Using A Protractor To Find Roof Pitch

This johnson pitch and angle locator is made of black high impact plastic.

Using a protractor to find roof pitch.

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. I hear read all too often this misuse and usually ignore it. To see how pitch impacts the look of a garage and changes cost click the design center button on our pole barn kits page. Learn more about finding the angle of a line using our slope calculator.

Here are a few methods to easily find the roof slope on your existing shed. 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. Using 48 carpenters level and measuring tape. Just write down the measurements you found.

Measure the run length it is the horizontal distance between the roof ridge and the wall of the building. Finding the pitch of a roof is simple with a speed square. Measured rafter run rr 17 ft. 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.

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. 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. Or 17 x 12 204 in. Most roof s have a pitch in the 4 12 to 9 12 range.

Lower the measuring tape to the surface of the roof 12 away from where the level meets the roof. Half of the scale is printed in 0 to 90 degrees in 2 quadrants. This tool is for carpentry plumbing electrical or hvac work that requires accurate pitch or slope identification. 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. Roof pitch refers to the amount of rise a roof has compared to the horizontal measurement of the roof called the run. Measuring the slope from the rafters. Either way let s see how you can calculate the slope of a roof without using a roof slope calculator.

The value displayed as the rise will be your x. The triangle shaped square was invented in 1925 by albert swanson to provide a quick accurate method for marking rafters. There s no need to simplify them. Access one of the rafters then take the measurement this way.

For example using the numbers from our roof framing square table example just above. Roof slope calculator example of use. Common roof pitches and equivalent grade degree and radian angles. 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.

You can use it to identify roof pitch stair slope or drainage angles.