Roofing component
What is the rake of a roof?
The sloped edge of a gable roof, from eave to ridge — the edge that gets the drip edge people forget and the wind the eave does not get.
Updated September 12, 2026 · Every figure links to its source · Sources
DefinitionComponentAlso called: rake edge, gable edge, rake board, verge
Rake — the sloped edge of a roof at the first or last rafter, running from the eave to the ridge along a gable end, together with the trim that finishes it; the NRCA glossary defines the rake as that edge, and the 2021 IRC, Section R905.2.8.5 requires a drip edge along it as it does along the eave.
What it is
A gable roof has two kinds of edge: the horizontal eaves along the long sides and the sloped rakes up the gable ends. Where the rake overhangs the gable wall, the overhang is framed on outlookers or a fly rafter (a rafter set outside the wall, carried by lookouts from the last true rafter) and finished with a rake board — the sloped equivalent of the fascia — and often a soffit beneath. A rake with no overhang is finished flush with a rake board or a metal rake trim against the siding.
The IRC, Section R905.2.8.5 requires the same drip edge at the rakes as at the eaves, with one difference in sequence: at the rake the drip edge goes over the underlayment, so that wind-driven water at the edge cannot get beneath it, whereas at the eave the underlayment goes over the drip edge. Shingles are run past the rake by a small overhang and, in high-wind regions, sealed or held with a starter strip along it.
Why it matters
Wind approaches a gable roof from the side and meets the rake first. Pressure builds under the overhang, uplift peaks along the edge, and if the drip edge is missing, the shingles unsealed or the starter course absent, the first course to leave is along the rake. The IBHS FORTIFIED Roof standard treats the rakes and eaves together in its "stronger edges" requirement — a wider drip edge and a fully adhered starter strip on both — because its wind-tunnel tests show damage starting at the edges. The IBHS wind research on gable ends adds the wall below: an unbraced gable and a peeled rake tend to go together.
Rakes also collect the ordinary problems of an edge — a rake board that has rotted where a gutter downspout splashes it, a soffit panel gone, birds in the overhang — and, because they are the ends of the sheathing panels, a place where badly cut sheathing leaves the shingles unsupported.
What it costs and who does it
Rake work is priced by the linear foot: drip edge, rake board and rake trim, soffit under the overhang, and the shingle starter and sealing along the edge. On a re-roof the drip edge and starter are part of the price and should be named in it; rake boards and trim are a carpentry or siding line item that roofers, trim carpenters and siding contractors all do. The directory's how-to on installing drip edge shows the rake sequence, and its roof repair cost guide how edge repairs are estimated.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers; the sections above carry the detail and the sources.
What is the difference between the rake and the eave?
Does the rake need a drip edge?
What is a rake board?
Next step
Find a roofer who does this
Edges are where a roofer's care shows first. The directory lists roofing contractors by state and city.
Sources
- Roofing glossary — National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA)
- 2021 International Residential Code, Chapter 9: Roof Assemblies — International Code Council (ICC)
- FORTIFIED Roof: requirements and rated roof covers — Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)
- Wind research — Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)