In snowy areas your roof should be at least 10 12 40 to allow snow to shed while the safest roof pitch in very windy areas is between 4 12 6 12 18 5 26 5.
Proper roof pitch for snow.
Whereas in dry areas roofs could be flatter.
Have a real chance to soak in and find the weak spots.
A flat roof would have a 2 12 pitch while the average roof pitch would be between 4 12 and 9 12.
The minimum pitch for a roof is 1 4 12 which translates to 1 4 inch rise to 12 inches of run.
You can safely measure the roof pitch from inside your attic with a level that is either 18 or 24 inches a tape measure and a pencil.
So in general the shallower pitch can be more dangerous with bigger slides.
Any pitch higher than 9 12 is considered a steep pitch.
What is the smallest pitch of a roof.
Divide the results by the number of 12 inch segments in your level.
Roof pitch degree table.
The higher the roof pitch the more often the snow slides off.
For example if you used a 24 inch level and your measurement was 12 inches the pitch in your roof is 6 in 12.
Pitch is a measure of the steepness of a roof.
If the design necessitates a roof slope that drains onto a traffic area snow retention devices should be provided to hold the snow in place.
Once in the attic hold your level against the bottom of a roof rafter ensuring that all bubbles are resting in the center.
Begin by measuring 12 inches on your level and marking it with a pencil.
However you can only use this pitch with built up roofing or specialized synthetic roofing.
In areas with high rain and snow fall roof pitches traditionally tended to be relatively steep to encourage water and snow to drain and slide off.
You can also estimate a roof pitch by eyeballing it from the ground from the gable side with a level and ruler.
The pitch of the roof is determined by the vertical rise in inches for every horizontal twelve inch length.