Construction & Building Calculators

Which one do you need?

Several of these calculators cover ground that sounds identical from the outside. These are the distinctions worth getting right before you start measuring. Picking the wrong one usually means a number that is correct for a different problem.

• Tile or flooring? Tile is counted in individual pieces with grout joints between them. Laminate, vinyl plank and hardwood are sold by the box, so the arithmetic runs through box coverage instead. Different calculators, different rounding.
• Stairs or stair stringers? Work out riser and tread counts first. That is the stair calculator, and it is where code compliance is decided. The stringer calculator takes those numbers and gives you the board length and the cut layout.
• Roofing or roof pitch? Pitch comes first: it converts your footprint into actual roof surface, and it determines which materials the code permits. The roofing calculator then turns that surface area into squares and bundles.
• Gravel, topsoil, or mulch? The geometry is the same for all three; the density is not. A cubic yard of crushed stone weighs roughly three times what the same volume of wood mulch does, so they cannot share a weight conversion.
• Concrete or concrete block? Poured concrete is a volume problem. Block is a unit-count problem, with mortar and any core grout calculated separately on top.

What every calculator here does the same way

The waste allowance is built into the result. A geometrically exact number will leave you short, because real projects lose material to offcuts, breakage, spillage and compaction. Rather than printing the exact figure and mentioning waste in a note underneath, each calculator applies a conventional allowance for that material as an adjustable field, so the number on screen is one you can order from. Our waste factors guide covers the typical allowances and, importantly, why compaction and settling are separate problems that need their own margin.

Code figures cite their section and edition. Where a number comes from a building code, such as stair dimensions, wire sizing or shingle slope limits, the page names the section it follows and which edition that is, so you can check it against the code your jurisdiction has actually adopted. Section numbers move between editions and many jurisdictions run several years behind the current one.

The arithmetic runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere, and the formula shown on the page is the one the calculator uses. If a result looks wrong, you can follow the worked example and find out why.

Reference guides

Longer background on the figures behind the calculators: the material allowances, the unit conversions the trades actually use, and the code requirements that constrain a build. See all of them on the guides index.

• Material waste factors: how much extra to order by material, and why waste, compaction and settling need separate allowances.
• Construction unit conversions: cubic yards, tons, roofing squares, board feet and bag counts, including why there is no single yards-to-tons figure.
• Stair code requirements: IRC rise, run, headroom, handrail and guard figures, and the uniformity rule that fails the most inspections.

These are planning estimates. Anything structural, code-related or safety-critical should be confirmed with your local building department or a licensed professional before you build. See about CubedCalc for how the figures are researched and which code editions they follow.