What Is Wood Shake?
Wood Shake is a sloped-roof covering of thick, hand-split or taper-sawn western red cedar laid over an air-spaced assembly that lets each course dry from the underside after rainfall. Western red cedar carries natural extractives that resist decay.
What Is Asphalt Shingles?
Asphalt Shingles are layered roof coverings built from a fiberglass mat saturated in asphalt and surfaced with mineral granules. They are the most common residential roofing material installed across the United States.
Which Roof Wins in NJ — Cedar Wood Shake or Asphalt Shingles?
Asphalt shingles win for most Essex County homes on price and upkeep, while cedar wood shake wins for historic character — asphalt installs at $6.50–$11.00 per sq ft in NJ versus $10–$20+ for cedar, per Josten Roofing and NHI Contractors.
Asphalt shingles are a fiberglass-mat roof covering surfaced with asphalt and mineral granules, defined by low cost and a Class A fire rating, and last 20–30 years per InterNACHI and NAHB. The two materials split on 4 axes: installed cost, maintenance burden, fire classification, and service life.
Cedar wood shake is a thick, split western-red-cedar roof covering valued for natural texture, and lasts 20–40 years per the Cedar Shake & Shingle Bureau (CSSB) — but only with periodic cleaning and preservative treatment that asphalt never requires.
Wood Shake vs Asphalt Shingles
| Feature | Wood Shake | Asphalt Shingles |
|---|---|---|
| NJ Installed Cost (per sq ft) | $10–$20+ (cedar) | $6.50–$11.00 (architectural) |
| NJ Full Replacement | Upper end of $10,000–$25,000+ | $10,000–$25,000 |
| Service Lifespan | 20–40 yrs (CSSB, with upkeep) | 20–30 yrs (InterNACHI/NAHB) |
| Maintenance Burden | High — recoat every few years | Low — periodic inspection |
| Untreated Fire Class | Nonclassified / unrated | Class A |
| Class A Fire Path | Rated assembly only (FR + cap sheet) | Standard product |
| Moss / Algae in Humid NJ | Susceptible without treatment | Algae-guard granule options |
| NJ Repair Cost | $400–$1,800 (Angi) | $400–$1,000 leak repair |
| Natural Character | Distinctive split-cedar texture | Wide profile range |
Detailed Analysis
Which Material Costs Less to Install in New Jersey?
Asphalt shingles cost less than cedar wood shake in New Jersey: architectural asphalt installs at $6.50–$11.00 per sq ft and 3-tab at $5.50–$9.50, while cedar shake runs $10–$20+ per sq ft, per Josten Roofing and NHI Contractors NJ figures.
Asphalt shingles keep a full NJ roof replacement inside the $10,000–$25,000 band that HomeAdvisor and Modernize cite for the state; the fiberglass-mat product carries lower material and labor cost than split cedar.
Cedar wood shake lands at the upper end of, or above, that $10,000–$25,000 range because hand-laid split shakes raise both material and labor cost; cedar repair averages $400–$1,800 per Angi, versus $400–$1,000 for an NJ asphalt leak repair.
Which Roof Demands More Maintenance in NJ's Climate?
Cedar wood shake demands far more maintenance than asphalt shingles in NJ: cedar needs periodic cleaning plus a fungicide/algaecide treatment at $0.15–$0.60 per sq ft every few years, per HomeGuide, while algae-guard asphalt needs only periodic inspection.
Cedar wood shake fails through moisture-driven modes the CSSB and NRCA name — moss and algae growth, cupping and warping, edge splitting, and rot beneath cupped shakes — and requires a ≥1.5 in. air space beneath the shakes for drying, with north-facing shaded slopes degrading fastest.
Asphalt shingles age through granule loss, tab curling, and thermal-shock cracking, but algae-guard granules resist the biological growth that NJ's ~31.5 in. of annual snowfall and humid summers drive on untreated cedar, per NOAA climate normals.
Which Roof Is Safer Against Fire?
Asphalt shingles carry a standard Class A fire rating, the top class under UL 790 / ASTM E108, while untreated cedar wood shake is nonclassified and unrated, per NAHB and the CSSB — not Class C, a common misstatement.
