How Do You Figure The Pitch Of A Roof

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Accounting for dormer windows and other structures that might share a different pitch, the first step is to calculate the footprint of the roof, or the area it occupies.

Login to SketchAndCalc and select Show Maps from the Menu.

Search the homes postal address from the map controls that appear in the top left corner.

When zoomed in, switch to satellite view.

Identify the roofs structure. Regardless of complexity , if the roof has a single pitch or incline throughout you can simply draw the perimeter of the entire roof using SketchAndCalcs line drawing tools.

TIP: Line length labels are displayed as you draw. If you find these labels obscure the view of the roof just switch them off from Menu > Settings > Application. You can also adjust the grid transparency and drawing line weight.

If the roof has multiple pitches, such as those found on dormer windows or porches you will need to draw these separately. After drawing the perimeter of the roof, add a new drawing layer with the plus symbol found in the bottom right corner. Then proceed to draw the surface area of the roof that has a different pitch. Using dormer windows as an example, youll add a new layer after drawing each dormer.

How To Use The Roof Pitch Calculator

This roof pitch calculator or roof slope calculator is a simple, easy to understand tool to use when you need to perform construction work in your home. To use this, you must take the required measurements so you can input them in the required fields. Here are the steps to follow for the roof angle calculator:

• First, enter the value of the Rise and choose the unit of measurement from the drop-down menu.
• Then enter the value of the Run and choose the unit of measurement from the drop-down menu.
• Finally, enter the value of the Rafter Length and choose the unit of measurement from the drop-down menu.
• After entering all of the values, the roof pitch calculator automatically gives you the values of the Roof Pitch, Roof Pitch , and Roof Pitch .

Calculating Pitch From Slope

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What Pitch Is My Roof

In order to get a precise measurement of the pitch of your homes roof, youll need to bring a carpenters level to your attic. Place the level on the underside of one of the rafters in the attic. Measure the vertical distance from the 12-inch mark on the level to the underside of the rafter you chose. Once you have measured the vertical distance, divide it by 12, and youll have your slope. An online roof pitch calculator can simplify the equation for you.

Once you know the pitch of your roof, youll be able to calculate your total roof area of multiplying the pitch by the area the roof covers.

This is essential for knowing how much roofing material you need to order for roof replacement. A professional roofer has the tools and experience to quickly determine the pitch of your roof, and they can install your new roof safely without making any mistakes that can lead to costly damage to your home.

Find The Area Of A Roof

Multiply the length of the roof in feet by the width of the roof in feet to find the area of the roof in square feet. If you have multiple sections of roof find the area of each and add them together to find the total area.

If your roof is not flat and you cannot climb to the peak to get accurate width measurements then you can add a multiplier for the pitch of your roof.

Use our roof pitch calculator to find the pitch of your roof or find the pitch multiplier, then multiply the area of the footprint of your roof by the multiplier to find the actual area.

Alternatively, find the area of your roof using our roofing calculator, which can also estimate shingles and material needed for your project.

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For example, if your roof is 30 ft by 50 ft, then the area is 1,500 ft2.30 × 50 = 1,500 ft2

If your roof has triangles and other shapes youll need to use a calculator to find the square footage.

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Hip Roof Vs Gable Roof

The most common styles of sloped roofs are Hip Roofs and Gable Roofs. They can vary from having a low slope to a very steep slope. So which one is better for your home? First, lets learn how to tell them apart.

What is a gable roof? A gable roof is the most common style of roofing, recognizable by the two slopes meeting over the triangular gable under the peak. This simple design is especially effective at shedding snow and rainwater, and they provide a lot of attic space for your home. However, they are much more vulnerable to high winds.

What is a hip roof? A hip roof will have a slope going down each side of your home, and it has a much stronger frame, which can be very helpful in areas with heavy snow and high winds, and it can provide additional protection from falling limbs. However, these roofs are more expensive, and they provide less attic space and ventilation than gable roofs.

How To Measure Your Roof Pitch From Inside The Attic

If you cannot access your roof or do not feel comfortable doing so, you can safely measure your roof pitch using the truss structures within your attic by measuring the rafter length.

Using our example measurements from before, say the distance from the floor of your attic to the ceiling is 6 inches, which means your roof pitch is 6/12.

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What Is The Minimum Roof Pitch

Corrugated roofing is a great material on traditional pitched roofs but it has severe limitations when the pitch gets below 5 degrees. That is why all roofing manufacturers recommend the 5 degree pitch as the minimum slope and they will not provide any guarantees if it is installed flatter than this.

Interesting Facts About Roof Pitches

• There is no universal roof pitch. Factors like architecture, material, climate, and cultures affect how flat or steep a roof is.

• The standard roof slope in the US is 4/12 to 9/12.

• In the UK, the typical roof pitch is 40-50 degrees.

• It would be best if you avoided 45-degree slopes for stability during storms.

• Contemporary houses have near-flat roofs. They have slopes of 1/40.

• Italian roofs have 16 to 25-degree roof pitches.

• The minimum roof pitch suitable for snow-shedding is 6/12 or 7/12 .

