Lumber & Framing Calculators
Board feet, plywood sheets, and the studs to frame a wall.
- Board Foot CalculatorA board foot is the volume unit lumberyards price hardwood by — one board foot is a piece 1 inch thick, 12 inches wide, and 12 inches long (144 cubic inches of wood).
- Stud CalculatorA stud wall gets one stud every 16 or 24 inches, plus one to close the far end. Enter the wall length and spacing for the base stud count and the plate lumber.
- Plywood CalculatorPlywood and OSB come in 4 × 8-foot sheets that each cover 32 square feet. Enter the area you're sheathing and this gives the number of sheets, with a waste allowance.
Which calculator for which job
Pick by what you're buying or building.
- Buying hardwood by the board foot: Board Foot Calculator
- Hardwood is priced by the board foot: 1 in × 12 in × 12 in, or 144 cubic inches. Use the rough size for hardwood (thickness in quarters, so 8/4 = 2 in) and the nominal size for softwood framing.
- Sheathing a floor, wall or roof: Plywood Calculator
- Plywood and OSB come in 4 × 8 sheets of 32 sq ft. Sheets = area × (1 + waste) ÷ 32, rounded up, with about 10% waste and more where there are many openings.
- Framing a straight wall: Stud Calculator
- One stud every 16 or 24 inches on center plus one to close the end, and three plate lengths (a bottom plate and a doubled top plate). Corners, T-intersections and openings add more.
- Building a deck: Deck Calculator
- Decking boards, linear feet and the joists under them, sized from the deck and board dimensions. It counts material only; it is not a structural design.
- Covering walls and ceilings: Drywall Calculator
- Drywall is sold by the sheet. It gives the sheet count plus rough screws and joint compound.