What is a roof pitch?

  • A roof pitch refers to the steepness of the roof and can also be referenced as the slope, incline or angle. Roofers typically refer to it as a pitch and can be found by factoring the rise over a 12 inch run. 

Why figure what your roof pitch is? 

  • Helps determine what materials are suitable for your roof. For example, a roof with a pitch of 1 cannot use metal shingles. 

What is the multiplier? 

  • A flat roof has a pitch of 1, meaning the material needed is 1 times the size of the roof. Based on the pitch, you can use the multiplier to determine the amount of material needed for a roofing project. 

After safely measuring your roof to discover the pitch, you can use the graph below to calculate your roof pitch in degrees and multiplier.

PITCH ANGLE MULTIPLIER
1/12 4.8° 1.003
2/12 9.5° 1.014
3/12 14.0° 1.031
4/12 18.4° 1.054
5/12 22.6° 1.083
6/12 26.6° 1.118
7/12 30.3° 1.158
8/12 33.7° 1.202
9/12 36.9° 1.250
10/12 39.8° 1.302
11/12 42.5° 1.357
12/12 45.0° 1.414
13/12 47.3° 1.474
14/12 49.4° 1.537
15/12 51.3° 1.601
16/12 53.1° 1.667
17/12 54.8° 1.734
18/12 56.3° 1.803