What the two line items actually price
Steep charge and high charge are two separate concepts that get confused because they often show up on the same claim. Steep charge covers the extra labor, fall-protection setup, and reduced productivity of working on a pitch that will not hold a standing worker or ladder the way a walkable roof does. High charge covers the extra labor and equipment for reaching a work area that sits well above ground level, whether that is a second or third story or a tall single-story section with an unusually high eave.
Xactware's documentation lists these as selectable line items within the roofing categories in Xactimate®; the software does not auto-apply them based on a photo or a guess. An adjuster or estimator has to add the line item and, when asked, has to be able to show the roof condition that justifies it. That is the part that gets missed: the charge is defensible only when the pitch or height data in the file matches the line item on the estimate.
Steep charge: the pitch thresholds adjusters use
There is no single published pitch number in Xactware's documentation that mandates steep charge. What exists in practice, across carrier guidelines and independent adjuster workflows, is a common convention: 7/12 pitch is where most estimators start supporting a steep charge, with heavier multipliers applied as pitch increases past 9/12 or 10/12. Treat these as common practice, not a rule enforced by the software.
The reason the threshold tracks pitch so closely is that pitch is what actually changes the work. The pitch multiplier used to convert a roof's flat footprint into actual roof area, sqrt(rise squared plus run squared) divided by run, rises faster once pitch passes roughly 7/12, and that same steepening is what makes a roof unwalkable without rope and harness work.
| Pitch | Multiplier | Typical treatment |
|---|---|---|
| 4/12 | 1.054 | Walkable, no steep charge |
| 6/12 | 1.118 | Walkable, no steep charge |
| 7/12 | 1.158 | Common threshold where steep charge starts |
| 8/12 | 1.202 | Steep charge commonly applied |
| 9/12 | 1.250 | Steep charge, often at a higher rate tier |
| 10/12 | 1.302 | Steep charge, higher rate tier |
| 12/12 | 1.414 | Steep charge, highest common tier |
Multipliers are calculated from sqrt(rise^2 + run^2) / run for a 12-inch run; the threshold labels are common industry practice, not a fixed rule published by Xactware.
High charge: story count and eave height
High charge tracks the building, not the roof plane. The common convention is that two stories or more supports a high charge, and that a single-story structure with an unusually tall eave, a cathedral section, or a great room can also support it even without a second story, because the working height above grade is what drives the added labor and equipment, not the story count on the tax record.
Because 'high' is a height question, the supporting fact in the file needs to be a height, not an assumption. A measurement report or field measurement that documents predominant eave height, ridge height, and story count on the structure gives you the number to put next to the line item.
Using a measurement report to support both charges
A roof measurement report that breaks down pitch by facet and reports the structure's stories gives you the two data points steep and high charges depend on. When the report shows a predominant pitch of 8/12 with several facets at 9/12 and reports the structure as two stories, that is the documentation that supports both line items on the same estimate, and it is the same documentation a reviewer or IA firm QA process will ask for.
Sketch My Roof reports for adjusters include a per-facet pitch breakdown and structure summary that can be attached to the estimate as the supporting exhibit; see Sketch My Roof roof measurement reports for the format. Whatever report you use, the point is the same: pull the pitch and story data before you add the line item, not after.
Documentation checklist
- Predominant pitch and per-facet pitch breakdown from the measurement report
Steep charge needs a pitch number attached to the specific facets it is billed on, not just an overall roof average.
- Story count and predominant eave height
High charge is a height-driven line item; the file should show the number that puts the structure above single-story working height.
- Photos showing the steep or high sections
A photo that matches the pitch and height data closes the loop for a reviewer who was not on the roof.
- Adjuster notes on access and fall protection used
Notes on how the roof was accessed and what equipment the work required support the labor basis for the charge, separate from the pitch or height number itself.
- The estimate line item matched to the facet it applies to
Applying steep charge to the whole roof when only some facets exceed the threshold is a common reason the charge gets challenged.
Where these charges get disputed
The recurring dispute is a mismatch between the line item and the file: steep charge added to a roof reported at 6/12 pitch, or high charge added to a single-story home with no eave height documented. Both are avoidable by pulling the pitch and story data from the measurement report before writing the estimate line, and by keeping the per-facet breakdown in the file rather than relying on a single averaged pitch number for the whole roof.
The other common issue is applying a blanket rate across the entire roof area when only the steep or high sections qualify. Xactware's line items are meant to price the sections that actually carry the added labor; scoping the charge to those facets, using the report's facet-level data, keeps the estimate defensible under review.
Frequently Asked Questions
What pitch qualifies for a steep charge in Xactimate®?
Does a two-story home automatically get a high charge?
Can steep charge and high charge both apply to the same roof?
What should back up a steep or high charge in the claim file?
Is applying steep charge to the whole roof correct if only part of it is steep?
Sources
- Steep charge and high charge exist as selectable line items within Xactimate® roofing categories: Xactware official documentation (as of August 2026)
- Pitch multiplier formula: sqrt(rise^2 + run^2) / run, used to derive the pitch table: Xactware official documentation (as of August 2026)
- Roof measurement reports for adjusters include per-facet pitch breakdown and structure story data: Sketch My Roof adjuster reports page (as of August 2026)
