Stud and Wall Framing Calculator
Enter the length and height of a wall, the stud spacing, the plate layers and how many corners and openings it has, and get the boards to buy, with a waste allowance on the total; the working shows the studs, the plate boards and the stud length the wall needs.
Estimates for planning, not professional advice. Read the full notice.
Example: a wall
19 2x4 board, 8 ft
- Studs 13
- Plate boards 6
- Stud length the wall needs 7 ft 7 1/2 in
Estimate for planning, from what you entered and the product data shown. Check product labels and your supplier before you buy.
Your project
Enter a size to see your total.
Each product is rounded up once for the whole project, so the total can be less than the items bought alone added together. A line counted from a cut layout (sheets, boards or tiles laid out piece by piece) is counted for each item and added.
Shopping list
| Item | Size | Buy |
|---|---|---|
| Boards | 2x4 board, 8 ft | 19 |
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Worked example: a wall
Show the working
- Studs on the spacing: the wall length over the spacing, rounded up, plus one 16 ft ÷ 1 ft 4 in + 1 = 13 studs
- Plate boards: the layers times the wall length, cut from the stock length 3 layers × 16 ft ÷ 8 ft = 6 boards
- Studs and plate boards on the same stock length are bought together, rounded up once 13 studs + 6 boards = 19 × 2x4 board, 8 ft
Assumptions
The figures behind the example. Sourced figures link to their source below; a default is a starting value to check against your label or supplier.
| Assumption | Value | Details and changes |
|---|---|---|
| Waste allowance | 0% | |
| Default Your own allowance, added once to the total. Check your label or supplier. | ||
Feet and inches, like 12' 6"
Studs by wall length and spacing
Studs on the spacing, with no corner or opening studs, by wall length and by spacing on centre
| Wall length | Studs at 16 inches | Studs at 19.2 inches | Studs at 24 inches |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 ft | 7 | 6 | 5 |
| 10 ft | 9 | 8 | 6 |
| 12 ft | 10 | 9 | 7 |
| 16 ft | 13 | 11 | 9 |
| 20 ft | 16 | 14 | 11 |
| 24 ft | 19 | 16 | 13 |
Each count is the wall length over the spacing, rounded up, plus one. Corner and opening studs, plates and waste are added in the calculator above.
Questions
How many studs do I need for a 16 ft wall?
A wall of that length on the spacing in the example has 13 studs before corner and opening studs, the plates and waste; the table above gives other lengths and spacings.
How many studs are in a 24 ft wall?
19 on a spacing of sixteen inches, before corner and opening studs; the table gives the count for the other two spacings.
What spacings does the calculator offer?
Sixteen, nineteen point two and twenty-four inches on centre, as choices. It counts what you pick and does not say which a wall needs: check your plans and your local requirements.