Normal Roof Pitch

Pitch is a measure of the steepness of a roof.

Normal roof pitch.

The minimum pitch for a roof is 1 4 12 which translates to 1 4 inch rise to 12 inches of run. An average person can easily and safely walk upon these roofs without need of additional equipment. If a roof increases in height by four inches for every foot of horizontal run it is considered to have a 4 in 12 pitch or just a 4 pitch talk in terms of pitches and you will always be understood in the roofing universe. The most commonly used roof pitches fall in a range between 4 12 and 9 12.

Slopes above 19 12 are not recommended since tiles on very steep roofs can rattle. If you want to build a shed garage or other similar type of building then 4 to 6 is a preferable pitch type. Pitches lower than 4 12 have a slight angle and they are defined as low slope roofs. A flat roof would have a 2 12 pitch while the average roof pitch would be between 4 12 and 9 12.

Any pitch higher than 9 12 is considered a steep pitch. This measurement is best done on a bare roof because curled up roofing shingles will impair your measurement. Most roofs in america follow these dimensions where pitch range is kept between 3 to 7 1 2. Clay or cement tiles can be used on a wide range of roof pitches.

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. Display of roof pitches 1 12 through 18 12. Pitches of less than 2 12 are considered flat roofs even though they may be very slightly angled. However you can only use this pitch with built up roofing or specialized synthetic roofing.

Thatch is one of the oldest roofing materials and needs a steep pitch to drain properly some types of stone roofs have a very restrictive roof pitch. For pitches of 2 5 12 up to 4 12 the roof requires double underlayment. 4 12 to 20 12 pitches. So the pitch of a roof is determined by how many inches the slope rises for every 12 inches it runs horizontally.

In the usa the range of standard pitches is anywhere between 4 12 and 9 12. The pitch of the roof is determined by the vertical rise in inches for every horizontal twelve inch length. With insufficient pitch a roof can leak rain and with a pitch too great its stones will fall loose.