Material takeoffs that show their working
Tell us the project you want. We tell you every board, fastener and footing it needs — and exactly why each quantity is what it is.
- Deck material calculator Tell us the deck you want. You get every board, fastener and footing it needs — and the reasoning behind each number, so you can check our working.
- Decking board calculator How many boards, and how many linear feet. Counting the gap between them, because that gap is coverage.
- Deck framing calculator Joists, blocking, rim, ledger and hangers — counted from the frame geometry rather than a rule of thumb.
- Deck stair calculator Risers, treads, stringers and total run — with every riser held inside the 7.75 in code limit.
- Deck railing calculator Posts, rails and balusters, spaced so a 4 in sphere cannot pass — with margin, so site tolerance cannot push you over.
- Fence calculatorPosts, rails, pickets and concrete. Coming soon.
Reference tables
- Nominal vs actual lumber sizesA 2x8 is 7.25 in. The full table, and why.
- Deck board coverageRows needed by width, board size and gap.
- Stair rise and runLegal geometry for every deck height.
- Material lists by deck sizeFull takeoffs for the sizes people build.
- Material price indexWhat lumber, steel and concrete are doing, monthly.
Why another calculator?
Because most of them hand you a single number and no way to check it. Divide the square footage, add ten percent, done. That is not a materials list, and it is usually wrong in ways you only discover at the lumberyard.
We do the opposite. Every line of every estimate carries its own explanation: where the quantity came from, what it assumed, and what could change it. If you disagree with an assumption you can see it, change the input, and watch the number move.
What we do differently
We use actual dimensions
Nominal lumber sizes are a fiction. A 2x8 measures 7.25", a 5/4x6 deck board is 5.5" wide. Estimating on the label instead of the board is the most common way a materials list comes out short.
We count the gaps
Deck boards are spaced for drainage. That gap is coverage — a 5.5" board with a quarter-inch gap covers 5.75" of deck. Ignore it and you over-order on every job.
We say what we do not know
Structural span limits and frost depths are safety decisions, not arithmetic. Where we cannot stand behind a number, we withhold it and tell you to check with your building department, instead of printing something authoritative-looking and hoping. Our methodology spells out where every figure comes from.