About the hip roof truss
A hip roof slopes down on all four sides. The framing includes common trusses in the middle and a set of girder and step-down trusses near the ends that form the hips.
When to choose it
Hip roofs resist high winds well and give even eaves all around the building, which is why they are common in storm-prone regions. They cost more than gable roofs because of the extra layout and framing complexity.
How to use this calculator
- Enter the building span and the length along the ridge.
- Pick the pitch (or switch to an exact angle) and set the eave overhang.
- Choose spacing, material, snow and wind loads. Results update as you type.
The Metric Hip example switches the unit toggle to meters so you can see the same results in metric.
Practical tips
The calculator returns the total roof surface using the footprint including overhang divided by the cosine of the pitch. Truss count here is a base figure; hip end sets are usually extra, so confirm the final list with your supplier.
Need a different figure? Try the span calculator, the cost calculator or compare options on the all truss types page.