Measure Roof Pitch From Attic

If this distance measures 4 inches you have a 4 in 12 pitch.

Measure roof pitch from attic.

From the attic hold a level perfectly level and touching a rafter at one end. A 1 in 12 roof pitch roof rises 1 inch for every 12 inches of run. To measure the roof pitch you ll need an 18 or 24 inch level a tape measure and a pencil. If you can t get to your attic you can measure slope on your rooftop as long as it s safe to go up there.

Carpenters measure roof pitch as inches of rise per 12 inches of run. For more complex attic spaces draw a sketch of your space and divide the space into parts before performing the calculations. While pitch and slope are used interchangeably they are not the same span also known as gable width this is based on the total footprint of the house and refers to the distance between two exterior walls. For example if you have a cross gabled house with two wings split the attic into two parts where one wing joins the other.

First measure 12 inches from one end of the level and make a mark. Rafters are nailed to the ridge board and run down to overhang the exterior wall. You want a roof area calculator that provides accurate estimates to help you order materials such as shingles membrane roofing or ceramic tile. The pitch of a roof determines the height of the ridge board that runs the length of the house.

Pitch this is the incline of the roof expressed as a fraction. Then in the attic place the end of the level against the bottom of a roof rafter and hold it perfectly level. 8 inches and you have an 8 in 12 pitch. Roof pitch calculator results explained.

However if you have a more complex roof you may need to calculate pitch section by section. Slope the slope of a roof is represented as x 12 where x is the number of inches in rise for every 12 inches of run this is very useful information for many purposes especially for roof framing the slope sometimes called pitch is calibrated on speed squares. On a ladder beside the roof place the level a foot or so up the roof hold it level and measure from the 12 inch mark on the level s bottom straight down to the roof. Another method to find the roof pitch is to go into the attic and measure the rise for a 12 run of the roof rafters which allows finding the pitch without going on the roof.

After measuring the slope estimate the roof pitch by dividing the slope by 2 if you have a simple gable roof.