Abstract: An improved apparatus for manufacturing roofing shingles having multiple ply appearance, in which an elongated strip of a dry organic or mineral material previously saturated in an asphalt tank and with at least one uniform longitudinally continuous strip of a first coating of granules is fed into the apparatus. The apparatus automatically and repeatedly applies spaced apart bands of varying widths of an adhesive material onto the first coating of granules. A second coating of granules is then automatically applied by the improved apparatus to the asphaltic bands. The application of the adhesive bands and the subsequent granule distribution are synchronized so that the granules are distributed only upon the bands of adhesive.