |
| Works best with | Soffit intake vents | Unvented (sealed) attics or other exhaust vents |
A ridge vent only works when there's intake at the soffits. Mixing a ridge vent with gable vents or powered fans can short-circuit the airflow so the ridge pulls air in from the gable instead of the soffit. To size intake vents, see the attic ventilation section of our soffit calculator.
Why ridge caps fail
- Wind. The peak sees the highest uplift. Short nails, nails too high or too low, and cut 3-tab caps go first.
- Nails backing out. Exposed nail heads on the last cap piece rust and leak if not sealed.
- Cracking. Folding shingles in cold weather cracks them; installers warm them first or use pre-bent caps.
- Wrong vent for the roof. A ridge vent with too-small or missing closures lets in rain and snow.
- Mortar on tile roofs. Mortar-set ridges crack with age and need repointing or a dry-ridge system.
Repairing a ridge cap
Replacing a few missing caps is a small job: remove broken pieces, slide new caps in, nail them under the overlap of the piece above and seal the exposed nails at the end. If the vent material under the caps is crushed or torn, replace that section too. Safety first: ridge work means standing at the highest point of the roof, so use a harness and roof anchor.
For other parts at the top of the roof, see our guide to roof caps for vents.