6/12 roof pitch
A 6/12 roof rises 6 inches for every 12 inches it runs: an angle of 26.6°, and a conventional roof. You see it on two-storey colonials, cape cods and much of the US housing stock — the most common residential pitch.
- Angle
- 26.57°
- Slope
- 50.0%
- Area multiplier
- ×1.118
- Rafter per foot of run
- 13.42"
What 6/12 means for your roof
Size. A roof is bigger than the ground it covers. At 6/12 every square foot of footprint carries 1.118 sq ft of roof, so a 2,000 sq ft house has about 2,236 sq ft (22.4 squares) of roofing before overhangs and waste. A quote measured on the footprint alone under-buys every shingle and every hour of labour by 11.8%.
Working on it. The upper limit of comfortable walking. Rain and snow shed well, every common roofing material is allowed, and labour is priced as standard by most roofers. 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 $12,400–$14,300 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 6/12
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)
6/12 pitch questions
What is a 6/12 roof pitch in degrees?
26.57 degrees. The angle is arctan(6 ÷ 12). As a percent slope it is 50.0%.
How much bigger is a 6/12 roof than the house's footprint?
Multiply the footprint by 1.118. A 2,000 sq ft footprint has about 2,236 sq ft of roof at 6/12, before overhangs and waste.
Can you put shingles on a 6/12 roof?
Yes. 6/12 is within normal shingle installation; the model building code allows asphalt shingles from 2/12 up.
Is a 6/12 roof walkable?
The upper limit of comfortable walking. Rain and snow shed well, every common roofing material is allowed, and labour is priced as standard by most roofers.
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