Estimates only
DeckBoardCalc provides free calculators and articles for planning materials on a simple rectangular deck. Results are estimates. They are not a bid, not a contract, not a structural design, and not approval from a building official.
The site does not apply the International Residential Code, a state code, or your city’s amendments. It does not size beams, joist spans, posts, footings, ledgers, guards, or stairs. Joist spacing in the board calculator is the spacing you typed, used to count joists and screws. It is not a statement that the spacing is allowed for your board or your span. The baluster calculator uses the maximum opening you typed. It does not decide what opening your inspector will accept.
Your measurements
You are responsible for the inputs. A board that is not 5 1/2 inches wide, a gap your decking maker forbids, a tube diameter measured on the outside instead of the inside, or a rail length that forgets a gate will all produce a tidy and wrong list. Measure the material you are actually buying.
Prices you see at the start are placeholders so the total is not zero. Change them to the price at your yard. The site does not promise that price, that the yard has the length in stock, or that a board is straight enough to use.
No professional relationship
Reading this site does not make DeckBoardCalc your designer, your contractor, or your inspector. If you are unsure, stop and ask someone who is allowed to answer for your town. Building a deck that is undersized can injure people. The convenience of a shopping list is not a reason to skip that check.
Advertising
Pages may show third-party ads through Google AdSense, described in the privacy policy. An ad is not an endorsement of the advertiser, and the advertiser’s claims are not DeckBoardCalc’s claims.
No warranty
The site is provided as is. To the extent the law allows, DeckBoardCalc disclaims warranties of accuracy, fitness for a particular deck, and uninterrupted availability. The owner is not liable for lumber you bought, a project that failed inspection, or an injury from work planned with these pages. Some places do not allow that limit. In those places, the limit applies only as far as the law allows.
The pages can change
Formulas, wording, and the advertising setup can be updated. The date on each page is the last edit of that page’s content. Old printouts are not updated by themselves. Run the calculator again before you order.