Roof shape
What is a hip roof?
A roof that slopes down on every side, with no vertical gable for the wind to push on — and more corners for the roofer to cut.
Updated September 12, 2026 · Every figure links to its source · Sources
DefinitionShapeAlso called: hipped roof
Hip roof — a roof whose four sides all slope down to the walls, the adjoining slopes meeting at inclined external corners called hips, so that there are no vertical gable ends; the NRCA glossary defines the hip as that external angle, and the roof takes its name from it.
What it is
On a rectangular house a hip roof has two long trapezoidal slopes and two triangular end slopes, meeting at a short ridge and four hips; on a square plan the hips meet at a point and the roof is a pyramid or pavilion roof. A half-hip (jerkinhead) clips the top of a gable with a small hip; a Dutch gable does the reverse, a small gable on top of a hip. The eaves run all the way round at one level, which is why hip-roofed houses have continuous soffits and gutters on every side.
Framing a hip roof takes hip rafters running diagonally from the corners to the ridge and shortened jack rafters between them and the eaves, all governed by the rafter rules of IRC Section R802; truss manufacturers build the same geometry from hip-set trusses. The hips themselves are capped with hip-and-ridge shingles or a metal hip cap.
Why it matters
The hip roof's reputation is earned in wind. With no gable end wall to catch the pressure and every slope braced by its neighbours, the shape is inherently more stable; the IBHS wind research has found that hip roofs perform better than gable roofs in hurricane-force winds, and insurers in hurricane states often rate them more favourably for that reason. The FORTIFIED standard does not require a hip roof, but the gable-end bracing it asks for at the Silver level is a requirement a hip roof does not need.
The trade-offs are cost, attic and detail. There is less attic space under a hip and less room for a gable vent, so ventilation relies on soffit intake and ridge or hip vents; the hips are extra lines of cap shingles, extra cutting and extra waste; and where a hip roof has dormers or wings, the valleys between them are the usual leak points.
What it costs and who does it
A hip roof costs more to re-cover than a gable of the same area: more cutting at the hips, a higher waste factor on the shingles, more cap to install and, with continuous eaves, more drip edge and gutter. Estimates are still by the square with a waste allowance; the hip caps are a line item. Any roofing contractor does the work. The directory's guide to a new roof installation describes the sequence, and its nails-per-shingle entry covers the fastening that gives the shape its wind rating in practice.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers; the sections above carry the detail and the sources.
Is a hip roof better than a gable roof?
Why are hip roofs more expensive to replace?
Do hip roofs need ridge vents?
Next step
Find a roofer who does this
A hip roof rewards a crew that cuts cleanly and caps carefully. The directory lists roofing contractors by state and city.
Sources
- Roofing glossary — National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA)
- 2021 International Residential Code, Chapter 8: Roof-Ceiling Construction — International Code Council (ICC)
- Wind research — Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)
- FORTIFIED Roof: requirements and rated roof covers — Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)