5/12 Pitch in Degrees: Angle, Slope & What It Means for Your Roof (2026)

A 5/12 pitch is 22.62 degrees, or a 41.7% slope: the roof rises 5 inches for every 12 inches of horizontal run. It sits right in the sweet spot for American homes — a little steeper than the gentle 4/12, a little gentler than the classic 6/12 — and it shows up constantly on two-story houses and newer subdivisions around Waukegan and Lake County, Illinois. If a bid, an inspection report, or a shingle quote mentions “5/12”, this guide gives you the exact angle, the slope math, and what this pitch means for materials, walkability, and snow. To convert any pitch, use our roof pitch calculator.

How the Math Works

Pitch notation is rise over run: the first number is inches of rise, the second is always 12 inches of run. The angle is the arctangent: degrees = atan(rise / 12). For a 5/12 pitch, atan(5 / 12) = atan(0.417) = 22.62 degrees. The slope percentage is (5 / 12) x 100 = 41.7%. Over a 12-foot horizontal run, a 5/12 roof rises 5 feet. The area multiplier is 1.083, so a 1,000 square foot footprint carries about 1,083 square feet of roof surface before hips, valleys, and overhangs. Measure the run horizontally from wall to ridge, not along the slope, or the rise will be overstated.

Pitch-to-Degrees Reference Table

Every common residential pitch, with the angle and slope for each. Your pitch is shown in bold.

Pitch	Angle	Slope	Category
2/12	9.46 degrees	16.7%	Low
3/12	14.04 degrees	25.0%	Low
4/12	18.43 degrees	33.3%	Low-moderate
5/12	22.62 degrees	41.7%	Moderate
6/12	26.57 degrees	50.0%	Moderate
8/12	33.69 degrees	66.7%	Steep
9/12	36.87 degrees	75.0%	Steep
10/12	39.81 degrees	83.3%	Very steep
12/12	45.00 degrees	100.0%	Very steep

What This Pitch Looks Like

A 5/12 roof reads as a confident, middle-of-the-road slope: clearly pitched from the street, with a tidy gable profile that suits almost any house style, from ranch to colonial. Attic space is more generous than under a 4/12, often enough for storage plus mechanicals, and sometimes enough for a small finished room with dormers. The slope is steep enough that rain and melting snow move briskly, so staining and moss growth are less of a problem than on shallow roofs, while the roofline stays low enough to keep wind loads moderate.

Can You Walk on It?

A 5/12 pitch is still walkable, and most roofers work on it comfortably in dry conditions. It is near the top of the easy-walking range: fine in roofing shoes on a dry day, but noticeably steeper underfoot than a 4/12, and most crews will start reaching for roof jacks or staging on longer or more complex 5/12 roofs. For a homeowner, a careful walk for inspection or gutter work is reasonable in dry weather; leave any actual repair work to a roofer. Wet, frosty, or mossy conditions make a 5/12 genuinely hazardous, and Lake County winters add ice to that list for months at a time.

Materials That Suit This Pitch

Every mainstream roofing material suits a 5/12 pitch. Architectural asphalt shingles are the standard choice and install to normal specs here. Standing seam metal is excellent, shedding water and snow quickly. Clay and concrete tile perform well, subject to a structural check for their weight. Cedar shakes also work at 5/12. The only systems ruled out are flat-roof membranes, which belong below 2/12. At this pitch, pick by appearance, budget, and lifespan — the pitch itself imposes no special material limits and no special underlayment.

Illinois Snow, Ice and Wind Notes

For Lake County winters, 5/12 is a strong all-rounder. Snow sheds well enough to avoid the deep, lingering loads that trouble shallow roofs, but the slope is gentle enough that snow rarely avalanches off in dangerous sheets. Ice dams are possible on any pitch, and a 5/12 is no exception: meltwater refreezing at the eaves can back up under shingles. The defenses are standard — attic insulation, ventilation, and ice-and-water shield at the eaves — and any roofer quoting in this area should include them. Wind uplift is moderate at 5/12, well below the forces a steep gable catches.

How to Measure Your Own Pitch

Measure with a 12-inch level and a tape: hold the level horizontal against the roof or a rafter, mark 12 inches out, then measure straight down to the roof at that mark. A 5-inch drop means a 5/12 pitch, or 22.62 degrees. In the attic, measure along a rafter the same way. A phone inclinometer aimed along the slope gives a rough ground-level check. Confirm the number in our roof pitch calculator before ordering. Compare the neighbors: 4/12 pitch in degrees and 6/12 pitch in degrees. All our tools live in the roofing calculators hub.

Common Mistakes With This Pitch

The classic 5/12 mistake is rounding it to 6/12 in conversation and then ordering to the wrong number. A 5/12 roof carries about 3% less surface than a 6/12 over the same footprint, which is enough to leave a bundle or two short — or surplus — on a full re-roof. Another mistake is measuring from the fascia instead of the wall line, which shortens the run and overstates the pitch. A third is assuming a 5/12 needs no ventilation attention: at this middle pitch, an under-ventilated attic still cooks shingles in summer and feeds ice dams in winter, even though the slope itself sheds water well. Last, do not walk a 5/12 in anything but dry conditions with proper shoes; it looks friendlier than it feels underfoot once moss or morning frost is involved. One more check worth doing on a 5/12 is the attic intake: soffit vents blocked by insulation starve the roof of airflow, which shortens shingle life and invites winter ice dams even on a well-pitched roof. A quick attic look for daylight at the eaves and clear vent channels costs nothing and prevents the most common mid-pitch failure mode. Pair that with a gutter check each autumn, since a 5/12 sheds leaves and debris into the gutters faster than a shallow roof.

Frequently Asked Questions

What degrees is a 5/12 pitch?

A 5/12 pitch is 22.62 degrees. The roof rises 5 inches for every 12 inches of horizontal run, and atan(5 / 12) = 22.62 degrees. Its slope is 41.7%.

What degree is a 5/12 pitch?

The degree of a 5/12 pitch is 22.62 degrees — the same measurement, asked another way. The angle comes from atan(rise / 12), so atan(5 / 12) = 22.62 degrees.

Is a 5/12 pitch walkable?

Yes, in dry conditions. A 5/12 pitch is near the top of the comfortable walking range: roofers work on it routinely, and a careful homeowner can walk it for inspection. In wet, frosty, or mossy conditions it becomes genuinely hazardous, so leave repair work to a roofer.

Do asphalt shingles work on a 5/12 pitch?

Yes. Architectural asphalt shingles are the standard choice at 5/12 and install to normal manufacturer specs, with no special low-slope underlayment. Standing seam metal, tile, and cedar shakes also suit this pitch.

How does a 5/12 pitch handle snow in Illinois?

Well. Snow sheds briskly enough to avoid deep, lingering loads, but gently enough to rarely avalanche off in sheets. Ice dams at the eaves are still possible, so attic insulation, ventilation, and ice-and-water shield at the eaves matter on any Lake County roof.