What is a drip edge?
Updated August 2026
A drip edge is the L-shaped metal strip nailed along the edges of a roof deck so runoff drops into the gutter instead of curling back onto the wood. It ships in 10-foot sticks of 26-gauge galvanized steel or aluminum, with a vertical face about 1-1/2 to 2 inches deep and a small kick at the bottom that breaks the water's surface tension. Current residential code requires it on asphalt shingle roofs, so any roof shingled in the past decade or so should have it.
Where it is
Two locations, installed in opposite orders. Along the eaves, the horizontal lower edge, drip edge goes down first and the underlayment laps over it. Along the rakes, the sloped gable edges, it goes on over the underlayment. From the ground at a gable end you can see it as a thin metal band running up the slope just under the shingle overhang. At the eaves, hold a phone camera behind the gutter: the metal should reach down past the fascia and over the gutter's back lip by about an inch. Bare wood back there, or a gap the width of a pencil, means the piece keeping your fascia dry is missing.
What it does
Water does not simply fall off a roof edge. Surface tension pulls it around the last inch of shingle and back along the underside, where it tracks down the fascia, into the gap behind the gutter, and onto the plywood ends of the roof deck. Drip edge gives that water a hard lip to let go of. It also stiffens the roof edge against wind uplift, which is where blow-offs start, and closes the gap that bats, wasps, and mice use to reach a soffit. Missing or rusted-through drip edge announces itself as peeling fascia paint, dark streaks on the boards behind the gutter, and soft, delaminated sheathing at the eaves, all of which cost far more to repair than the $2 to $4 per foot the metal would have cost.
Maintenance
Drip edge asks for nothing but a look. Check it while you are already inspecting the roof flashing, twice a year, and again after any storm with 50 mph gusts, since a lifted section is easy to spot and cheap to renail. Aluminum outlasts a shingle roof. Galvanized steel starts showing rust freckles around year 20 to 25, about the same window as the rest of the roof metal. Bent, dented, or separated sections are the ones to act on: the moment the metal stops reaching the back of the gutter, water goes behind it again.
What it costs to replace
A replacement drip edge runs $2–4 per linear foot to retrofit, or $300–800 added to a full roof replacement.
OnOtto's photo scan identifies parts like this in your home and builds the maintenance schedule for you. See how the scan works.
Frequently asked questions
Is drip edge required by code?
Current residential code requires drip edge at eaves and rakes on asphalt shingle roofs, and most shingle manufacturers require it to honor their warranty. Local adoption trails by a code cycle or two, so a roof from the 1990s or early 2000s often has none and is not illegal, only unprotected. If you are collecting bids, confirm drip edge appears as a line item. Leaving it off is one of the classic ways a low bid gets low.
What is the difference between drip edge and gutter apron?
Both are edge metal; the profile differs. Standard drip edge (Type C) is a simple L that hangs down about 2 inches. A gutter apron (Type D or F) has a longer angled leg that reaches further out and drops well inside the back of the gutter, which is the better choice at eaves where the gutter hangs low or the fascia already shows staining. Many roofers use apron at the eaves and plain drip edge at the rakes.
Can drip edge be added to an existing roof?
At the rakes, yes, and it is quick: slide the metal under the shingle edge and nail it. At the eaves it takes more work, because the first shingle course has to be lifted gently and the gutter usually dropped. Expect a roofer to quote $2 to $4 per linear foot with a $300 to $500 trip minimum. On a roof within a few years of replacement, wait and have it included in the new install instead.