Ideal Roof Slope For Snow

So if your roof rises 4 inches for every 12 inches of horizontal length then the pitch of your roof is expressed as 4 12.

Ideal roof slope for snow. Roof pitch is the measurement of roof steepness. Visit the shed roofing page. Furthermore a roof in a forest should have. They hold the snow in place and keep it from accumulating and then sliding off in large slabs that can be dangerous.

The graphic below helps flesh this out. Roof slopes between 4 12 and 6 12 are best for minimizing the wind uplift effects in high wind zones. 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. A roof slope of 7 12 is also good and can provide the additional benefit of helping minimize the effects of wind driven rain.

The general temperature will determine the exact roof pitch with a lower pitch being best for temperate zones and steeper for areas that experience snowfall. People have been killed by snow avalanches sliding off roofs during big snow winters. For slopes below 20 degrees systems such as epdm fibreglass metal roofing can be used. The most common roofing material is asphalt shingles.

According to the conventional rule of thumb this would require roof glazing to be about 60 degrees off the horizon 40 20 60. On roof slopes between 4 12 and 6 12 rough textured roofing materials work best. Basically the steeper the pitch the better it can shed snow and rain. For example a shingle roof in a snowy region could be 2 12 but it is better to have a steeper pitch such as 12 12 or even steeper to shed the snow.

A steep slope roof is one whose slope is greater than 3 12. Felt shingle systems can achieve lower slopes down to about 20 degrees. A ratio is the most common way of expressing roof pitch or roof slope but degrees are also possible. The way pitch also known as roof slope is measured is rise over run.

Steeper slopes are ideal for areas that have higher snow loads and will also prevent the possibility of ponding water on the roof. For lots more information on which roof finish to use for which slope and indicative costs.