Best Roof Angle For Snow

At these slopes snow creeps rather than slides and is easy to manage.

Best roof angle for snow.

How roof pitch determines suitable roofing systems. Any roof from 4 12 to 9 12 is considered an ordinary angle for a roof. This will extend the life of your roof. Having a steeper pitched roof allows for more space in a shed loft.

The safest way to determine the pitch of an existing roof is to measure from inside your attic using a level tape measure and pencil. Roof slopes lower than 4 12 tend to perform well with metal roofs which are less prone to leakage and ice dam formation. On roof slopes between 4 12 and 6 12 rough textured roofing materials work best. This image shows a relatively shallow roof pitch of 15 degrees.

Pitch is a measure of the steepness of a roof. Again the most important consideration is the weather. Significant here means less than an 8 change. What is the smallest pitch of a roof.

Across all materials this threshold is around 45 50 degrees away from perpendicular. These are also the most common pitches for shed roofs. A flat roof would have a 2 12 pitch while the average roof pitch would be between 4 12 and 9 12. Because it is one of the many key elements that determine the safety of the roof over your head there is a very good reason to understand the purpose of roof pitch.

There are advantages and disadvantages to having a steep pitch versus a shallow or low pitch the most obvious of which is the roof s ability to shed or withstand heavy snow rain or wind. The pitch of the roof is determined by the vertical rise in inches for every horizontal twelve inch length. A reputable roofing contractor will be familiar with the pitch required by these codes. Flat and nearly flat roofs a pitch of 1 in 12 or 2 in 12 cannot be covered with shingles or shakes of any material since there is not enough angle to combat the danger of blow off.

Simply put roof pitch is the measurement of the angle or the steepness of your roof. The smallest pitch of a roof is 0 5 12. Basically the steeper the pitch the better it can shed snow and rain. Use a handy tool like snow load calculator to help you determine if your roof can handle the weight of snow based on its pitch.

To put this another way you can tilt a roof angle about 45 degrees away from the optimal angle the perpendicular angle to the sun without significantly affecting light transmission.