Minecraft Roof Generator

A roof is a slope, and on a block grid a slope is a set of steps. The Minecraft roof generator works out those steps for you and lays them out one layer at a time, so you can build from the eaves up without measuring. Enter the length and the width of the base, that is the walls the roof sits on, and choose a type. The plan for layer 1 is the outer edge of the roof; each layer above it moves in toward the ridge.

The generator counts whole blocks in a shell one block thick. Stairs and slabs would smooth the slope but do not change where the blocks go, so you can build the plan in full blocks and swap the outer corner of each step for a stair afterwards.

A gable roof has two slopes that meet in a ridge along the length, and two open triangles at the ends, the gables. Switch on Fill gable ends to close them. A hip roof slopes on all four sides; on a square base it is a pyramid, and on a longer base it ends in a ridge. A curved roof follows a circle: the half version is a barrel vault, half a circle across the width, and the quarter version rises steeply on one long side and flattens toward the other, like a wave.

The pitch sets how far the roof steps in for each layer it goes up. Low is one block up for every two across, 45 degrees is one up for one across, and steep is two up for one across. A gable roof on a 15 × 9 base is 3 layers tall at low pitch, 5 at 45 degrees and 10 when steep. The roof is one block thick, so low and 45 degree roofs take one block for every column of the base, and a steep roof takes two.

1. Measure the base. Enter the length and width of the walls that carry the roof, counting the outer blocks.
2. Pick the roof type and, for gable and hip roofs, the pitch.
3. Check the height. The stats show the layer count, the total blocks and the number of stacks.
4. Build layer 1 along the top of the walls, then press the right arrow or drag the slider for the next layer.
5. Close the ridge. The top layer is the ridge line, or the single block at the top of a pyramid.
6. Export a PNG of any layer, or the whole roof as a .litematic file.

• Cottages and barns with a steady 45 degree gable roof and filled gable ends.
• Towers and pavilions with a hip roof; on a square base it becomes a pyramid.
• Longhouses and greenhouses with a low gable roof that keeps the height down.
• Train stations and hangars with a half-round barrel vault over a long, wide base; the half-round plan for a base 9 blocks wide rises 5 layers.
• Steep church roofs and A-frame cabins with a steep pitch.

Make the base one block wider than the walls so the roof overhangs, or add the overhang by building the first layer a block outside the wall. An odd width gives a ridge one block wide and an even width gives a ridge two blocks wide. A stair block placed at each step, tall side toward the ridge, turns the stepped slope into a smooth one. For a curved roof, use an odd width for a single-block ridge at the top.