The short simple answer is 2 12 has traditionally been considered the absolute minimum acceptable roof slope suitable for asphalt shingles.
Minimum angle for roof pitch.
Roof pitch refers to the measurement of the slope of a roof and you express this as a ratio.
However you can only use this pitch with built up roofing or specialized synthetic roofing.
On blue prints architects engineers usually display the pitch of a roof in the format shown on the image where number 4 represents a rise and number 12 represents a length.
This measurement is best done on a bare roof because curled up roofing shingles will impair your measurement.
The following table provides the minimum required allowable roof slope for each type of roofing material mentioned in the code.
Divide the first part of the ratio by 12 to work out the pitch.
In the roofing trade the go to term is pitch and it is expressed in terms of 12 inches so the pitch of a roof is determined by how many inches the slope rises for every 12 inches it runs horizontally.
Asphalt shingles continue to be the most widely installed roof covering option in north america.
They provide excellent weather resistance great value and now more than ever a tremendous range of beautiful designs and color blends.
The recommended minimum roof pitch for shingles is 2 12 or simply two units of vertical rise to every twelve units of horizontal span.
The minimum pitch for a roof is 1 4 12 which translates to 1 4 inch rise to 12 inches of run.
However it is regrettable that many installers usually ignore this requirement due to the desire for a quick installation process.
What is the minimum slope for an asphalt shingle roof.
The picture below shows the pitch of a 7 12 roof slope meaning that for 12 of horizontal measurement roof run the vertical measurement roof rise is 7.
To convert between american roofing ratios and pitch degrees follow these steps.
Although there s isn t any standard pitch of a roof used on all kinds of sloped roofs you can determine the range of pitches by using a roof angle calculator and by considering factors like the local climate and roofing materials.
Flat roof slope minimum according to the international building code the typical built up flat roof that uses tar or asphalt goes by the guideline that for every foot 12 inches of a flat roof a minimum of inch must step up or down.
The minimum roof slope allowed by code for any type of roof is in 12 applicable only to coal tar pitch roof systems.
Roof pitch and corresponding angles.
This is the basis for calculating the angle which is approximately a 1 19 degree slope.
A 12 12 pitch roof has a pitch angle of 45.