If a roof increases in height by three inches for every foot of horizontal run it is considered to have a 3 in 12 pitch or just a 3 pitch the primary purpose of pitching a roof is to redirect water and snow.
How steep should a roof be.
The slope of a roof has an effect on the interior volume of a building the drainage.
Examples of extreme slopes range from 1 4 12 almost flat to 12 12 sloping down at a perfect 45 degree angle.
A flat roof would have a 2 12 pitch while the average roof pitch would be between 4 12 and 9 12.
9 12 20 12 steep slope.
So the pitch of a roof is determined by how many inches the slope rises for every 12 inches it runs horizontally.
For most home styles roof pitches fall in a range 4 12 a moderate slope up to 8 12 fairly steep.
However in general terms low slope roofs commercial roofs are those below 2 12 or 3 12 while steep slope roofing would consists of roof pitches above either 2 12 or 3 12 and higher.
2 12 4 12 conventional slope roof.
Thus a 4 12 pitch would be a 33 slope.
Any pitch higher than 9 12 is considered a steep pitch.
The exact roof slope in degrees is given by the arctangent.
Pitched roofs including gabled and hipped roofs are the most common types in the united states.
In degrees 10 2 in 12 or 1 in 6 is considered a minimum.
You can also divide the rise over run multiply by 100 and get a percentage.
Definitions vary on when a roof is considered pitched.