Standard Roof Overhang Size

12 foot eaves and under 12 inch overhangs.

Standard roof overhang size.

A standard overhang is 16 24 inches but the overhang can be any length you wish. A shed overhang is an easy and effective way to protect your shed. With that in mind we kept a roof overhang at the eaves as it provides a nice shadow line and protects the second floor windows from a bit of the summer sun. For example a slope of 6 12 means for every 12 inches of horizontal distance the slope of the roof will rise 6 inches vertically.

Overhangs can vary from a few inches to a few feet depending on preference. Metal is usually installed on rafters or strip sheathing rather than the solid decking used under other materials. This will protect a roof from most types of damage. There will be some overlap which comes down to individual preferences.

Some slight overhang is recommended in conjunction with a drip edge flashing to prevent water from getting under the roofing and onto underlying wood. You can add 3 to 5 inches to the top. However the suggested width of an overhang is between 12 and 18 for eaves and no more than 8 for rakes. Pitch slope the pitch or slope is the incline of the roof expressed as a fraction describing the rise over the run.

A typical metal roof overhang may be 2 to 4 inches or even less. To create a cantilever properly you will need to know plenty about physics like torque and rotational equilibrium. That said overhangs can extend as far as 2 without the need for external supports. The run or the base number is 12 inches.

The rise will be the elevation change over the 12 inches. 12 to 16 foot eaves 18 inch overhangs. I ve always felt overhangs should generally be proportionate to the height of the building being constructed with some exceptions of course due to function. If the overhang exceeds 2 5 feet we will need to use a larger top chord for the overhang typically a 2 6 top chord for the truss.

Two feet is the general maximum length for a typical roof overhang.