How to Find the Area of a Sloping Roof

Estimating roofing properly prevents material waste.

When installing new roofing material it is essential to get the correct amount of materials to prevent waste and cut costs. Measuring a sloped roof does not often require that you have the pitch, but your building supplier may ask for a pitch measurement. Measuring the roof area, along with the pitch, is the simplest part of the roofing process while also being the most important. Measure everything twice.

Things You'll Need

• Ladder
• Measuring tape
• Level

Instructions

1. Mark a level with a mark 12 inches along the body.

2. Hold the level on the underside of a rafter on the underside of the roof overhang. Adjust the level until the spirit bubble is even. Measure from the 12 inch mark to the bottom of the roof to get the pitch.

3. Extend a measuring tape up the roof and grab the top with the end of the measuring tape. Take the measurement.

4. Measure the width of the overhang coming off the side of the roof. Climb down from the ladder and measure the width of the wall underneath the roof. Add the wall with the overhang to get the width of the roof. You do not have to climb up on to the roof if you use this method.

References

• Roof Genius: How to Determine or Calculate Roof Pitch or Roof Slope
• IKO: Estimating How Much Roofing Is Required