The roof pitch app for roofers and contractors
Read the slope with the phone already in your pocket. Pitch Please shows the pitch as X:12 with the angle in degrees, the way the crew writes it, and saves a photo with the number drawn on it before you write the bid.
What a roofer gets from Pitch Please
X:12, not a bare angle
Imperial mode reports rise over 12 with the degrees beside it. No converting a protractor reading on the tailgate, and no arguing with the supplier about what 26 degrees means.
Direct Mode on the deck
Rest the phone on the slope, long edge in line with the fall, and read it from the motion sensors. Faster than a level and a tape, and it saves the measurement screen.
Camera Mode from the yard
Match the on-screen guide to the roof edge from the ground. For the bid walk, the steep facet, or the wet morning when nobody should be on the ladder.
The number stays on the photo
The saved image carries the pitch, the degrees, and the guide line. Attach it to the estimate or the job file and the reading cannot drift from the picture.
Pitch multiplier: from footprint to roof area
Once you have the pitch, the material order comes from the multiplier, also called the pitch factor or slope factor. Multiply the flat footprint by the factor for that pitch to get sloped roof area. A 2,400 square foot footprint at 8:12 is 2,400 times 1.2019, or about 2,885 square feet, which is roughly 28.8 squares before your waste allowance. A pitch that is off by one step changes that sloped area, and the quantity it feeds changes with it. How much depends on the roof and on your own waste allowance.
| Pitch | Angle | Multiplier | 2,400 sq ft footprint becomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4:12 | 18.4° | 1.0541 | 2,530 sq ft (25.3 squares) |
| 6:12 | 26.6° | 1.1180 | 2,683 sq ft (26.8 squares) |
| 8:12 | 33.7° | 1.2019 | 2,885 sq ft (28.8 squares) |
| 10:12 | 39.8° | 1.3017 | 3,124 sq ft (31.2 squares) |
| 12:12 | 45.0° | 1.4142 | 3,394 sq ft (33.9 squares) |
The multiplier is reference math, not a reading the app takes. Pitch Please gives you the pitch to look up; the full 1:12 to 24:12 conversion chart lives on the main Pitch Please page.
The 3:12 line, and why it is only a starting point
3:12 and below
Roofing convention commonly treats this as low-slope, and shingle manufacturers often set minimums and underlayment requirements near this line. The governing numbers are the ones in the manufacturer instructions and the building code that apply to your job, not the convention itself. A confirmed reading tells you which catalog to go and check.
Above 3:12
Steep-slope territory, where most residential roofs land between 4:12 and 12:12. Above 12:12 the labor and safety picture changes again. Mansard and Victorian work can run to 24:12, which is 63.4 degrees, and you want that on a photo before you price it.
Measurement note. Pitch Please is a field reference and documentation tool. Verify final code, engineering, safety, or construction decisions with the required professional instruments and your local requirements.
Estimators: get the factor right the first time
Waste and labor numbers depend on the pitch under them being right. Take the reading on the site walk, save the photo, and the estimate has its own evidence when the material shows up short or the crew asks why the day ran long. For full commercial low-slope estimating, multi-manufacturer takeoffs, and system selection, our sibling brand Feathers AI handles that end of the work.
Frequently asked questions
Does Pitch Please report roof pitch as X:12?
Yes. In Imperial, the default, Pitch Please shows the roof pitch as X:12 with the angle in degrees on the same screen, so there is no conversion to do on the tailgate. International switches the reading to slope units.
Can I measure a roof without climbing it?
Yes. Camera Mode shows a live view with an alignment guide you match to the roof edge from the ground. Direct Mode is for when you can rest the phone on the surface. Both save an image with the reading on it.
Does the app calculate the pitch multiplier for me?
No. The multiplier is reference math for estimating: multiply the flat footprint area by the factor for the pitch you measured. The table on this page lists the common values, and the app gives you the pitch to look up.
Is Pitch Please accurate enough to order material from?
It is a field reference and documentation tool built for fast, repeatable readings. Use it to confirm the pitch before you order, and verify code, engineering, or safety decisions with the required professional instruments.
Get Pitch Please
Available now on the Apple App Store and Google Play. Current pricing and device compatibility are on the store listings.
Related: measuring pitch from the ground with Camera Mode, using the phone as a digital pitch gauge, and the Pitch Please support page.