calcs.homes
calcs.homes
Enter the total linear footage your project needs and a board length to find how many boards to buy and the total cost.
Estimate only — actual cut yield varies with defects and joint placement.
We add your waste allowance percentage to the linear footage you need, divide that total by your chosen board length, then round up to the next whole board — you can't buy a fraction of one. Cost multiplies the resulting board count by your price per board.
The waste allowance exists because real cutting is never perfectly efficient: off-cuts too short to reuse, defects you have to cut around, and joint placement all eat into usable length. 10% is a reasonable default for straightforward framing, but complex angled cuts or a project built from many small pieces can push actual waste toward 15-20%.
10% is a reasonable default for straightforward framing. Complex cuts, angled trim, or a design with lots of small pieces can push that to 15-20%.
Sometimes — longer boards mean fewer joints, but off-cuts from a long board can go to waste if they don't match another cut length you need. Compare a couple of board lengths to see which uses material most efficiently for your specific cut list.