How To Figure Out Roof Pitch With Speed Square

In the united states a run of 12 inches 1 foot is used and pitch is measured as the rise of the roof over 12 inches.

How to figure out roof pitch with speed square.

It is often compared to slope but is not exactly the same. Read the pitch on the side of the rafter square. Leah answers a viewer s question about how to calculate the pitch of a roof on a structure. Check your results with the omni roof pitch calculator.

A speed square and level can be used to easily find the pitch of a roof. Roof pitch is the measurement of a roof s vertical rise divided by its horizontal run. A 12 12 pitch roof has a pitch angle of 45. A roof s pitch is determined by how much it rises vertically for every foot it runs horizontally.

The triangle shaped square was invented in 1925 by albert swanson to provide a quick accurate method for marking rafters. Thus a moderate 6 in 12 roof pitch means that the roof rises 6 inches vertically for every 12 horizontal inches it runs. To convert between american roofing ratios and pitch degrees follow these steps. Find the inverse tangent of the pitch to find the angle in degrees.

Then place a torpedo level on the fat base of the rafter square and adjust the square until the level is level. Leah s recommended tools for beginner diy ers. As aforementioned there is no standard pitch of a roof. To accurately calculate the area of your roof you must first determine its slope or pitch.

Because of its compact size it is frequently used as a saw guide when cutting framing members as well as a layout tool for quick 45 and 90 degree cuts. Finding the pitch of a roof is simple with a speed square. With a torpedo level and a speed square you can pretty accurately gauge the pitch of any roof with a gable end photo 1. Express roof pitch as the ratio of the amount of the vertical rise of a roof or rise over the corresponding horizontal distance or run you write the pitch assuming a run of 12 inches thus the ratio would describe how much a roof rises for each foot of the run.

Place the pivot point against the shingles.