20/12 Roof Pitch

59 Degrees, 166.7% Slope and a 1.9437 Area Multiplier

What is a 20/12 roof pitch in degrees?

A 20/12 roof pitch is 59 degrees. It rises 20 inches for every 12 inches of horizontal run, which is a 166.7% slope and an area multiplier of 1.9437 — so a 2,000 square foot footprint at 20/12 is 3,887 square feet of roof.

A 20/12 roof pitch rises 20 inches for every 12 inches of horizontal run. That works out at 59 degrees, a slope of 166.7%, and an area multiplier of 1.9437 — so a flat footprint multiplied by 1.9437 gives the actual sloped roof surface you have to buy material for. Everything below is derived from that single ratio: the roof area at common house sizes, how many bundles of shingles it takes, whether the roof is walkable, and which coverings the code allows at this slope.

What 20/12 means in every unit

20/12 roof pitch converted
Unit	Value	What it is
Pitch	20/12	Rises 20 inches over 12 inches of run
Angle	59°	What a digital level or inclinometer reads
Slope	166.7%	Rise divided by run — used in drainage work
Area multiplier	1.9437	Multiply the footprint by this for the real roof area
Rafter length per foot of run	1.944 ft	Feet of rafter per foot of horizontal run

All four describe the same slope. Pitch is what a lumber yard, a truss plant and a code table use; degrees is what an instrument reads; the multiplier is the one you order material against.

Roof area and material at 20/12

Roof area, squares and bundles at 20/12 pitch
Footprint	Roof area at 20/12	Squares	Bundles at 10% waste	Bundles at 15% waste
1,000 sq ft	1,944 sq ft	19.4	65	68
1,500 sq ft	2,915 sq ft	29.2	97	101
2,000 sq ft	3,887 sq ft	38.9	129	135
2,500 sq ft	4,859 sq ft	48.6	161	168
3,000 sq ft	5,831 sq ft	58.3	193	202

A 20/12 roof adds 94.4% to the footprint area. On a 2,000 square foot footprint that is 1,887 extra square feet of covering — 18.9 squares you would not have ordered from the ground measurement alone.

Working on a 20/12 roof

Staging and fall protection. Specialist work.

Standard asphalt shingle installation, with no low-slope underlayment requirement.

Waste factor: the usual allowance still applies — 10% for a simple gable, 15% for a hip roof, up to 20% for a cut-up roof. Pitch changes the area, not the waste rule.
Labour: work above 9/12 takes roughly twice as long per square as work at 4/12, because material has to be carried rather than slid and everything needs staging.
Ventilation: unaffected by pitch. The 1/300 rule is set by attic floor area, not by slope.
Rafter length: multiply the horizontal run by 1.9 to get the rafter, before adding the overhang.

How to confirm your roof is 20/12

Hold a 12-inch level against a rafter in the attic, bring it level, and measure straight down from the 12-inch mark. If the drop is 20 inches, the roof is 20/12.
A digital inclinometer on a rafter should read 59 degrees, within a few tenths.
A speed square with a pitch scale, held against a level, reads the ratio directly.
Round to the nearest standard pitch. Rafters and trusses are cut to whole increments, so ordering against an unrounded decimal produces a roof that does not meet at the ridge.

Frequently asked questions

What is 20/12 pitch in degrees?

A 20/12 roof pitch is 59 degrees. Take the arctangent of 20 divided by 12. The same slope is 166.7% and has an area multiplier of 1.9437.

What is the 20/12 roof pitch multiplier?

1.9437. Multiply the building footprint by 1.9437 to get the actual sloped roof area — a 2,000 square foot footprint at 20/12 is 3,887 square feet of roof.

Can you put shingles on a 20/12 roof?

Yes. 20/12 is above the 4/12 threshold, so standard shingle installation applies with no low-slope underlayment requirement.

Can you walk on a 20/12 roof?

Not casually. At 20/12 you need roof jacks or staging and proper fall protection — the angle is 59 degrees.