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Calculating Slope and Common Slopes in

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Architecture Calculating

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Converting
There are three different ways to indicate the slope of a surface relative to the horizontal plane: degrees, gradient, and
percentage. Calculating

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Calculating a Slope Gradient

Slope gradients are written as Y:X, where Y is a single unit in rise and X is the run.
Both numbers must use the same units. For instance, if you travel 3 inches vertically Newest Ar
and 3 feet (36 inches) horizontally, the slope would be 3:36 or 1:12. This is read as a
"one in twelve slope." Thin-Set Ti

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Calculating the Slope Percentage Structural P

Slope percentage is calculated in much the same way as the gradient. Convert the FF and FL N
rise and run to the same units and then divide the rise by the run. Multiply this
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number by 100 and you have the percentage slope. For instance, 3" rise divided by
36" run = .083 x 100 = an 8.3% slope.

Calculating a Slope in Degrees

The most complicated way to calculate slope is in degrees and it requires a bit of
high-school math. The tangent of a given angle (in degrees) is equal to the rise
divided by the run. Therefore, the inverse-tangent of the rise divided by the run will
give the angle.

Table of Common Slopes

The table below shows some common slopes. 1:20 sloped floors do not require handrails, but anything steeper than
1:20 is considered a ramp and requires handrails. 1:12 sloped ramps are the maximum slope allowed by ADA codes and
they require handrails. Federal ADA codes indicate that the maximum cross-slope of an accessible route is 1:48, which is
slightly more than 2%. However, we have seen some jurisdictions that allow a maximum cross slope of 1:50.

DEGREES GRADIENT PERCENT

0.6° 1 : 95.49 1.0%

1° 1 : 57.29 1.7%

1.15° 1 : 50 2%

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DEGREES GRADIENT PERCENT

1.19° 1 : 48 2.08%

2.86° 1 : 20 5%

4.76° 1 : 12 8.3%

7.13° 1:8 12.5%

10° 1 : 5.67 17.6%

14.04° 1:4 25%

15° 1 : 3.73 26.8%

26.57° 1:2 50%

30° 1 : 1.73 57.7%

45° 1:1 100%

56.31° 1: 0.67 150%

60° 1 : 0.6 173.2%

63.43° 1 : 0.5 200%

78.69° 1: 0.2 500%

89.43° 1 : 0.1 1000%

90° 1:0 inf.

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