How To Figure Out Your Roof Pitch

For a simple gable roof the span wall to wall will be twice the size of the run wall to ridge horizontally.

How to figure out your roof pitch.

This will allow your project to carry the depth and detail in the roof that you wanted as well as make sure that it will maintain a sturdy and effective nature throughout. 8 inches and you have an 8 in 12 pitch. Roof pitch refers to the slope which the rafter creates. If this distance measures 4 inches you have a 4 in 12 pitch.

The pitch is commonly defined as the ratio of rise over run in the form of x 12. You can use the following equations to find the length of the rafter and the slope. Even if you want to use a flat roof pitch calculator system you will be able to find one. You ll need a level that is 12 or longer and a tape measure.

This is very useful information for many purposes especially for roof framing the slope sometimes called pitch is calibrated on speed squares. On the roof hold the level perfectly level and measure the height from the roof to the level 12 inches away from where the level touches the surface this will be the rise. First measure 12 inches from one end of the level and make a mark. If you do need to calculate the pitch an estimate or shortcut is usually more practical than measuring the roof s overall dimensions.

Rafter rise run from the pythagorean theorem. If you want to know how to find the pitch of a roof then start with a calculator. How to measure roof pitch. On a ladder beside the roof place the level a foot or so up the roof hold it level and measure from the 12 inch mark on the level s bottom straight down to the roof.

Rise run pitch where pitch is expressed in percent. You can assess this in two ways either as the roof pitch angles which the rafters make with the horizontal or the proportion between the run and the rise of the roof. Then in the attic place the end of the level against the bottom of a roof rafter and hold it perfectly level. Generally roof pitch is calculated from the same formula that describes a right triangle.

Pitch measurement method 1. Often you express roof pitch as the ratio between the rise and the run in the form of x 12. Divide the slope by two to get the pitch. Here are a couple examples.

How to calculate roof pitch. One method to find the pitch is to climb on the roof and measure the rise for a 12 run. To measure the roof pitch you ll need an 18 or 24 inch level a tape measure and a pencil. The rise is the height of the roof and the run is the horizontal span as pictured above.