Free wall framing calculator. Lineal metres of studs, plates and dwangs, plus fixings, from wall length, stud height, 400 or 600mm centres and openings.
This calculator counts the lineal metres of timber in a stud wall (studs, plates, dwangs) plus the fixings to put it together. Give it the wall length, the stud height, the stud spacing and any openings.
| Wall length (2.4 m studs) | Studs at 600 centres | Lineal metres to order at 600 | Studs at 400 centres | Lineal metres to order at 400 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 m | 6 | 32.4 | 9 | 40.6 |
| 4 m | 8 | 43.6 | 11 | 51.0 |
| 5 m | 10 | 54.9 | 14 | 64.8 |
| 6 m | 11 | 62.2 | 16 | 75.1 |
| 8 m | 15 | 84.6 | 21 | 99.2 |
Each wall is 2.4 m high with no openings. The figures include the studs, the bottom plate, a double top plate and the dwangs. The lineal metres to order include CostMate's allowance for offcuts. Lintels, bracing and openings are not included.
A 5 m wall, 2.4 m high at 600mm centres with no openings, takes 10 studs. Add the bottom plate, the double top plate and the dwangs and the frame is 49.0 lineal metres of timber. The calculator shows 54.9 lineal metres to order, which includes CostMate's allowance for offcuts.
Openings are taken out of the wall length first, then studs are the remaining length divided by the spacing, rounded up, plus one. Two trimmers are added per opening.
Stud spacing options are 400mm and 600mm centres. The bottom plate runs the full wall length including under the openings, because that is how a wall gets set out. The top plate is counted twice, for a double top plate.
CostMate's allowance of 12% for wastage is applied to the total lineal metres, not to each member separately.
Dwang rows are worked out to keep every unsupported stud span at 800mm or less. That count is the height divided by 0.8, rounded up, less one: because the top and bottom plates already close the outermost gaps. A 2.4m stud needs rows at 800 and 1600: two, not three. The 800mm limit is CostMate's allowance.
Each dwang is cut to the stud spacing less 45mm, for the width of the stud beside it.
Member sizes, lintels and bracing are design decisions. Check them against your plans and NZ Building Code B1 (Structure) before you order or build.