# Roof Ridge

> The ridge is the horizontal line at the top of a pitched roof where two sloping planes meet; it is capped with ridge tiles, cap shingles or metal.

- URL: https://roof.wiki/roof-ridge/
- Topic: Roof Components
- Also known as: ridge; ridge line; roof apex
- Regions: Global
- First published: 2026-11-02 · Last reviewed: 2026-11-02
- Cite as: "Roof Ridge." roof.wiki. https://roof.wiki/roof-ridge/

## Key facts

- **Location:** Highest horizontal line of a pitched roof
- **Coverings:** Ridge tiles, cap shingles, metal caps
- **US upper vent zone:** Within 3 ft (914 mm) of ridge

The ridge is the highest horizontal edge of a pitched roof, formed where two slopes rise to meet. Every gable, hip or similar roof has at least one ridge; complex roofs may have several at different heights. The term covers both the external line of the roof and, loosely, the framing member beneath it.

## Structure

Beneath the ridge, opposing rafters meet against a ridge board or ridge beam, or the top chords of trusses meet at the apex. Historic roofs might have a ridge piece carried by a king post, or no ridge timber at all.

## Covering the ridge

Because the roof covering cannot simply be lapped over the apex, the ridge is finished with a separate cap:

- **Ridge tiles:** half-round, angled or decorative tiles used on clay, concrete and slate roofs. Traditionally bedded in mortar; modern UK practice increasingly uses dry-fix ridge systems in which the tiles are mechanically fixed.
- **Ridge cap shingles:** cut or purpose-made shingles bent over the ridge and nailed, each lapping the next, on asphalt shingle roofs.
- **Metal ridge caps:** formed sheet metal over metal roofs, sealed with closures that match the panel profile.
- **Thatch ridges:** a separate layer of thatch, often decoratively patterned, on thatched roofs.

## Ventilation at the ridge

The ridge is the natural outlet for warm, moist air rising in a roof space, so it is a preferred location for exhaust vents. Continuous ridge vents cut a slot along the deck and cover it with a vented cap. US code allows a reduced total vent area where between 40% and 50% of the ventilation is placed in the upper part of the roof, within 3 ft (914 mm) of the ridge, with the rest at the eaves. UK cold roof guidance often calls for high-level ventilation equivalent to a 5 mm continuous slot at the ridge.

## Terminology

The ends of a ridge meet gables or hips. In Britain, the decorative pieces at ridge ends are finials or ridge ends.

## Sources

1. Roof glossary — Milton Keynes Heritage Association. https://www.mkheritage.org.uk/wdahs/Thornton/docs/roofglossary.html
2. IRC R806 Roof Ventilation (code change proposal) — International Code Council. https://iccsafe.org/wp-content/uploads/bcac/IRC-R806.pdf
3. Batten space ventilation for pitched roofs — LABC Warranty. https://www.labcwarranty.co.uk/hubfs/Blog/Blog%20PDFs/LABCW%20Batten%20space%20ventilation%20for%20pitched%20roofs%20V2.pdf