A variety of useful construction calculators created by Jack Gray, a roofing expert with over 25 years in the roofing industry.
What is a Roof Pitch Multiplier? A roof pitch multiplier, also called a roof pitch factor, is a number that you use to find the actual surface area of a pitched roof or the length of a common rafter. …
Introduction Have you ever heard someone refer to, for example, a “6 in 12” roof pitch, but you weren’t sure what exactly a 6 in 12 roof pitch actually looks like? This interactive roof pitch visualizer lets you instantly see how different roof pitches look from any angle. You can compare how different roof pitches …
Introduction Sheet copper is a durable, highly malleable, and attractive metal product used extensively in architectural, construction, and industrial applications. It has excellent corrosion resistance and impressive longevity, and it’s easy to work with. In construction, copper is often used for roofing, flashing, gutters, decorative elements, and lightning mitigation. In typical roofing applications, the copper …
Introduction Sheet lead is a heavy, highly workable material, used in a variety of building applications, as well as for soundproofing and radiation shielding. In roofing, lead is commonly used for flashing at chimneys, vents, valleys, and structural joints. Common thicknesses for lead sheet used in roofing range from around 1/16 inch to 1/8 inch. …
Introduction When you’re dealing with roofs, material weights are always a concern. Especially if a contractor is trying to get you to let him to store materials on the roof. You want to avoid overloading. I …
Introduction Sheet zinc is a relatively long-lasting and naturally corrosion-resistant metal product widely used in architectural, construction, and industrial applications. When alloyed with small amounts of titanium and copper, zinc becomes malleable and strong enough for bending and shaping into structured profiles using forming machines or manual forming techniques, without significant cracking or loss of …
Introduction When I was managing roof maintenance programs for commercial properties in Chicago, every once in a while a property manager would express concern that the snow building up on her commercial low-slope roofs would melt all at once and the roofs’ storm drainage systems wouldn’t be able to handle it. It seems like it would be …
Introduction The weight of snow is a vital piece of information. There are parts of the building code that are based on knowing how much additional weight a structure will need to support due to the …
Thermal Expansion Calculator This calculator uses the values presented in the thermal expansion table below. Thermal ExpansionCalculator Thermal Expansion Input Form Type of Material: Material Length: feetinchesmetersmillimeters Start Temperature: °F°C End Temperature: °F°C Calculate Change in Length: in ft mm m New Total Length: Clear Calculator Coefficient of Linear Thermal Expansion Explained The coefficient of …
Water Weight Calculator (by Unit of Volume & Temperature) Note that water is at maximum density (or weight per unit of volume) at 39.2°F/4.0°C. The weight of water is usually given for water at maximum density by default, but we are using room temperature (70°F) as the default setting. If you select a temperature other …