Graphical Construction Glossary >> Roofs and roofing. >> ridge board

ridge board

A horizontal board immediately under the ridge of the roof to which the tops of the rafters are fixed. A standard ridge timber that runs from end to end of a gable roof, and between the hip ends of a hip roof.

Ridge beam

A ridge beam can be timber or steel, but it is a structural member that carries some of the roof loads, it being supported at independently of the rafters.

Parts of a hip roof

The ridge board does not provide any load bearing function. It simply provides a convenient method of holding the rafters in position while they are being fixed. metal nail plate truss roofs do quite well without them.

Therefore there is not any great problem in joining ridge boards. Simple nailed splice plates either side of the board (between a pair of rafters) is all that is needed.

Sketch of a roof showing some of the parts.

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Adam Smith 1723-1790

"When we build, let us think that we build for ever."John Ruskin 1819-1900