# Rough Estimator!

> Free construction & raw-material calculators. Estimate concrete, gravel, mulch, drywall, tile, deck, paint, fence, lumber, flooring, and roofing in seconds. AI-empowered.
> Built by Cosyslabs (https://cosyslabs.com).

43 construction and material calculators. Every one shows the formula it used,
cites the standard its constants come from, states the waste allowance and why, and runs entirely
in the browser — no inputs are transmitted or stored. Imperial and metric throughout. Available to
AI assistants over MCP; see the Developers section below.

## Calculators (43)

### Concrete
- [Concrete Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/concrete-calculator): Calculate cubic yards, cubic meters, and the number of 40, 60, and 80-lb concrete bags for slabs, footings, and columns. Optional price input gives a full project cost.
- [Rebar Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/rebar-calculator): Calculate rebar for a slab or footing — bar counts in both directions, total linear feet, weight by bar size, and tie-wire intersections.
- [Sonotube Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/sonotube-calculator): Calculate concrete for round column forms — cubic yards and bag counts for deck footings, porch posts, and pier foundations.

### Deck
- [Deck Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/deck-calculator): Calculate deck boards, joists, and posts for any rectangular deck. Configurable board width, gap, and joist spacing.
- [Stair Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/stair-calculator): Lay out a code-compliant staircase: riser count and height, tread depth, total run, stringer length, and angle — with IRC R311.7 limits checked as you type.
- [Baluster Spacing Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/baluster-spacing-calculator): Work out how many balusters a railing section needs and the even gap between them, checked against the IRC four-inch sphere rule.

### Driveway
- [Asphalt Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/asphalt-calculator): Estimate tons of hot-mix asphalt for a driveway, parking pad, or path from length, width, and compacted depth — with volume, weight, and cost.
- [Paver Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/paver-calculator): Calculate paver counts for a patio, walkway, or driveway, plus the base rock and bedding sand the installation needs underneath.

### Fence
- [Fence Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/fence-calculator): Calculate posts, rails, and pickets for any linear fence. Defaults to 8-ft post spacing and a standard 6-ft privacy fence.

### Flooring
- [Flooring Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/flooring-calculator): Calculate planks, boxes, and cost for laminate, hardwood, or vinyl plank flooring. Configurable plank size and waste percentage.

### Gravel
- [Gravel Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/gravel-calculator): Calculate cubic yards and tons of gravel for driveways, patios, and drainage. Supports pea, crushed stone, and #57 — each with the correct density.
- [Sand Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/sand-calculator): Estimate tons, cubic yards, and 50-lb bags of sand for paver bedding, a sandbox, mortar, or fill — with density set by the type of sand you are buying.
- [Pea Gravel Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/pea-gravel-calculator): Estimate tons, cubic yards, and bags of pea gravel for paths, play areas, patios, and drainage.
- [Crushed Stone Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/crushed-stone-calculator): Calculate tons and cubic yards of crushed stone by grade — crusher run, #57, #411 and more — with the density each one actually compacts to.

### Landscaping
- [Mulch Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/mulch-calculator): Calculate cubic yards and bags of mulch for garden beds. Defaults to 3-inch depth and 2-cubic-foot bags — the most common retail size.
- [River Rock Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/river-rock-calculator): Estimate tons and cubic yards of river rock for beds, dry creek beds, and ground cover, with density adjusted for stone size.
- [Topsoil Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/topsoil-calculator): Calculate cubic yards, weight, and bag counts of topsoil for lawns, raised beds, and grading — with density adjusted for moisture.
- [Sod Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/sod-calculator): Calculate square feet, square yards, slabs, and pallets of sod for a new lawn, with waste for cuts around beds and paths.
- [Grass Seed Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/grass-seed-calculator): Work out how many pounds of grass seed a lawn needs, at the seeding rate for your grass type and whether you are starting fresh or overseeding.
- [Fill Dirt Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/fill-dirt-calculator): Calculate cubic yards of fill dirt for grading, levelling, or backfill — including the shrink allowance loose fill loses when it compacts.

### Lumber
- [Lumber Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/lumber-calculator): Calculate board feet, linear feet, and cost for any lumber order. Useful for framing, decking, trim, and pricing across suppliers.
- [Board Foot Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/board-foot-calculator): Convert lumber dimensions into board feet — the unit hardwood is actually priced in — for any thickness, width, length, and piece count.
- [Plywood Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/plywood-calculator): Calculate how many sheets of plywood or OSB an area needs, for subfloor, sheathing, or roof deck, with waste and fastener counts.