• A roof is walkable if its slope is less than 6/12 or 26.5 degrees. You can walk 7/12 roof pitch with caution. You can walk even 8/12 to 10/12, but it is not advisable and it calls for extreme caution. Roofs beyond this range are not walkable.

Some people apply the Pythagoras theorem, which makes it unnecessarily complex to understand. All you need is the slope, and the above four methods are sufficient to find it.

Please keep it simple and understand the logic behind it.

That is all about the roof pitch calculation. Remember, the basic idea is to standardize it into inches per foot.

The angle determines the pitch based on the rise and run sizes.

No matter what method you choose, measure the rise and run to get the slope, directly or indirectly.

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How To Calculate Rise Of Roof Pitch

If you have given the roofs angle in degrees, you can find the pitch of roof by converting the angle in degrees to a slope, then determining the rise by multiplying the slope by 12 or by using this formula, rise of pitch = tan × 12

First, determine the slope by finding the tangent of the degrees, assume rafter is inclined to run by 20°, then slope = tan, so slope = tan 20° = 0.3639

Then, secondly multiply the slope by 12 to get the rise such as rise per foot of run = 0.3639 ×12 = 4.36, it means slope of roof 4.36 vertical rises per foot or 12 of horizontal run.

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Why Measure Roof Pitch

There are a number of reasons you might want to find out how to work out the pitch of a roof. You might be installing a skylight, or replacing tiles in either case, your roof pitch angles can make a huge difference in which product you pick. If youre planning an extension or an alteration to your house, the existing roof pitch angle may dictate the designs you can use. As such, finding out how to calculate roof pitch in degrees is an invaluable skill.

If you’re wondering how to work out the pitch of a roof, hopefully, this article will help. There are a few ways of doing this, from using an online flat roof pitch calculator to an old-fashioned tape measure and some maths. This article aims to give you an overview of the methods available to you for measuring your pitch roof angle. With any luck, by the end, you should have a better understanding of how to calculate roof pitch in degrees.

In roofing terminology, when trying to calculate roof pitch angle youre usually working from the run and the rise . You may also see mention of the span on a simple pitched roof this is often twice the run. But, if you’re wondering how to work out the pitch of a roof, there’s usually more to it than this.

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Measuring Slope From The Roof Surface

Roof Pitch Calculator Results Explained

Slope – The slope of a roof is represented as X/12, where X is the number of inches in rise for every 12 inches ofrun. This is very useful information for many purposes, especially for roof framing – the slope, sometimes called pitch, is calibrated on speed squares.

Angle – The angle of a roof is the same as the roof’s slope, except instead of being represented as X/12, it is represented in degrees. This is useful because sometime you may need to cut a bevel with your circular saw that is not calibrated using roof pitch style – this setting on circular saws is calibrated in degrees.

Rafter Length – The rafter length results, from this calculator, represents the length of line L on the diagram. Note that this is not the actual length of the rafter. It is the length of this portion of the rafter. If you plan to have overhang, etc. the rafter member will be longer.

Pitch – Is the incline of the roof represented as the ratio of rise to the span . For example, if the roof rises 4 feet and the span is 16 feet , then the pitch is 4/16, or 1/4.

Common Rafter Elevation

If you are calculating rafter length from the center of the ridge beam , you will need to subtract half of the thickness of the ridge beam from the top end of the rafter. For example, if the ridge beam is 1.5 inches thick, subtract 3/4 of an inch from the overall rafter length.

For more information on roof building, cutting rafters and other design considerations, see the mycarpentryroof framing section.

What next?

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What Is The Minimum Slope Of A Roof

The minimum slope of a roof depends on the roofs profile. You need to consider the slope requirements of each panel to determine this minimum slope. The profile is the shape taken by the sheets when you bend them to form panels. Express the slope of a metal roof by a ratio which indicates the pitch of the roof.

This notes the rise of the roof for every foot of the horizontal run. In other words, you divide the vertical rise by the horizontal run. If youre unsure, you may want to consult with the manufacturer of the panels with the values youve acquired from the roof pitch calculator before purchasing your materials.

Measure Slope By Climbing The Roof

In this method, you need to climb the roof to measure the rise for any 12-inch run. We will need two instruments to mimic as a base and perpendicular of an imaginary triangle.

We will fix the triangle base as 12 inches and then check what the rise is. You will require a tape measure and a level instrument of at least 12 inches.

Hold the level and check if it indicates a flat reading. Now measure the height or rise from a 12-inch point to the point that touches the roof below. The value you see on your tape is the rise or perpendicular.

For Example, if the value is 5 inches, then the top has a slope of 5/12 or 5:!2.

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Two: Measure From The Attic

Another method to find the roof pitch is to go into the attic and measure the rise over a 12 run of the roof rafters, allowing you to find the pitch without going on the roof.

From the attic, hold a level perfectly level and touching a rafter at one end. Measure the distance from the level to the rafter 12 inches away from where the level touches the rafter.

How To Calculate Roof Pitch In Degrees

There are a few ways to measure or work out the pitch of your roof. All youll need to hand will be a measuring tape, spirit level and calculator. With these tools in hand you just need access to your loft space and to remember some of the maths you learned at school.

REMEMBER: Roof Pitch = )*180/

Example: Rise of 8m and Run of 5m.

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