Standard House Roof Pitch

What is the standard pitch for a roof.

Standard house roof pitch.

There is no standard universal roof pitch. Roof pitches can be as high as 12 12 according to the mhimperialhome website. Roof pitch varies depending on culture climate style and available materials. One engineer recommends a 12 12 pitch for the new roof while another recommends a 7 12 pitch.

For example 4 12 pitch means 4 inches of rise in 12 inches of run. 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. Definitions vary on when a roof is considered pitched.

These are utilized in residential applications. 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. The ibhs recommends a 4 to 6 pitch roof.

The most commonly used roof pitches fall in a range between 4 12 and 9 12. In degrees 10 2 in 12 or 1 in 6 is considered a minimum. Roof pitches exceeding the level of 9 12 or approximately 37 degrees are termed steep slope roofs. The table below shows common roof pitches and the equivalent grade degrees and radians for each.

Contemporary houses often have flat roofs which shouldn t be completely flat but should be around 1 40. This is for the top level of a 3 story building that is 26 by 64. Gable roofs offer the advantages of easily shedding rain and snow in cold climates. Pitches lower than 4 12 have a slight angle and they are defined as low slope roofs.

The vertical rise of the top chord per 12 horizontal inches is the roof pitch or slope. 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. The steeper the roof the more expensive the trusses get because the longer the boards get and the more roof area increases.

Some of the most common roof pitch types are conventional slope type roofs designed with pitch ranging from 4 12 to 9 12. The exact roof slope in degrees is given by the arctangent. With regards to the pitch the building standard code bs 5534 recommends a minimum pitch of 20 0 for slate roofs. In the uk the typical house has a pitch between 40 50 although 45 should be avoided.

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. This measurement is best done on a bare roof because curled up roofing shingles will impair your measurement.