Framing Calculator

Wall segmentsftExample: 10, 12, 10, 12 — one length per wall, measured tape-to-tape. Foot marks are fine: 24 and 24' both read as 24 ft.

Active project chain

Run Room Layout to auto-populate wall segments here.

Door widthsinRough opening width of each door, in inches — e.g. 36, 30. Mark feet and they read as feet: 3' is 36.Door heightsinRough opening height of each door, in inches, in the same order as widths — a standard door is 80.Window widthsinRough opening width of each window, in inches — e.g. 48, 36.Window heightsinRough opening height of each window, in inches, in the same order as widths.

Stud spacinginStud-to-stud spacing. 16 or 24 in is standard framing.Stud lengthftLength of a single wall stud, typically matched to ceiling height.Story countstoriesHow many stacked stories this wall run covers.

Advanced framing assumptions (optional)

Corner and opening padding, waste, plate and stud specifics — defaults work for typical framing.

Corner countoptionalcountHow many wall corners this layout has. Left blank, the corner studs are named as still to be counted rather than counted as none — the wall lengths cannot imply it. Enter 0 for a single straight wall.Extra studs per cornerstudsAdditional studs added at each corner for backing.Extra studs per openingstudsAdditional studs (king/cripple) added at each door or window.Blocking rowsoptionalrowsRows of blocking or fireblocking running horizontally between the studs. Left blank it is named as still to be counted; enter 0 if this wall carries none.Nails per framing connectionoptionalnailsEach stud is nailed at both ends. 2 if left blank — a jobsite practice figure, not a row from a fastening schedule.Top plate lap nail spacingoptionalinNail spacing along a double top plate lap. 16 in if left blank. A single top plate has no lap to nail.Waste percent%Extra material to cover cuts and mistakes. 10% is a common default.

Double top plates are standard for load-bearing walls; single is sometimes used for non-load-bearing partitions.

Stud sizeSets the lumber size on every framing line — studs, plates, blocking and corner studs — so a 2x6 wall left on 2x4 is ordered and priced as 2x4. It does not change the stud count, which comes from spacing and wall length.

Turn this on if the framing takes place below grade and needs basement-specific handling.

Ceiling joists (optional)

Real beam-deflection sizing, not a static span table — see the joist formula in Formula details below.

Turn this on if you want CrewMeasure to also size and count ceiling joists for this run.

Floor joists (optional)

Same beam-deflection sizing as ceiling joists, typically at a higher live load.

Turn this on if you want CrewMeasure to also size and count floor joists for this run.

Enter your wall segments and this will say how many studs to buy.

You'll need

Framing estimate

Not counted -- answer these to add them

Corner studs: How many corners the wall run turns, at 3 extra stud(s) each. The wall lengths cannot tell us -- the same run of wall is one straight length or a four-corner box, and only the corner backing differs.
Blocking / fireblocking: How many rows of blocking run horizontally between the studs. The wall lengths cannot tell us -- the same wall carries none, one mid-height row, or several for a fire separation or for backing behind a cabinet run. Enter 0 if this wall carries none.

Detail values

Regular studs (per story): —
Corner studs (per story): —
Opening studs (per story): —
Story multiplier: 1
Bottom plate: — ft
Top plate: — ft
Total linear feet: — ft
Framing nails: —
Doors: —
Windows: —

Assumptions

Corner count: not entered -- corner studs not counted
Extra studs per corner: 3
Extra studs per opening: 2
Stud size: 2x4 -- every lumber line here is ordered in this size; it does not change the stud count, which follows spacing
Stud order:
Plate order:
Story count: 1
Nails per framing connection: 2 per stud end, plus one every 16 in along a double top plate lap. Jobsite practice figures, NOT read from a fastening schedule. Counted as NAILS -- nails are sold by weight or by the collated stick, so convert at the counter. Excludes the corner studs, which are not counted yet.
Blocking rows: not entered -- blocking not counted
Ceiling joist ends: no ceiling joist run entered
Floor joist ends: no floor joist run entered

Included: wall studs, top and bottom plates, framing nails, waste allowance.

Not included: labor, permits, engineering review or stamped plans, fasteners and connectors unless explicitly itemized above.

Formula details

Regular studs (per story): sum(ceil(wallLengthInches / spacing) + 1)
Corner studs (per story): cornerCount x extraStudsPerCorner
Omitted, and named as a material still to be counted, until the corner count is entered -- the wall lengths cannot imply it.
Opening studs (per story): (doorCount + windowCount) x extraStudsPerOpening
Ordered as king and jack studs, under the same material ids the header/opening screen uses, so a job that runs both screens reports the overlap instead of buying the pieces twice. Half the allowance is booked as kings and half as jacks, which is the split that screen's own model makes at its defaults; an allowance that does not halve evenly puts the odd piece on the kings.
Story multiplier: storyCount + (basementIncluded ? 1 : 0)
Applied to every wall-run total (studs, plates, linear feet), mirroring shed-barn.ts's roofPlaneCount multiplier pattern.
Total linear feet: (bottomPlate + topPlate + (totalStuds x studLength)) x storyMultiplier
Framing nails: (totalStuds x 2 x nailsPerConnection) + ceil(doubleTopPlateLapInches / nailSpacing)
Two connections per stud, one into each plate. Both rates are jobsite practice figures, NOT rows read from a fastening schedule -- an inspector's schedule outranks them. Excludes the bottom-plate fixing, which is nails to a subfloor or anchors to a slab depending on what this wall sits on.
Blocking: wallLength x blockingRows x storyMultiplier x (1 + waste%)
Omitted, and named as a material still to be counted, until the rows are entered -- a wall's length says nothing about how many rows of blocking it carries. Measured as the full run per row; blocks cut to fit between studs come out slightly shorter.
Joist hangers: joistCount x (hung both ends ? 2 : hung one end ? 1 : 0)
Omitted, and named as a material still to be counted, until the run says how its ends are carried. A joist hung off a ledger or a beam face takes a hanger per hung end; one bearing on top of a plate takes none, and the run's dimensions are identical either way.
Header rough estimate: recommendedNominalDepthIn = smallest standard depth >= openingSpanFt
"span (ft) ~ lumber depth (in)" jobsite rule of thumb -- see shared/header-sizing.ts. Not code-based; verify before ordering.
Joist deflection-limited span: L = cbrt(384 x E x I / (5 x N x u)); floors N=360 on live load and N=240 on dead+live, governing span the lesser; ceilings N=240 on dead+live
L/360 for floors is IRC Table R301.7 ("floors and plastered ceilings"), applied to the live load alone -- the basis the published floor span tables are built on; the dead-plus-live L/240 companion check is IBC Table 1604.3's D+L column for floor members. L/240 for ceilings is IRC Table R301.7's "all other structural members" row. DEFLECTION ONLY: bending and shear are not checked, so this is not the code's allowable span. The modulus-of-elasticity values behind it are AWC's published No. 2 dimension-lumber design values and have NOT been verified against the NDS supplement itself -- see shared/joist-sizing.ts for the derivation.

Material List

About this calculator

Enter wall segments, openings, spacing, and plate style to get a fast framing takeoff with editable assumptions.

FAQ

Do opening widths affect the stud math yet?

Opening count drives extra king and jack studs right now. Widths are captured for later advanced framing work.

Can I change corner framing assumptions?

Yes. Extra studs per corner and per opening are editable, not hidden defaults.

Why is linear footage shown as well as stud count?

Linear footage helps when you are pricing lumber packs or checking total material volume with waste applied.

Wall layout