Free material calculators for home projects. No sign-up.Prices last checked 2026-10-31
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Buy once.

Enter your measurements and get the whole shopping list, a cost estimate from stores in your region, and a check against the building code. Every number names its source.

Choose your project How we calculate
  • 35 cited sources
  • 2024 code checks
  • Prices for your region
Framing plan · 16 ft × 12 ft deckPasses
Framing plan for the example deckTop view of a 16 ft by 12 ft deck: 13 joists at 16 in on center, 1 beam on 3 posts, and 26 rows of deck boards.House wall16 ft12 ft1 ftJoists 2x8 at 16 in on centerBeam: 2-ply 2x103 posts (black squares), 26 rows of deck boards
Cut listExample
  • 5/4x6 deck boards, 16 ft28 boards
  • Joists, 2x8 × 12 ft13 boards
  • Joist hangers for 2x813 hangers
  • Beam, 2-ply 2x10 × 16 ft2 boards
  • Posts, 6x6 × 8 ft3 posts
  • Deck screws3 boxes
Est. total, Chicago$1,298.28

Store prices checked 2026-10-31

Open the deck calculator

Sources cited, each with the date we checked it
35
Building code edition for span and wall checks
2024
Price regions, each priced at a local store
8
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6 project calculators

Pick your project

Each calculator draws your project, lists what to buy, prices it for your area and checks it against the code.

On every calculator page

More than a number

How it works

  1. 01

    Enter your measurements

    Feet and inches or metric. The diagram redraws as you type.

  2. 02

    Get the shopping list

    Every board, bag and box, with waste counted. Copy it, print it or save it as a PDF.

  3. 03

    Price it for your area

    Pick your state for prices from a store near you, or type in your own.

We show our work

Why trust these numbers

  • Sourced, not guessed.Structural limits come from the 2024 International Residential Code. Coverage and yields come from the manufacturers’ own spec sheets.
  • Honest about what we don’t know yet.Anything we haven’t checked is marked PLACEHOLDER, and you can type in your own prices.
  • Shows its work.Every page has the formulas, a worked example and the full table of numbers it uses.
  • Knows its limits.Deck spans and wall heights are checked against the code, and each page says when to call a pro.
Built by Ryan

A web developer, not a contractor. That’s why every number points to a code section or a spec sheet instead of a hunch.

About Level Count
Sources · Deck pageChecked
  • 2024 International Residential Code, Chapter 5 (Floors): R506 and R507International Code Council · building code
  • 2024 International Residential Code, Section R105.2 (Work exempt from permit)International Code Council · building code
  • DCA 6: Prescriptive Residential Wood Deck Construction Guide (2015 IRC edition)American Wood Council · industry guide
  • Voluntary Product Standard PS 20-10, American Softwood Lumber Standard, Table 3National Institute of Standards and Technology · standard
And 4 more on the deck page, each with what we use from it.

Change log

Recent updates

  • Bulk prices for gravel, sand and drainage stoneConcrete slab for a shed, Paver patio, Retaining wall
  • Prices by region: pick your stateAll calculators
  • Prices checked at Home Depot in Yuma, AZAll calculators
See the full change log

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