Roofing is inherently dangerous, but the danger and the labor required scale exponentially with the pitch of the roof. A crew can walk comfortably and work quickly on a 4/12 pitch. On a 10/12 pitch, they require harnesses, toe boards, and significantly more time to safely tear off and install materials.
Insurance carriers know this, and Xactimate has specific line items to account for this increased labor cost. Yet, "Steep Slope" charges are routinely under-calculated or entirely omitted from initial estimates.
If you aren't rigorously checking the roof pitch against the carrier's estimate, you are subsidizing the carrier's savings with your crew's sweat and safety.
Understanding Xactimate's Steep Categories
Xactimate breaks steep slope charges into three distinct categories based on the pitch (rise over run). It's crucial to understand these thresholds:
1. Steep (RFG STEEP): Applies to roofs with a pitch of 7/12 to 9/12. 2. High Steep (RFG STEEP> / RFG STEEP2): Applies to roofs with a pitch of 10/12 to 12/12. 3. Very High Steep (RFG STEEP>> / RFG STEEP3): Applies to roofs with a pitch greater than 12/12.
These line items are purely labor additions. They are added on top of the standard tear-off and installation line items (like RFG 240 or RFG 300) to compensate for the slower pace of work.
How Carriers Short Steep Charges
There are two primary ways carriers underpay for steep slope:
1. The "Average Pitch" Trick: Adjusters will sometimes look at a complex roof with multiple facets of varying pitches, average them out, and decide the "overall" roof isn't steep enough to warrant the charge. This is incorrect. Steep charges apply to the specific square footage of the facets that meet the pitch criteria, regardless of the rest of the roof.
2. The Threshold Downgrade: If a roof facet is exactly 10/12, it qualifies for the higher "High Steep" (STEEP2) charge. However, adjusters will frequently write it for the lower "Steep" (STEEP) charge, saving the carrier a significant amount per square.
The Supplement Strategy
To successfully supplement for steep slope, you must rely on hard data, not estimates or visual guesses.
1. Use Aerial Measurement Reports: Never rely on the adjuster's hand-drawn sketch. Always order a third-party aerial measurement report (like EagleView or Hover). These reports provide mathematically precise pitch measurements for every single facet of the roof.
2. Isolate the Square Footage: Review the measurement report and isolate the exact square footage of the facets that fall into the 7/12-9/12 bucket, the 10/12-12/12 bucket, and the >12/12 bucket.
3. Cross-Reference and Supplement: Compare your calculated square footage for each bucket against the quantities listed for RFG STEEP, STEEP2, and STEEP3 on the carrier's estimate. If there is a discrepancy, supplement for the difference and attach the measurement report as undeniable proof.
Let AI Do the Heavy Lifting
Manually cross-referencing a 20-page EagleView report against a 15-page Xactimate estimate is tedious and prone to human error.
EstimateDelta automates this comparison. When you upload the carrier's estimate, our engine looks for the steep slope line items. While it cannot currently read the EagleView PDF directly, it flags the presence or absence of steep charges based on the claim details, prompting you to verify the quantities against your measurement report.
Furthermore, the generated Supplement Letter includes the standard industry language explaining why steep charges are a mandatory labor cost, not an optional upgrade.
Stop working harder for less pay. [Ensure your steep charges are accurate with EstimateDelta](/pricing).