What Is a Ridge End Cap?

Where it sits

A ridge runs along the top of the roof, and at a gable the last ridge tile finishes over the edge of the slope. Without a cap, the open end of the tile is a hollow tube, and wind and water can pass straight into it. The end cap fills or covers that opening. It sits at the top of the verge, where the ridge, the verge and the last tiles of each slope all come together, which makes it one of the busiest details on the roof.

Types of end cap

On traditional roofs the end is often a shaped ridge end tile, made in clay or concrete in a matching profile, such as half-round, angled or hogback. It is bedded in mortar and sometimes pinned. Some roofs have a mortar-filled end, where the opening is packed and pointed, which is simpler but less durable. On dry-fix roofs the cap is a moulded plastic or composite piece, coloured to match, which slots over the end of the ridge and is fixed with a screw or clip. Our guide to ridge tile types shows the profiles the caps must match.

Why the end cap takes the most punishment

The end of the ridge faces the wind head-on at a gable. Gusts blow against the cap, work at its bedding and get beneath it. Rain runs down the ridge and collects at the end. Frost does its work in the joint. If the bed is weak or the fixing is slack, the cap is the first piece to loosen, and once it goes the last ridge tile has nothing holding it at the end. That is why a loose cap is an early warning for the whole ridge. Our answer on why ridge tiles come loose covers the causes along the run.

Signs that an end cap has failed

From the ground, look for a cap that is tilted, a visible gap between the cap and the tile, or a ridge end that looks open or stained with water. Pieces of mortar on the path below are a clue. A cap that has fallen leaves the last ridge tile exposed and may take the tile with it. In the loft, check the timber below the end of the ridge for staining or drips. Take photographs and send them in if you are unsure.

How it is refixed

A loose cap is lifted, the old bedding is cleaned off, and the cap is rebedded in fresh mortar or refitted with its clip or screw. BS 5534:2014 expects ridge components to be mechanically fixed, so a good repair adds a fixing as well as mortar. If the cap is cracked or lost, a replacement in the right profile is sourced. We also check the last ridge tile and the verge beside it, since the three work together. Our guide to verge repairs explains that side.

End caps on hipped roofs

A hipped roof has no gable at the end of the ridge, so the ridge ends where the hips meet it. That junction needs its own detail: a three-way or four-way piece on dry systems, or a mortar-bedded arrangement where the ridge and hip tiles are cut to meet. The weight of several tiles comes together there, and the water running down three slopes meets in one spot. The junction is often the first place a hipped roof starts to leak, so we look at it closely. Our page on hip tiles and dry hip systems describes how it is built.

Where a cap has been missing for a while, check the end tile for hairline cracks too. Frost can enter an unprotected hollow and split the tile from the inside, which makes the repair a replacement and not a simple refix.

Matching and appearance

The end cap is one of the most visible parts of the roof from the street, so the match matters. The colour, the profile and the finish should suit the ridge tiles beside it. On clay roofs the weathering of old tiles makes an exact match hard, and we explain the options when we survey.

What we do

We photograph each end cap on the survey, check the bedding and fixings, and tell you whether a simple refix will hold. If the cap is part of a wider ridge failure, we say so. See the ridge and verge repair page for the full range of work.