What are common roof pitch angles in degrees?
Short answer. Common roof pitches convert to degrees like this: 3/12 is about 14 degrees, 4/12 about 18.4, 5/12 about 22.6, 6/12 about 26.6, 8/12 about 33.7, 9/12 about 36.9, 10/12 about 39.8, and 12/12 exactly 45 degrees. The conversion is the arctangent of the rise divided by 12.
Pitch to degrees chart
- 1/12: about 4.8 degrees
- 2/12: about 9.5 degrees
- 3/12: about 14.0 degrees
- 4/12: about 18.4 degrees
- 5/12: about 22.6 degrees
- 6/12: about 26.6 degrees
- 7/12: about 30.3 degrees
- 8/12: about 33.7 degrees
- 9/12: about 36.9 degrees
- 10/12: about 39.8 degrees
- 11/12: about 42.5 degrees
- 12/12: 45 degrees
- 14/12: about 49.4 degrees
- 16/12: about 53.1 degrees
- 18/12: about 56.3 degrees
What the ranges mean
- Under 2/12 (under about 9.5 degrees): too flat for shingles; needs a low-slope membrane system.
- 2/12 to 4/12 (about 9.5 to 18.4 degrees): shingles allowed with a double layer of underlayment.
- 4/12 to 7/12 (about 18.4 to 30 degrees): the comfortable, walkable range for most homes.
- 7/12 and up (about 30 degrees and steeper): steep-slope territory. Crews need extra safety setup, and insurance estimates add steep labor charges.
- 12/12 and up (45 degrees and steeper): very steep, common on turrets, A-frames, and some traditional designs.
Notice the degrees do not rise evenly: going from 2/12 to 4/12 adds about 9 degrees, while going from 10/12 to 12/12 adds about 5. For converting your own number, see how roofers measure a roof, and for roof terms, roof anatomy explained.