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What Is Roof Pitch? Different Roof Pitch Types | Wilson Brothers Roofing
What every homeowner should know about roof pitches
If you are thinking about installing a roof, selling your house, or buying a new home, you may have heard the term roof pitch from contractors. Roof pitch is an important part of your home. It dictates how much roofing material you need, the type of material, and what maintenance may be required to keep your roof in good shape.
On this page, you will find everything you need to know about the pitch of a roof, including how to measure a roof pitch on your own.
What Is Roof Pitch?
Roof pitch is your roof’s incline, or slant upwards, and is a written measurement to show how steep your roof is. A roof pitch is written as a fraction, for example, 1/12 or 9/12.
How Does Roof Pitch Work?
At first sight, roof pitch measurements may seem arbitrary, but they are anything but. To figure out how to determine the pitch of a roof, you should first know that it all breaks down to inches.
The pitch measures the slope of the roof, so to determine how a roof pitch works, let’s take a journey back to geometry class. To measure pitch, you measure the rise and run of your roof’s angle. The slope is inches per foot, the rise being the inches, the run being per foot. That’s why in the example, the second number is 12 because there are 12 inches in a foot.
To simplify, the top number is the number of inches your roof rises for every foot of your roof’s width. For visualization, the width is the space between angles of your house, not the length of your house. Another way to picture this is by going into your attic. The rafters in your attic are the width or run of the house.
How to Calculate Roof Pitch
To calculate roof pitch, remember that the pitch is expressed in a fraction with the denominator (the bottom number) being 12.
The denominator is the horizontal distance from one point of your roof lengthwise to the next. For a visual, remember that your attic’s support beams running horizontally make up the span of your roof. Picture these beams when measuring the length of a roof pitch.
That would make the numerator, or the top number in the fraction, the height of the roof. This is also called the rise over the run.
We highly recommend working with a professional roofing company like Wilson Brothers Roofing to determine the exact roof pitch of your home. You can have multiple roof slopes depending on your roof’s complexity, so it’s always best to have everything accounted for by a professional. Additionally, it can be dangerous to go up on the roof to perform these measurements yourself, so it’s best to leave it up to experienced professionals.
However, if you are not a roofing professional and are still curious about your roof pitch, there are two main ways to calculate it. Note that these may be estimates; a roofing contractor will need to take exact measurements to get to the centi- and even millimeter for roofing projects.
How to Calculate Roof Pitch in 5 Easy Steps
The first way to calculate roof pitch is on the roof itself:
- Get a level and measuring tape.
- Find the one foot (12” mark) on the level.
- Place the level on the roof and hold until the level is centered. This means one end of the level is touching the roof, the other is above the roof.
- Use your tape measure to measure the vertical distance between your roof and the 12” mark on your level.
- The vertical measurement is the rise over 12. If you measure 5 inches from the roof to the level, that makes your roof pitch 5/12.
The second way to calculate roof pitch is from your attic:
- Get a level and measuring tape, just like you would on the roof.
- Once again, Find the one foot (12” mark) on the level.
- Place your level horizontally on your attic’s ceiling and adjust until the level is balanced (the bubble is centered).
- Measure up from the 12” mark on the level using the measuring tape.
- Calculate the distance between your level and the ceiling. That measurement is the rise, the 12 inches is the run.
Roof Pitch and Degrees
You may also hear about degrees, which are used as another measurement for the angle of your roof. Though the numbers are different, they indicate the same thing. For example, picture a right triangle with one of the corners being 90 degrees. If two of the three sides are both 12 inches long, the angles would be 45, 45, 90. The degree measured at the top of the triangle is 45 degrees. The pitch would be 12/12.
If the horizontal side (the run) of the triangle is 12 inches, and the vertical side (the rise) is 3 inches, then the pitch could be 3/12, with a 14-degree grade, because the angle at the top of the triangle is only 14 degrees.
If this is a lot to take in, don’t worry. It’s always best to work with a professional roofer to get the exact measurements for the pitch of a roof!
Different Roof Pitches
Let’s take a look at the different types of roof pitches and some roof pitches examples that go with them for a better understanding of roof pitch.
Low-Pitch Roofs
Low-pitch roofs are almost flat with minimal slope. These roofs may still have a bit of a slope to accommodate the need for drainage.
Many low-pitch roofs can be found on commercial buildings and modern or contemporary style homes. The 1960s popularized low-pitched roofing for residential structures with the mid-century home design. However, low-pitch roofs have been around for centuries. These roofs require different systems, such as TPO or hot mop roofing. Check out our commercial roofings services for more information about low-pitch roofs.
Medium-Pitch Roofs
Medium-pitch roofs are the most common residential roofing house styles seen in Bakersfield and around the United States. For a visual reference, many homes that you pass are most likely medium-pitch.
High-Pitch Roofs
High-pitch roofs are steep roofs, often seen on Victorian style, A-frame, chalet, Tudor style, colonial style, and gothic style houses. These high pitch roofs can be quite difficult to install due to their slope. However, high-pitch roofs can be stylistically alluring and extremely practical for snow melt and water runoff.
Why Does the Pitch of a Roof Matter?
Roof pitch matters for three main reasons: safety, materials, and price. Let’s dive a little deeper into why each of these factors is important.
Roof Pitch Safety
Installing a roof can be dangerous work, especially when the roof is a high-pitched one. Steep slopes require extra safety procedures and can take more time for safety’s sake. Even medium-pitch roofs require extra attention when repairing, installing, or even walking on for an inspection. Knowing the roof pitch will help roofing contractors prepare to be on your roof.
Roofing Materials
Depending on the roof pitch, you may need to consider different types of roofing materials. This is not just for practical purposes, but is also required by government and/or manufacturing codes.
It’s important to know your roof pitch so you can better gauge what type of roofing material is best suited for your home. Check out our products page to see what roofing materials we have available.
Price
The pitch of your roof can impact the price of your roofing project as a whole. From installment costs to type of roofing material, your roof pitch impacts how much your roofing repair or installment will cost.
Talk to Wilson Brothers Roofing Today
Want to know more about roof slope types and roof pitches? Talk to Wilson Brothers Roofing today to get your questions answered.
We have been providing commercial and residential roofing services to Bakersfield and the greater Kern County area for over 40 years! We have the knowledge and experience needed to ensure a professionally measured roof pitch.
Give us a call at (661) 589-4297 or fill out an online form today. We look forward to hearing from you!