What is a roof hip?

A hip in roofing is the angled junction formed where two sloping roof surfaces meet, running from the eaves up to the ridge or apex.

Hip roof constructions are a popular choice in the UK, thanks to their weather resistance and for aesthetics. The shape ensures efficient water runoff while also effectively resisting wind.

Having sloped surfaces on all sides helps to direct wind upwards and over the roof more effectively. Unlike a gable roof, which has vertical walls that catch the wind, a hip roof spreads wind loads evenly across all slopes, reducing wind uplift and improving overall stability.

How are roof hips tiled?

Like roof ridges, most roof hips are covered with part-round or angled hip or standard ridge tiles, which can be butt-jointed or capped and can be plain or decorated with features such as crests or finials. For plain tiles, special fittings such as Bonnet Hip Tiles and Arris Hip Tiles can be used to join the courses either side of the hip. Here at Marley, we offer roof hip and ridge tiles in a variety of colours and styles to complement our range of clay and concrete roof tiles.

For compliance with NHBC guidelines and BS 5534:2014+A2:2018, the code of practice for slating and tiling for pitched roofs and vertical cladding, roof hip tiles should be dry fixed, or be mechanically fixed with screws, nails or clips, if bedded in mortar. Marley offers two systems for the mechanical fixing of hip/ridge tiles without the use of mortar mechanically fixed security hip system for use with mortar bedded hips.

• The Hipfast system is a simple and quick-to-install ventilated dry hip system that is suitable for all tiles and slates and pitches up to 45°. It may also be suitable for roof pitches up to 60°, depending on the tile/slate profile and hip tile type.
• The Dry Hip System is suitable for all concrete tiles when used in conjunction with Third Round or Modern hip tiles and is compatible with roof pitches ranging from 15° to 45°.
• The Mortar Bedded Security Hip system uses fixings and components from the dry hip system and is suitable for all butt-jointed mortar bedded hip or ridge tiles

Explore our range of roof ridge tiles and roof hip systems for your next roofing project.

Disclaimer - The information shared in this blog is correct at the time of publication. Guidance, standards, and best practices may change over time, so if you’d like further clarification or the latest updates, please get in touch with the Marley Technical Advisory Team, who will be happy to help.