Standard House Roof Pitch

Pitches above 9 12 are very highly angled and are designated steep slope roofs.

Standard house roof pitch.

This measurement is best done on a bare roof because curled up roofing shingles will impair your measurement. With regards to the pitch the building standard code bs 5534 recommends a minimum pitch of 20 0 for slate roofs. 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. The steeper the roof the more expensive the trusses get because the longer the boards get and the more roof area increases.

What is the standard pitch for a roof. The vertical rise of the top chord per 12 horizontal inches is the roof pitch or slope. Gable roofs offer the advantages of easily shedding rain and snow in cold climates. Contemporary houses often have flat roofs which shouldn t be completely flat but should be around 1 40.

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. Gable roofs on ranch style homes can have a variety of pitches from low to steep. Thus pitch is typically greater in areas of high rain or snowfall.

Roof pitch varies depending on culture climate style and available materials. These are utilized in residential applications. For example 4 12 pitch means 4 inches of rise in 12 inches of run. The exact roof slope in degrees is given by the arctangent.

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. The ibhs recommends a 4 to 6 pitch roof. 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. This is for the top level of a 3 story building that is 26 by 64. Roof pitches exceeding the level of 9 12 or approximately 37 degrees are termed steep slope roofs. 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. Hipped roofs are also common which offer a slightly different design and lower pitch. Pitches lower than 4 12 have a slight angle and they are defined as low slope roofs. Arctan 3 12 14 0 the primary purpose of pitching a roof is to redirect water and snow.

Roof pitches can be as high as 12 12 according to the mhimperialhome website. The table below shows common roof pitches and the equivalent grade degrees and radians for each.