How To Measure Roof Pitch With A Speed Square

Read the pitch on the side of the rafter square.

How to measure roof pitch with a speed square.

Use a level and a pencil to make a plumb vertical line on one face of an existing rafter. This is simply 100 square feet of roof. If you need to find the pitch of an existing roof all you need is a level and a tape measure. If you re using a 2 ft 0 61 m level divide the distance between the level and the roof by 2 to get the true pitch.

Set the level on the edge of the speed square as shown below then place the heel of the speed square on a rafter or gable edge of the roof. Working from the interior side of the roof you ll need access to a roof rafter to measure the pitch. Measure the rise of your roof. Place the pivot point against the shingles.

To find the squares divide the overall roof area by 100 and then round up. Place the level horizontally along the rafter until it contacts the roof sheathing avoiding any protruding roof nails. Placing a ladder near the roof you will put a level a foot or so up on the roof hold it level and measure from the 12 inch mark straight down. Measure with a speed square a speed square and level can be used to easily find the pitch of a roof.

A square simply refers to a 10 x 10 square of roofing. Let s assume it is equal to 6 m. If it s four inches you have a 4 in 12 pitch and so forth for other measurements thereby determining your roof pitch. Measure the run length it is the horizontal distance between the roof ridge and the wall of the building.

With a torpedo level and a speed square you can pretty accurately gauge the pitch of any roof with a gable end photo 1. How to measure roof pitch with a speed square. Then place a torpedo level on the fat base of the rafter square and adjust the square until the level is level. Place the pivot point on the square against the bottom of the rafter and align the 90 degree angle side of the square with the pencil mark.

For instance if the roof is 1550 square feet then it is 16 squares.