Roof pitch examples: every pitch from 2/12 to 12/12, drawn to scale
Every roof pitch from 2/12 to 12/12 drawn to scale, with its angle, the extra roof area it adds and where you see it, plus how to find yours without a ladder.
Roof pitch is written as rise over run - 6/12 means the roof climbs 6 inches for every 12 inches it travels horizontally. It sounds abstract until you learn that it decides three practical things: how much material your roof needs, whether anyone can walk on it, and what the labour costs.
To see any pitch drawn to true scale, drag the slider on our roof pitch visualizer. This guide is about recognising yours from the ground.
What each pitch looks like, drawn to scale
Each drawing is a gable end at its true slope. Pick a pitch for its own page: the angle in degrees, the materials the building code allows on it, and what it does to a roof price.
| Shape | Pitch | Angle | Roof vs footprint | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2/12 roof pitch | 9.5° | ×1.014 | Porch roofs, carports, additions and mid-century homes with long, low lines. | |
| 3/12 roof pitch | 14.0° | ×1.031 | Ranch houses, porches, sheds and low additions. | |
| 4/12 roof pitch | 18.4° | ×1.054 | Ranch and split-level homes, and most of the newer single-storey houses in the South and West. | |
| 5/12 roof pitch | 22.6° | ×1.083 | Suburban homes of almost every style; a frequent builder's choice between ranch and two-storey. | |
| 6/12 roof pitch | 26.6° | ×1.118 | Two-storey colonials, cape cods and much of the US housing stock — the most common residential pitch. | |
| 7/12 roof pitch | 30.3° | ×1.158 | Two-storey homes, craftsman and traditional styles, and snowier regions. | |
| 8/12 roof pitch | 33.7° | ×1.202 | Traditional two-storey homes and houses built for snow load. | |
| 9/12 roof pitch | 36.9° | ×1.250 | Victorian, Tudor and colonial-revival homes, and dormers on steeper main roofs. | |
| 10/12 roof pitch | 39.8° | ×1.302 | Tudor and Victorian homes, A-frames and many cottage styles. | |
| 11/12 roof pitch | 42.5° | ×1.357 | Gothic-revival and Victorian roofs, towers and steep gables. | |
| 12/12 roof pitch | 45.0° | ×1.414 | A-frames, steep gables, turrets and steep Tudor roofs. At 45°, the rise equals the run. |
A quick field trick: at 12/12 the roof edge runs at exactly 45 degrees, so hold a square or a phone at the corner of a photo and compare. Anything visibly shallower than that diagonal is under 12/12; anything close to half of it is around 6/12.
Finding your pitch without a ladder
Three methods, in order of how little effort they take:
- From a photo. Stand square-on to the gable end and photograph it. In the photo, measure the height of the roof triangle and its width. Rise divided by half the width, times 12, is your pitch. Ratios survive scaling, so the photo does not need to be to size.
- From the attic. Hold a level against the underside of a rafter, mark 12 inches along it, and measure straight down to the rafter. That measurement in inches is the pitch over 12. This is the accurate one.
- From above. Aerial measurement tools estimate pitch from imagery and shadow. That is how an instant quote can size a roof surface without anybody climbing anything.
Why pitch changes the price
Your roof is bigger than your house. The footprint is what you see on a map; the roof surface is that footprint stretched by the slope. The multiplier is fixed by geometry:
- 4/12 → 1.054 × footprint
- 6/12 → 1.118 × footprint
- 8/12 → 1.202 × footprint
- 10/12 → 1.302 × footprint
- 12/12 → 1.414 × footprint
A 2,000 square foot footprint at 6/12 needs about 2,236 square feet of roofing. The same footprint at 12/12 needs about 2,828 - a quarter more material for an identical house. Labour climbs faster still, because above 8/12 the crew is working on staging rather than walking.
What pitch means for your options
- Below 2/12: shingles are not rated for it. You need a membrane roof.
- 2/12 to 4/12: shingles allowed with a double underlayment in most codes.
- 4/12 to 9/12: anything goes - shingles, metal, tile.
- Above 9/12: everything still works, but expect a steep-slope labour premium of 20 to 50%.
Common questions
What does a 6/12 roof pitch look like?
Clearly sloped, not dramatic, about 26.6 degrees - the most common residential pitch in the country.
How do I find my roof pitch without getting on the roof?
Photograph the gable square-on and measure the triangle, or use a level against a rafter in the attic.
What roof pitch can be walked on?
Up to about 6/12 comfortably; 7/12 to 9/12 with roof jacks; 10/12 and above needs staging or harnesses.
Does pitch change how much roofing material I need?
Yes - from 1.05× the footprint at 4/12 to 1.41× at 12/12.
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