How To Check The Pitch Of A Roof

If you need to find the pitch of an existing roof all you need is a level and a tape measure.

How to check the pitch of a roof.

Roof pitch refers to the slope which the rafter creates. Marvel at your mathematical. So a roof that rises six inches for every foot of run has a 6 in 12 slope. Some carpenters consider it more correct to use the term slope for the steepness and use pitch to describe the roof s overall dimensions.

Then in the attic place the end of the level against the bottom of a roof rafter and hold it perfectly level. A 12 12 pitch roof has a pitch angle of 45. The example to right shows 2 different ways to determine or calculate roof pitch also called roof slope. Here s an easy safe way to determine the pitch from inside your attic.

Pitch is shown as a fraction which divides the rise by the span. The 7 means that the roof rises 7 for every 12 it runs. First measure 12 inches from one end of the level and make a mark. Simply mark a level at 12 hold it perfectly level and measure from the roof surface to your 12 mark this.

Check your results with the omni roof pitch calculator. Hold the level straight and level bubble centered and then measure the vertical distance down from the your 12 mark on the level down to the roof. Place the end of your level the 0 inch point of your 12 marking against the roof surface. To measure the roof pitch you ll need an 18 or 24 inch level a tape measure and a pencil.

Find the inverse tangent of the pitch to find the angle in degrees. The term pitch has two different meanings when it comes to roofs. Often you express roof pitch as the ratio between the rise and the run in the form of x 12. Most people use it to mean the steepness of the roof.

So if the roof has a 24 foot span and has a 4 foot rise then it has a 1 6 pitch. Watch more mastered in a minute videos. Example a the measurements are taken from on top of the roof. It isn t necessarily a 12 inch run but the entire span.

This is the amount your roof inclines in a 1 foot span or the pitch of your roof.