How To Figure Roof Pitch With A Framing Square

Roof pitch is the measurement of a roof s vertical rise divided by its horizontal run.

How to figure roof pitch with a framing square.

Finding the pitch of a roof is simple with a speed square. Square guides are available at most hardware and home improvement centers. In the united states a run of 12 inches 1 foot is used and pitch is measured as the rise of the roof over 12 inches. Thus a moderate 6 in 12 roof pitch means that the roof rises 6 inches vertically for every 12 horizontal inches it runs.

It is often compared to slope but is not exactly the same. Framing square guides are small inexpensive metal attachments to the framing square that are locked in position on the square s edges at the pitch and run dimensions to define the roof angle and make the repeated marking of the rafters much more efficient. Fix stair gauges on the framing square to mark the pitch. How to use a framing square and its etched on tables to figure out roof slope rafter lengths.

A carpenter s framing square includes some tables stamped right into the tool itself. Find the unit rise say inches per foot of the roof on the top line in the framing square rafter table e g. How to find roof slope rafter length on a framing square how would we use our framing square to measure or to calculate the slope and rafter lengths of this historic herefordshire u k. To accurately calculate the area of your roof you must first determine its slope or pitch.

How roof pitch is calculated. A 6 inch rise per foot. 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. This article explains how to make quick use of a framing square and its imprinted data to get some basic roof measurement data like roof pitch or slope rafter lengths and end cuts.