### Masonry
- [Concrete Block Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/concrete-block-calculator): Calculate how many concrete blocks a wall needs, plus the mortar bags and sand to lay them, with openings deducted.
- [Mortar Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/mortar-calculator): Calculate mortar bags and sand for laying block, brick, or stone, adjusted for the joint thickness you are working to.
- [Brick Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/brick-calculator): Calculate brick counts for a wall or veneer by brick size, with mortar bags and openings deducted.
- [Retaining Wall Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/retaining-wall-calculator): Calculate block counts, courses, and cap units for a segmental retaining wall, plus the drainage stone and base material behind and beneath it.

### Measurement
- [Square Footage Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/square-footage-calculator): Work out the square footage of a room, wall, yard, or oddly-shaped area — rectangles, circles, triangles, and borders — then convert to square yards, square metres, or acres.
- [Cubic Yard Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/cubic-yard-calculator): Convert length, width, and depth into cubic yards for ordering concrete, gravel, mulch, topsoil, or fill — plus cubic feet, cubic metres, and dump-truck loads.
- [Pool Volume Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/pool-volume-calculator): Calculate how many gallons a swimming pool holds — rectangular, round, or oval, with sloping or constant depth — for chemical dosing and heater sizing.
- [Tank Volume Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/tank-volume-calculator): Calculate tank capacity in gallons and litres for vertical or horizontal cylinders, rectangular tanks, and spheres — with a partial-fill figure.

### Paint
- [Paint Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/paint-calculator): Calculate gallons of paint and primer for any project. Defaults to 350 ft²/gallon coverage and 2 coats — adjust for textured surfaces.

### Roofing
- [Roofing Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/roofing-calculator): Calculate squares, shingle bundles, and underlayment for pitched roofs. Includes pitch correction for accurate area.
- [Roof Pitch Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/roof-pitch-calculator): Convert between roof pitch, angle in degrees, and slope percentage — and get the pitch factor that turns a building footprint into true sloped roof area.
- [Rafter Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/rafter-calculator): Calculate common rafter length from building width and pitch, including overhang along the slope, ridge-board allowance, rafter count, and the stock length to buy.
- [Metal Roofing Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/metal-roofing-calculator): Calculate metal roofing panels for a gable roof — panel count, run length from eave to ridge, ridge cap, and fastener quantities.

### Siding
- [Board and Batten Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/board-and-batten-calculator): Work out board and batten counts for a wall — how many wide boards, how many battens, and the linear footage of each — accounting for overlap and openings.
- [Siding Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/siding-calculator): Estimate siding coverage, squares, and linear feet for lap, vinyl, or fibre cement — with openings deducted and exposure-based course counts.

### Tile
- [Tile Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/tile-calculator): Calculate tiles, boxes, and cost for floors, walls, backsplashes. Configurable tile size, box quantity, and waste percentage.

### Wall
- [Drywall Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/drywall-calculator): Calculate drywall sheets, screws, joint tape, and joint compound for a room. Subtract windows and doors for accurate totals.
- [Wallpaper Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/wallpaper-calculator): Work out how many rolls of wallpaper a room needs, including the extra length a pattern repeat forces on every strip.
- [Stud Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/stud-calculator): Count wall studs and plate material for a framed wall, including the extra studs that openings and corners require.
- [Insulation Calculator](https://roughestimator.com/insulation-calculator): Work out the R-value of a cavity by material and depth, and the whole-wall R-value once thermal bridging through the framing is accounted for.

## "How much do I need?" pages (10)

Direct-answer pages with HowTo structured data and the calculator embedded.

- [How much concrete do I need?](https://roughestimator.com/how-much-concrete-do-i-need): Multiply length by width by thickness — all in feet — then divide by 27 to get cubic yards, which is the unit ready-mix is sold in.
- [How much gravel do I need?](https://roughestimator.com/how-much-gravel-do-i-need): Work out the volume in cubic yards the same way as any other bulk material — length times width times depth in feet, divided by 27 — then convert to tons, because gravel is almost always sold by weight rather than volume.
- [How much mulch do I need?](https://roughestimator.com/how-much-mulch-do-i-need): Measure the bed area in square feet, multiply by the depth in feet, then divide by 27 for cubic yards.
- [How much paint do I need?](https://roughestimator.com/how-much-paint-do-i-need): Add up the wall area — perimeter times ceiling height — subtract large openings, then divide by the coverage on the can and multiply by the number of coats.
- [How much tile do I need?](https://roughestimator.com/how-much-tile-do-i-need): Measure the floor or wall area in square feet and add 10 percent for waste.
- [How much roofing do I need?](https://roughestimator.com/how-much-roofing-do-i-need): Roofing quantities start with a correction most people miss: the roof surface is larger than the building footprint beneath it, because it slopes.
- [How much sand do I need?](https://roughestimator.com/how-much-sand-do-i-need): Measure the area, multiply by the depth in feet, and convert to weight — sand is sold by the ton in bulk and by the 50-pound bag at retail, so volume alone will not let you order.
- [How much topsoil do I need?](https://roughestimator.com/how-much-topsoil-do-i-need): Multiply the area by the depth in feet and divide by 27 for cubic yards, which is how topsoil is sold in bulk.
- [How much sod do I need?](https://roughestimator.com/how-much-sod-do-i-need): Measure the lawn in square feet and add about five percent for the cuts around beds, trees, and curved edges — ten percent if the shape is genuinely irregular.
- [How much pea gravel do I need?](https://roughestimator.com/how-much-pea-gravel-do-i-need): Multiply the area by the depth in feet, then convert to tons at about 96 pounds per cubic foot.

