How to Measure Roof Pitch from a Distance
The pitch of a roof describes the extent to which it is sloped. A roof that has no pitch at all is flat and completely horizontal. A section of roof with a pitch of 90 degrees stands straight up, completely vertically. The pitch of a roof determines how rain drains and snow collects or drops -- and how well the roof can support weight. Two distances on the roof determine its pitch. The trigonometric ratio of tangent derives the pitch from the horizontal and vertical distances that the roof covers.
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Instructions
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1
Measure the vertical distance from the roof peak to its base. For this example, imagine that this distance is 10 feet.
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2
Measure the horizontal distance from this peak to the roof base. For this example, imagine that this distance is 18 feet.
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3
Divide the vertical distance by the horizontal distance: 10 ÷ 18 = 0.556.
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4
Find the inverse tangent of this ratio using a scientific calculator. Continuing this example: tan-1 (0.556) = 29 degrees. This is the roof's angle of inclination, which represents its pitch.
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Tips & Warnings
Some applications describe the slope as a decimal value. In these cases, skip Step 4.
References
Resources
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