Cedar wood shake reaches a fire class only with pressure-impregnated fire-retardant treatment, which the CSSB Certi-Guard program rates Class B or Class C; a Class A wood roof exists only as a rated assembly — FR shakes over a fire-retardant cap sheet — not as any single shake.
Asphalt shingles meet Class A as a standard product with no treatment or assembly upgrade, and impact-rated asphalt shingles add hail resistance — rating "Excellent" or "Good" on IBHS Impact-Resistant ratings to withstand hail up to 2 in. under the 2025 FORTIFIED standard, with Class 4 the top UL 2218 impact class.
Which Roof Lasts Longer on an Essex County Home?
Cedar wood shake can outlast asphalt shingles with upkeep — CSSB rates cedar shake 20–40 years and cedar shingle 30–50 years, versus 20–30 years for asphalt per InterNACHI and NAHB — but only when the maintenance schedule is met.
Asphalt shingles deliver 20 years for 3-tab and 30 years for architectural per the InterNACHI life-expectancy chart, and NRCA designs asphalt for ~20 years of service with actual life varying up to ±40% by climate, install, and maintenance.
Cedar wood shake reaches its 40-year ceiling only with sustained treatment; an unmaintained cedar roof in NJ's humid, freeze-thaw climate degrades well below its rated life, erasing the lifespan edge over a low-maintenance asphalt roof.
How Do NJ Code and Climate Affect This Choice?
Cedar wood shake triggers a stricter NJ tear-off rule than asphalt shingles: once a roofing permit applies — commercial, multi-family, or structural work — the Rehabilitation Subcode (N.J.A.C. 5:23-6.4) requires complete removal of any existing wood-shake covering, with no recover-over.
Cedar wood shake also raises insurance friction NJ asphalt avoids; carriers weigh the untreated-cedar fire class — nonclassified and unrated per NAHB and the CSSB — and fire-retardant treatment addresses that fire-class scrutiny.
Asphalt shingles suit NJ's four-season load — ~31.5 in. annual snowfall, repeated freeze-thaw cycles, and nor'easter winds per NOAA — with a Class A product and algae-guard options, while cedar needs the CSSB ventilation detail to survive the same humidity.
Which Roof Fits a Historic vs Standard NJ Home?
Cedar wood shake fits historic-character homes, weathering to silver-gray and matching the architectural heritage of districts like Montclair and Glen Ridge, while asphalt shingles fit standard homes wanting low-effort curb appeal.
Asphalt shingles in architectural profiles deliver a set-and-inspect roof for owners who prefer minimal upkeep, with GAF and CertainTeed lines that mimic split-cedar texture without cedar's recoating cycle.
Cedar wood shake rewards owners who commit to its schedule — cleaning, fungicide/algaecide treatment, and prompt swap of split or cupped shakes — and synthetic-shake products from DaVinci and CertainTeed offer the cedar look at zero recoating maintenance.
Which Roof Works for an NJ Commercial Property?
Asphalt shingles outfit steep-slope NJ commercial roofs far more often than cedar wood shake, because cedar's fire class, maintenance demand, and insurance friction rule it out for most business properties.
Cedar wood shake appears commercially only where rustic aesthetics drive brand identity, such as hospitality and upscale retail, and even there synthetic or metal shake profiles deliver the look without the wood fire and upkeep drawbacks.
Asphalt shingles pair with the single-ply membrane systems NJ low-slope commercial roofs use, keeping fire class, maintenance, and carrier requirements aligned across the building.
Our Verdict
Asphalt shingles win for most NJ homeowners on cost, maintenance, and fire class.
Asphalt shingles over cedar wood shake when budget and low maintenance lead: NJ asphalt installs at $6.50–$11.00 per sq ft versus $10–$20+ for cedar, asphalt carries a standard Class A fire rating, and asphalt needs no preservative recoating in NJ's humid, freeze-thaw climate.
Cedar wood shake wins for owners of historic-character homes who commit to its upkeep — periodic cleaning plus fungicide/algaecide treatment at $0.15–$0.60 per sq ft every few years, the ≥1.5 in. ventilation space CSSB specifies, and prompt replacement of split or cupped shakes.
Not sure which is right for you? Call for a free consultation.