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Better estimates.
Practical answers for the part before you buy: measuring your space, comparing materials, and working out how much to order.
How to calculate board feet
A true 1 × 6 inch board, 8 feet long, contains 4 board feet. Convert your own dimensions and compare lumber quantities.
Try the board-foot guideUseful before you order
From measurements to materials.
How Many Bundles of Shingles Are in a Square?
Compare manufacturer bundle counts, calculate shingles for your roof, and see worked examples with roof pitch, purchase allowance and whole-bundle rounding.
Read the guideHow Much Does a Yard of Gravel Weigh? Yards to Tons
Convert gravel yards to pounds and US tons with editable density, a weight table, and examples separating loose volume, compaction and supplier rounding.
Read the guideConcrete Cost per Yard: 2026 Prices and Delivery Math
See dated supplier price examples and calculate concrete supply cost with minimum charges, short loads and delivery. Compare the full bill, not just the yard rate.
Read the guideConcrete
3 guidesConcrete Cost per Yard: 2026 Prices and Delivery Math
See dated supplier price examples and calculate concrete supply cost with minimum charges, short loads and delivery. Compare the full bill, not just the yard rate.
Read the guideConcrete Slab Size Chart: Cubic Yards and Bags
Concrete quantities for 8×8, 10×10, 12×12, 20×20 and 24×24 slabs, with thickness comparisons and clearly separated allowances.
Read the guideHow Many Bags of Concrete Are in a Cubic Yard?
Compare 40, 60 and 80 lb bags per cubic yard, including half-yard orders, allowance rounding and a 10×10 slab example.
Read the guideDriveways & aggregates
5 guidesHow Much Does a Ton of Asphalt Cover?
Asphalt coverage per US ton at 1.5–4 inches, with a density-based formula and a complete driveway tonnage example.
Read the guideHow Much Does a Yard of Gravel Cover?
Compare gravel coverage at 1–6 inches, calculate cubic yards for a driveway or bed, and keep volume, tons and compaction separate.
Read the guideHow Much Does a Yard of Gravel Weigh? Yards to Tons
Convert gravel yards to pounds and US tons with editable density, a weight table, and examples separating loose volume, compaction and supplier rounding.
Read the guideLoose vs Compacted Aggregate: Avoid Double Allowances
Distinguish finished depth, loose delivery volume, density, and supplier rounding when ordering base aggregate.
Read the guidePaver Base and Bedding Sand: Calculate Both Layers
Separate aggregate base and bedding sand quantities, with a worked paver-area example and an order checklist.
Read the guideGarden & lawn
7 guidesCompost Volume for Raised Beds and Soil Blends
Calculate the compost share of a measured soil blend without confusing total bed volume with compost volume.
Read the guideGrass Seed Rates: New Lawn vs Overseeding
Read task-specific seed coverage and convert a bag label into pounds per 1,000 square feet.
Read the guideHow Many Bags of Mulch Are in a Cubic Yard?
Convert 1, 1.5, 2 and 3 ft³ mulch bags to yards. Compare whole bags, bed coverage and delivered bulk cost with worked examples.
Read the guideHow Much Does a Pallet of Sod Cover?
Calculate sod pallet coverage from actual roll or piece dimensions and compare complete versus partial-pallet orders.
Read the guideHow Much Topsoil Do I Need? Depth, Area and Order Size
Calculate topsoil volume for a lawn or bed and understand depth, bag sizes, settlement assumptions, and supplier rounding.
Read the guideMulch Coverage by Depth: Cubic Yard and Bag Table
See how layer depth changes coverage for one cubic yard or a 2 cubic foot bag, with a worked garden-bed example.
Read the guideTopsoil Yards to Tons: Why Density Changes the Answer
Convert topsoil volume to US tons using supplier density, with an illustrative density table and a clear conversion formula.
Read the guideWalls & floors
5 guidesFlooring Boxes and Waste: Coverage, Surplus and Cost
Convert net floor area to complete laminate, vinyl, or wood flooring boxes and compare real purchase costs.
Read the guideHow Many Drywall Sheets for a Room?
Estimate drywall wall and ceiling area, compare 4×8 and 4×12 sheets, and understand cutting and layout limits.
Read the guideHow Much Paint Do I Need? Coverage, Coats and Gallons
Work out paint gallons from wall area, coats and product coverage, with a 12×12 room example and a can-rounding comparison.
Read the guideTile Waste and Box Rounding: Order the Right Quantity
Understand why measured tile area, cutting allowance, tile count, and complete boxes give different totals.
Read the guideWallpaper Pattern Repeat: How It Changes Roll Count
Calculate usable full-height wallpaper drops after repeat matching and trimming, with a worked roll-yield table.
Read the guideRoofing
2 guidesHow Many Bundles of Shingles Are in a Square?
Compare manufacturer bundle counts, calculate shingles for your roof, and see worked examples with roof pitch, purchase allowance and whole-bundle rounding.
Read the guideRoof Pitch Multiplier Table for Area Estimates
Convert horizontal roof area to sloped area with a pitch-factor table and avoid counting a gable roof twice.
Read the guideDecks & lumber
2 guidesDeck Board Width, Gap and Count: A Worked Example
Estimate deck rows using actual board width and spacing, then convert rows into stock boards without assuming reusable offcuts.
Read the guideHow to Calculate Board Feet and Convert Linear Feet
Calculate board feet from lumber dimensions, compare nominal and actual sizes, and convert linear feet with an interactive tool and worked examples.
Read the guideMeasuring & planning
3 guidesHow Much Extra Material Should You Order?
Choose a waste and contingency allowance based on cuts, breakage, grading, compaction, matching, and supplier packaging.
Read the guideHow to Compare Contractor Quotes Line by Line
Turn a calculator estimate into a scope checklist so bids can be compared on the same work, materials, and exclusions.
Read the guideHow to Measure a Home Project Without Guessing
A repeatable field-measurement method for areas, volumes, slopes, openings, and irregular project shapes.
Read the guideReady to use your measurements?
Put the guide to work.
Choose a calculator, enter your dimensions, and adjust the assumptions to match your project.