How to Use the Rise Over Run to Degrees Calculator

Enter a rise and a run. The angle of incline comes out in degrees.

angle = tan⁻¹(rise ÷ run)

Rise over run is already a slope, but a raw ratio like 0.5 doesn't mean much intuitively to most people the way "26.57°" does. Running it through the inverse tangent converts the ratio into the actual angle a ramp, roof, or road would tilt at — the same conversion a level or an inclinometer performs mechanically instead of algebraically.