Trade Submittal Guide

Roofing Submittal Template: What to Include and How to Build It

Quick Answer

A roofing submittal package includes product data for every layer of the assembly — membrane, insulation, cover board, fasteners, adhesives, and flashings — plus a tapered insulation shop drawing, the fastening or attachment pattern for the specified wind uplift rating, a sample warranty, and physical samples where the spec calls for them. The whole assembly must be documented as one tested, manufacturer-approved system, not a collection of individual products.

What belongs in a roofing submittal package

Roofing specs live in Division 07, and the submittal article typically demands more than cut sheets:

  • Membrane product data: type (TPO, EPDM, PVC, mod-bit), thickness, reinforcement, and color
  • Insulation: polyiso/EPS type, LTTR or R-value, facer, and layer configuration
  • Cover board and vapor retarder data where specified
  • Tapered insulation shop drawings showing slopes, crickets, drain sumps, and total thickness at key points
  • Fastening patterns or adhesion rates tied to the specified uplift rating (FM 1-90, ASCE 7 zones)
  • Flashing details: manufacturer standard details adapted to the project conditions
  • Sample warranty (NDL 20- or 30-year) and installer's certification from the manufacturer
  • Physical samples when specified — membrane swatches, edge metal color chips

Submit the assembly, not the parts

The single most important thing on a roofing submittal: every component must belong to one manufacturer-approved, tested assembly. The warranty is issued on the system, and mixing a cheaper cover board or third-party fastener into a warranted assembly voids it. Reviewers know this, so a package that pulls components from three manufacturers without an approval letter is dead on arrival. Include the assembly letter or the specific tested-assembly number (FM RoofNav or UL) that matches your build-up.

The review round-trip

Roofing submittals route to the architect, sometimes with a roofing consultant or the owner's insurance carrier (FM Global jobs especially) in the chain — build extra time into your schedule when a consultant is involved. Tapered plans usually generate a round of comments about drainage and ponding. The manufacturer's technical department often needs to produce the tapered drawings and approval letters, so start that request the day you get the contract.

Common rejection reasons on roofing submittals

What sends roofing packages back:

  • Mixed-manufacturer assembly with no system approval or warranty confirmation
  • Fastening pattern that doesn't meet the specified uplift pressure, or no pattern at all
  • Tapered plan with slopes below the code minimum or ponding at drains
  • Missing installer certification — the warranty requires an approved applicator
  • R-value shown as a nominal number when the spec requires LTTR at a design thickness
  • Warranty sample omitted, or a material-only warranty submitted where NDL is specified

How Submittal.App builds the roofing package

Submittal.App assembles the product-data side in minutes: tell the AI Builder the assembly and it pulls current manufacturer cut sheets, organizes them by component with a cover sheet and table of contents, and leaves clean slots for the tapered plan, warranty sample, and approval letters you receive from the manufacturer. One review link to the GC, one approved package feeding your quotes and purchase orders.

Related Questions

Who provides the tapered insulation shop drawings?

Almost always the insulation manufacturer's design department, requested through your distributor. Turnaround is typically one to two weeks, which is why the roofing submittal should be started immediately after award.

What is an NDL warranty and why does the reviewer care?

No Dollar Limit — the manufacturer covers full repair cost for the term, not a prorated material credit. Specs that call for NDL require the whole assembly and the installer to be manufacturer-approved, so the reviewer checks both in the submittal.

Do roof hatches, drains, and edge metal go in the same package?

Edge metal (07 71 00) usually rides with roofing because it is part of the wind-uplift perimeter and often the warranty. Drains belong to plumbing, and hatches may be in Division 07 or 08 — check the spec and cross-reference in your transmittal so nothing is assumed submitted.

Are mock-ups required for roofing?

On larger jobs, frequently — a field mock-up of the assembly including a seam and a flashing detail, reviewed before full installation. It is listed in the same submittal article, so track it as a submittal item with a hold point.

Your Next Submittal, Assembled by AI

Submittal.App's AI Builder turns schedules and spec sections into formatted submittal packages, then flows approvals into quotes and POs.