Roof pitch

7/12 roof pitch

A 7/12 roof rises 7 inches for every 12 inches it runs: an angle of 30.3°, and a steep roof. You see it on two-storey homes, craftsman and traditional styles, and snowier regions.

Drawn to true scale: the angle on screen is the real angle.

Angle: 30.26°
Slope: 58.3%
Area multiplier: ×1.158
Rafter per foot of run: 13.89"

What 7/12 means for your roof

Size. A roof is bigger than the ground it covers. At 7/12 every square foot of footprint carries 1.158 sq ft of roof, so a 2,000 sq ft house has about 2,315 sq ft (23.1 squares) of roofing before overhangs and waste. A quote measured on the footprint alone under-buys every shingle and every hour of labour by 15.8%.

Working on it. Crews start using roof jacks and harnesses. Many roofers add a steep-roof labour charge from about here. 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 $12,900–$14,800 at US-average roofer wages. That figure follows the roof's area only: the steep-roof labour charge most roofers add at this pitch comes on top. Price your own roof from satellite.

Roofing materials at 7/12

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)

Compare with the pitches either side

Other pitches: 2/12 · 3/12 · 4/12 · 5/12 · 6/12 · 8/12 · 9/12 · 10/12 · 11/12 · 12/12. Any other pitch, in degrees and to scale: roof pitch visualizer.

7/12 pitch questions

What is a 7/12 roof pitch in degrees?

30.26 degrees. The angle is arctan(7 ÷ 12). As a percent slope it is 58.3%.

How much bigger is a 7/12 roof than the house's footprint?

Multiply the footprint by 1.158. A 2,000 sq ft footprint has about 2,315 sq ft of roof at 7/12, before overhangs and waste.

Can you put shingles on a 7/12 roof?

Yes. 7/12 is within normal shingle installation; the model building code allows asphalt shingles from 2/12 up.

Is a 7/12 roof walkable?

Crews start using roof jacks and harnesses. Many roofers add a steep-roof labour charge from about here.

Need a price for your roof?

Type your address: we trace your roof from satellite, apply its pitch, and show what a replacement costs. Free, about a minute.

Get my roof price

Roofer? Your customers can do the same on your website — see the quote widget.