How To Find The Pitch Of A Roof Using A Speed Square

To find the pitch just place the pivot point against the shingles.

How to find the pitch of a roof using a speed square.

Using a speed square as a try square the 90 degree right angle leading out from the pivot and the lip makes quickly and accurately finding right angles a no brainer. With a torpedo level and a speed square you can pretty accurately gauge the pitch of any roof with a gable end photo 1. You can use a speed square to find pitches. Find the unit rise say inches per foot of the roof on the top line in the framing square rafter table e g.

Express roof pitch as the ratio of the amount of the vertical rise of a roof or rise over the corresponding horizontal distance or run you write the pitch assuming a run of 12 inches thus the ratio would describe how much a roof rises for each foot of the run. A speed square and level can be used to easily find the pitch of a roof. As aforementioned there is no standard pitch of a roof. Finding the pitch of a roof is simple with a speed square.

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. The pitch tells you the amount of vertical rise in inches for every 12 in. As a matter of fact finding the pitch of a roof was the motivating factor for how this tool was invented in the first place hence it s official name the rafter square. The triangle shaped square was invented in 1925 by albert swanson to provide a quick accurate method for marking rafters.

Read this number along the inches scale at the top of the framing square.