How To Figure Out Roof Pitch With Speed Square

Read the pitch on the side of the rafter square.

How to figure out roof pitch with speed square.

The pitch of the roof is the rise over a 12 inch run. How roof pitch is calculated to accurately calculate the area of your roof you must first determine its slope or pitch. Thus a moderate 6 in 12 roof pitch means that the roof rises 6 inches vertically for every 12 horizontal inches it runs. Extend it upward so it is perpendicular to the level.

Place the pivot point against the shingles. Next multiply the footprint of the roof by the multiplier below for your roof pitch to find the overall roof area. Rafter rise run 1 5 6 2 25 36 38 25rafter 38 25 6 18 m. Then place a torpedo level on the fat base of the rafter square and adjust the square until the level is level.

Measure the rise of your roof. How to measure roof pitch with a speed square. Place the pivot point on the square against the bottom of the rafter and align the 90 degree angle side of the square with the pencil mark. Calculate the roof pitch as the proportion of rise and run.

A speed square and level can be used to easily find the pitch of a roof. For example a 4 12 pitch roof that is 100 square feet. Set the level on the edge of the speed square as shown below then place the heel of the speed square on a rafter or gable edge of the roof. Working from the interior side of the roof you ll need access to a roof rafter to measure the pitch.

Place the level horizontally along the rafter until it contacts the roof sheathing avoiding any protruding roof nails. Let s say it is equal to 1 5 m. Roof pitch area multipliers. Calculate the rafter length substituting these values into the following formula.

100 1 054 105 4ft 2. If you need to find the pitch of an existing roof all you need is a level and a tape measure. With a torpedo level and a speed square you can pretty accurately gauge the pitch of any roof with a gable end photo 1. Use our roof pitch calculator to find the pitch of your roof.

Move the tape measure along the the roof until it hits the level at exactly the 12 inch mark. A roof s pitch is determined by how much it rises vertically for every foot it runs horizontally. Use a level and a pencil to make a plumb vertical line on one face of an existing rafter.