What is a Roof Pitch?

For a Metal Building roof pitch can be defined as "rise over run" or the angle of slope of a roof.  For example, a Metal Building that "rises" 5 feet vertically in a "run" of 12 feet horizontally, is referred to a 5:12 roof.  

Anything under 3:12 is a low roof pitch.  There are a few benefits to having a low roof pitch:

• A low roof pitch is less expensive to erect.
• Requires fewer materials then a steep roof slope which leads to cheaper material cost.
• Low roof pitches are easier to build on a large commercial structure. 
• Can use metal roofing panels for low roof pitches.

Anything above 3:12 is a steep roof pitch since it becomes harder to walk on the floor. Typically a steeper roof pitch is for areas that have higher roof slopes.  3:12 - 6:12 roof slope works best in areas with high snow loads.

Most customer determine roof pitch based on:

• Preference of a particular roof slope.
• Colored Roof or not.
• Matching roof slope on existing building.