5/12 roof pitch
A 5/12 roof rises 5 inches for every 12 inches it runs: an angle of 22.6°, and a conventional roof. You see it on suburban homes of almost every style; a frequent builder's choice between ranch and two-storey.
- Angle
- 22.62°
- Slope
- 41.7%
- Area multiplier
- ×1.083
- Rafter per foot of run
- 13.00"
What 5/12 means for your roof
Size. A roof is bigger than the ground it covers. At 5/12 every square foot of footprint carries 1.083 sq ft of roof, so a 2,000 sq ft house has about 2,167 sq ft (21.7 squares) of roofing before overhangs and waste. A quote measured on the footprint alone under-buys every shingle and every hour of labour by 8.3%.
Working on it. Still walkable. OSHA already counts anything above 4/12 as a steep roof, so commercial crews use fall protection, but residential re-roofs at this pitch are routine. Federal safety rules (OSHA 1926.500) treat any roof above 4/12 as a steep roof.
Cost. Replacing architectural shingles on that 2,000 sq ft house, old layer torn off, comes to about $12,000–$13,800 at US-average roofer wages. That figure follows the roof's area only: most roofers price standard labour at this pitch, with no steep-roof charge. Price your own roof from satellite.
Roofing materials at 5/12
Minimum slopes in the International Residential Code (2021). Cities adopt it with changes, and a manufacturer's instructions can be stricter, so check locally before you buy.
- Asphalt shingles — allowed (minimum 2/12, IRC R905.2.2)
- Clay or concrete tile — allowed (minimum 2½/12, IRC R905.3.2)
- Metal shingles — allowed (minimum 3/12, IRC R905.4.2)
- Slate — allowed (minimum 4/12, IRC R905.6.2)
- Standing-seam metal panels — allowed (minimum ¼/12, IRC R905.10.2)
5/12 pitch questions
What is a 5/12 roof pitch in degrees?
22.62 degrees. The angle is arctan(5 ÷ 12). As a percent slope it is 41.7%.
How much bigger is a 5/12 roof than the house's footprint?
Multiply the footprint by 1.083. A 2,000 sq ft footprint has about 2,167 sq ft of roof at 5/12, before overhangs and waste.
Can you put shingles on a 5/12 roof?
Yes. 5/12 is within normal shingle installation; the model building code allows asphalt shingles from 2/12 up.
Is a 5/12 roof walkable?
Still walkable. OSHA already counts anything above 4/12 as a steep roof, so commercial crews use fall protection, but residential re-roofs at this pitch are routine.
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