5-Inch vs 6-Inch Gutters: Which Does Your Home Need?

Five-inch K-style gutters handle the majority of homes in our area. Six-inch gutters carry roughly 40% more water and pair with larger 3x4 downspouts, and they're the right call for big roofs, steep roofs, and homes under heavy trees. The decision is about how much water your roof sheds, not how the gutter looks.

Choose 6-inch if…

• You have a large roof or long single runs of gutter
• Your roof is steep: steeper pitches dump water faster
• You're under heavy tree cover and want the extra clog-forgiveness
• You've had overflow problems with 5-inch gutters before

The downspout matters as much as the gutter

A wider gutter feeding an undersized downspout still backs up. Six-inch gutters should run to 3x4 downspouts, which move far more water and are much harder to clog with sticks and leaves than the standard 2x3 size.

We size gutters and downspouts from your actual roof measurements, including satellite measurement from your address in our instant estimate, rather than defaulting everyone to 5-inch.