Standard House Roof Pitch

In the uk the typical house has a pitch between 40 50 although 45 should be avoided.

Standard house roof pitch.

In the usa the range of standard pitches is anywhere between 4 12 and 9 12. Gable roofs on ranch style homes can have a variety of pitches from low to steep. There is no standard universal roof pitch. This is for the top level of a 3 story building that is 26 by 64.

For example 4 12 pitch means 4 inches of rise in 12 inches of run. One engineer recommends a 12 12 pitch for the new roof while another recommends a 7 12 pitch. Some of the most common roof pitch types are conventional slope type roofs designed with pitch ranging from 4 12 to 9 12. Arctan 3 12 14 0 the primary purpose of pitching a roof is to redirect water and snow.

The exact roof slope in degrees is given by the arctangent. These are utilized in residential applications. Pitches above 9 12 are very highly angled and are designated steep slope roofs. This measurement is best done on a bare roof because curled up roofing shingles will impair your measurement.

What is the standard pitch for a roof. 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. With regards to the pitch the building standard code bs 5534 recommends a minimum pitch of 20 0 for slate roofs. Contemporary houses often have flat roofs which shouldn t be completely flat but should be around 1 40.

Thus pitch is typically greater in areas of high rain or snowfall. The ibhs recommends a 4 to 6 pitch roof. Roof pitch varies depending on culture climate style and available materials. Gable roofs offer the advantages of easily shedding rain and snow in cold climates.

Definitions vary on when a roof is considered pitched. 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. Pitches lower than 4 12 have a slight angle and they are defined as low slope roofs. The steeper the roof the more expensive the trusses get because the longer the boards get and the more roof area increases.

Hipped roofs are also common which offer a slightly different design and lower pitch. Roof pitches exceeding the level of 9 12 or approximately 37 degrees are termed steep slope roofs. The vertical rise of the top chord per 12 horizontal inches is the roof pitch or slope. Pitches of less than 2 12 are considered flat roofs even though they may be very slightly angled.

Roof pitches can be as high as 12 12 according to the mhimperialhome website. In degrees 10 2 in 12 or 1 in 6 is considered a minimum.