Understanding Roof Pitch

The term pitch and slope are often used interchangeably which is incorrect.

Understanding roof pitch.

For example a roof that rises 6 inches for every 12 inches of horizontal run has a 6 in 12 pitch. Roof pitch is indicated by the measure of vertical ascent they ensure for each twelve creeps of horizontal estimation. For example given a roof with a rise of 4 feet and a span of 24 feet the pitch is 1 to 6 pitch which can be expressed as the fraction of 1 6. The rise is the height of the roof from the base to the top.

You ll often hear experts express pitch as x over y. This implies a rooftop that is 4 inches higher than it was 12 creeps back assessing on a flat plane is a four and twelve rooftop. They do not mean the same thing. Pitch compares the roof s span to the rise while slope compares rise and run.

Simply put roof pitch is the measurement of the angle or the steepness of your roof. Mathematically the pitch of a roof is different calculation than roof slope. A 12 to 24 pitch is expressed as 1 2. Roof pitch is the rise of the roof over the run of the roof.

Because it is one of the many key elements that determine the safety of the roof over your head there is a very good reason to understand the purpose of roof pitch. How to measure roof pitch. The pitch of your roof is determined by the measurement of the vertical rise by the horizontal run. The angle or pitch of a roof is calculated by the number of inches it rises vertically for every 12 inches it extends horizontally.