How do I know what my roof pitch is?
Short answer. The easiest places to find your roof pitch are documents you may already have: the house plans, a previous roofing quote or aerial measurement report, or an old insurance estimate, which usually lists pitch by slope. If you have none, you can measure it from the attic or a ladder with a level and tape, or have a roofer measure it during an inspection.
Check your paperwork first
- House plans: elevation drawings show a small triangle with 12 on one side and the rise on the other, such as 8 over 12.
- Past roofing quotes: many quotes and aerial measurement reports list the predominant pitch and the pitch of each roof facet.
- Insurance estimates: roof claim estimates list pitch because steep slopes add labor charges.
- Home inspection report: some inspectors note roof slope.
- Builder or HOA records: newer subdivisions often have standard plans on file.
If you have no documents
- From the attic: hold a level horizontally against the underside of a rafter, measure 12 inches along the level, then measure straight up to the rafter. That distance is your rise per 12.
- From a ladder at the gable end: do the same against the rake edge.
- From the ground: compare the gable to a pitch chart, or use a phone app that measures angles from a photo, then convert. This gives an estimate, not a precise number.
Your roof may have several pitches
Porches, dormers, and additions often differ from the main roof. Quotes and claim estimates price each slope separately, so a single number may not tell the whole story. For how measurements feed into pricing, see how roofers measure a roof.