Standard House Roof Pitch

The exact roof slope in degrees is given by the arctangent.

Standard house roof pitch.

Arctan 3 12 14 0 the primary purpose of pitching a roof is to redirect water and snow. The picture below shows the pitch of a 7 12 roof slope meaning that for 12 of horizontal measurement roof run the vertical measurement roof rise is 7. In degrees 10 2 in 12 or 1 in 6 is considered a minimum. The ibhs recommends a 4 to 6 pitch roof.

The vertical rise of the top chord per 12 horizontal inches is the roof pitch or slope. Roof pitch varies depending on culture climate style and available materials. There is no standard universal roof pitch. In the uk the typical house has a pitch between 40 50 although 45 should be avoided.

Definitions vary on when a roof is considered pitched. But since there is still a wide variety of slate roofing systems there are occasions when the minimum pitch can go down to as low as 15 0 depending on the uniqueness of the roof. Gable roofs on ranch style homes can have a variety of pitches from low to steep. This measurement is best done on a bare roof because curled up roofing shingles will impair your measurement.

Roof pitches exceeding the level of 9 12 or approximately 37 degrees are termed steep slope roofs. These are utilized in residential applications. What is the standard pitch for a roof. For example 4 12 pitch means 4 inches of rise in 12 inches of run.

Hipped roofs are also common which offer a slightly different design and lower pitch. Some of the most common roof pitch types are conventional slope type roofs designed with pitch ranging from 4 12 to 9 12. Pitches of less than 2 12 are considered flat roofs even though they may be very slightly angled. Pitches lower than 4 12 have a slight angle and they are defined as low slope roofs.

A pitch over 9 12 is considered a steep slope roof between 2 12 and 4 12 is considered a low slope roof and less than 2 12 is considered a flat roof. Contemporary houses often have flat roofs which shouldn t be completely flat but should be around 1 40. Roof pitches can be as high as 12 12 according to the mhimperialhome website. This is for the top level of a 3 story building that is 26 by 64.

Pitches above 9 12 are very highly angled and are designated steep slope roofs. The steeper the roof the more expensive the trusses get because the longer the boards get and the more roof area increases. With regards to the pitch the building standard code bs 5534 recommends a minimum pitch of 20 0 for slate roofs. Gable roofs offer the advantages of easily shedding rain and snow in cold climates.

One engineer recommends a 12 12 pitch for the new roof while another recommends a 7 12 pitch. In the usa the range of standard pitches is anywhere between 4 12 and 9 12.