How to Calculate Head Clearance and Roof Pitch

Head clearance and roof pitch are basic considerations that must be made when a home or other building is going to be constructed. The pitch of the roof is its steepness. This measurement is expressed as a ratio between two numbers. Head clearance is simply a term that describes the amount of space between a person's head and the ceiling. This calculation is important in terms of meeting building codes for certain types of structures. Determining head clearance and roof pitch is a relatively simple process that involves some basic measurements and calculations.

Level
Tape measure
Pencil
Ladder

Instructions

- 1
  Measure 12 inches on a level and make a pencil mark at the 12-inch point.
- 2
  Stand on a ladder so that you can reach your roof.
- 3
  Hold the level out straight from your roof. The level needs to be 12 inches or more from the roof's edge.
- 4
  Measure from the 12-inch point on your level down to the roof using a tape measure.
- 5
  Write down the pitch as a ratio with the measurement from Step 4 as the first number and the number 12 as the second number. For example, if the distance from the level to the roof is 5 inches, you would write 5:12. You could also write this as 5-12 or 5/12.
- 6
  Measure the head clearance by standing on a ladder that is 6 feet high and measuring from the top of the ladder to the ceiling. This is the head clearance for a person that is 6 feet tall. For example, if the ceiling is 8 feet high, the head clearance would be 2 feet.

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