Using A Protractor To Find Roof Pitch

Here are a few methods to easily find the roof slope on your existing shed.

Using a protractor to find roof pitch.

For example if you find 4 inches of height with the tape measure at the 12 inch mark on the level your slope is 4 12 or 4 in 12. Finding the pitch of a roof is simple with a speed square. Common roof pitches and equivalent grade degree and radian angles. Let s assume it is equal to 6 m.

If a magazine such as finehomebuilding is going to put out an article to teach a topic it should use the proper words and definitions. Go on your roof and put one corner of the level on your roof then bring it up so it is level with the earth. Roof slope calculator example of use. If you want to find the roof pitch in the form of x 12 simply calculate the pitch and substitute 12 for the run length.

To see how pitch impacts the look of a garage and changes cost click the design center button on our pole barn kits page. Roof pitch refers to the amount of rise a roof has compared to the horizontal measurement of the roof called the run. Just write down the measurements you found. Using 48 carpenters level and measuring tape.

If we know the roof run and rafter length we find the roof slope by calculation or we use the framing square table just below and then easily find the roof rise. Lower the measuring tape to the surface of the roof 12 away from where the level meets the roof. A roof slope of 4 12 is a 1 6 pitch a 6 12 slope is a 1 4 pitch an 8 12 slope is a 1 3 pitch and so on. The triangle shaped square was invented in 1925 by albert swanson to provide a quick accurate method for marking rafters.

You can use it to identify roof pitch stair slope or drainage angles. Learn more about finding the angle of a line using our slope calculator. This johnson pitch and angle locator is made of black high impact plastic. There s no need to simplify them.

This tool is for carpentry plumbing electrical or hvac work that requires accurate pitch or slope identification. Either way let s see how you can calculate the slope of a roof without using a roof slope calculator. Most roof s have a pitch in the 4 12 to 9 12 range. Measured rafter run rr 17 ft.

For example using the numbers from our roof framing square table example just above. Or 17 x 12 204 in. Measure the run length it is the horizontal distance between the roof ridge and the wall of the building. 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.

The slope of your roof is the ratio of vertical distance rise to horizontal distance run. The value displayed as the rise will be your x. The most precise way to find the roof s slope is by measuring it from the underside. 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.

Measuring the slope from the rafters.