chalkline. Snap the line. Build to it.
glossary Glossary 3 min read

Dry-fix (roofing)

Dry-fix roofing clips ridge and hip tiles with a ventilated ridge roll instead of cement pointing, removing the pointing-failure defect behind most ridge leaks.

By Dan Waring. Last updated 1 June 2026. Verified 1 June 2026.

Ask Chalkline about this →

Dry-fix (also dry-fixed, or a dry ridge system) is a roof-tile detail that fixes ridge and hip tiles with mechanical clips and a ventilated dry ridge roll, instead of bedding and pointing them in cement mortar. It takes the mortar out of the ridge and hip lines.

Traditionally, ridge and hip caps are bedded on a sand-cement mortar and finished with a flexible pointing compound. Pointing cracks and lets go over time. It is the single most common defect found at a tiled-roof practical completion inspection, and the usual source of ridge leaks and dislodged caps a year or two down the track. A dry-fix system replaces the mortar with three things working together:

  • a dry ridge roll, a roll-out strip that seals the ridge against weather and vermin while letting the roof space breathe,
  • a ridge batten fixed along the ridge line, and
  • mechanical clips or screws that fix each ridge and hip tile down individually.

The result is a mortar-free, mechanically fixed, ventilated ridge. It matters for two reasons. First, in many wind classifications ridge and hip tiles have to be mechanically fixed anyway, so dry-fix satisfies the fixing requirement and adds ridge ventilation at the same time, which helps manage moisture in the roof space. Second, it removes the pointing-failure defect outright, which cuts callbacks.

For a builder the practical move is to specify dry-fix on new tiled roofs as the default. Confirm the system is installed to the manufacturer’s instructions for the right wind class, and that the dry ridge roll is dressed and lapped properly, because a poorly laid roll can trap or admit water just like bad pointing. See roof tile installation.

Also known as: Dry ridge, dry-fixed ridge, mortar-free ridge.

Category: Roofing / Tiled roofs.

See also

References

Last updated: 2026-06-01. Verified: 2026-06-01. Quarterly review for currency.

Related articles