Guides · Updated October 11, 2026

Pitch in degrees, and in rise per 12

This estimator takes pitch as inches of rise for every 12 inches of run, and shows the degrees beside it. The meter switch converts length. It leaves pitch in the 12-inch system, because that is how the hip formula and the labor brackets are written.

• 4:12 is about 18°.
• 6:12 is about 27°.
• 8:12 is about 34°.
• 12:12 is 45°.

On a gable, pitch changes the roof area and, above 6:12, the labor side of a professional price. It does not change the ridge length. On a hip, a steeper pitch makes each hip longer, because the hip is measured on the slope. A 40 by 30 hip at 8:12 is longer in the hips than the same plan at 6:12, and the professional range includes about 10% more labor.