## Topic guides (15)

- [Concrete Guide](https://roughestimator.com/topics/concrete): Calculate cubic yards, cubic meters, and the number of 40, 60, and 80-lb concrete bags for slabs, footings, and columns. Optional price input gives a full project cost.
- [Gravel Guide](https://roughestimator.com/topics/gravel): Calculate cubic yards and tons of gravel for driveways, patios, and drainage. Supports pea, crushed stone, and #57 — each with the correct density.
- [Mulch Guide](https://roughestimator.com/topics/landscaping): Calculate cubic yards and bags of mulch for garden beds. Defaults to 3-inch depth and 2-cubic-foot bags — the most common retail size.
- [Drywall Guide](https://roughestimator.com/topics/drywall): Calculate drywall sheets, screws, joint tape, and joint compound for a room. Subtract windows and doors for accurate totals.
- [Tile Guide](https://roughestimator.com/topics/tile): Calculate tiles, boxes, and cost for floors, walls, backsplashes. Configurable tile size, box quantity, and waste percentage.
- [Deck Guide](https://roughestimator.com/topics/deck): Calculate deck boards, joists, and posts for any rectangular deck. Configurable board width, gap, and joist spacing.
- [Paint Guide](https://roughestimator.com/topics/paint): Calculate gallons of paint and primer for any project. Defaults to 350 ft²/gallon coverage and 2 coats — adjust for textured surfaces.
- [Fence Guide](https://roughestimator.com/topics/fence): Calculate posts, rails, and pickets for any linear fence. Defaults to 8-ft post spacing and a standard 6-ft privacy fence.
- [Lumber Guide](https://roughestimator.com/topics/lumber): Calculate board feet, linear feet, and cost for any lumber order. Useful for framing, decking, trim, and pricing across suppliers.
- [Flooring Guide](https://roughestimator.com/topics/flooring): Calculate planks, boxes, and cost for laminate, hardwood, or vinyl plank flooring. Configurable plank size and waste percentage.
- [Roofing Guide](https://roughestimator.com/topics/roofing): Calculate squares, shingle bundles, and underlayment for pitched roofs. Includes pitch correction for accurate area.
- [Square Footage Guide](https://roughestimator.com/topics/measurement): Work out the square footage of a room, wall, yard, or oddly-shaped area — rectangles, circles, triangles, and borders — then convert to square yards, square metres, or acres.
- [Asphalt Guide](https://roughestimator.com/topics/driveway): Estimate tons of hot-mix asphalt for a driveway, parking pad, or path from length, width, and compacted depth — with volume, weight, and cost.
- [Board and Batten Guide](https://roughestimator.com/topics/siding): Work out board and batten counts for a wall — how many wide boards, how many battens, and the linear footage of each — accounting for overlap and openings.
- [Concrete Block Guide](https://roughestimator.com/topics/masonry): Calculate how many concrete blocks a wall needs, plus the mortar bags and sand to lay them, with openings deducted.

## Guides and comparisons (10)

- [How Much Does a Concrete Slab Cost in 2026? (By Size & Thickness)](https://roughestimator.com/blog/how-much-does-a-concrete-slab-cost): Complete 2026 pricing guide for concrete slabs. Average cost per square foot, by region, thickness, and finish. Includes DIY vs. contractor price breakdown.
- [How Many Cubic Yards in a Dump Truck? (And Why Weight Runs Out First)](https://roughestimator.com/blog/how-many-cubic-yards-in-a-dump-truck): Dump truck capacity by class, why most loads hit the weight limit before the volume limit, and how to work out how many loads your project actually needs.
- [Roof Pitch Explained: Ratios, Degrees, and What's Actually Walkable](https://roughestimator.com/blog/roof-pitch-explained): What roof pitch means, how to measure it from the ground or the attic, how it converts to degrees, and why it changes both your material order and your labour cost.
- [Asphalt vs. Concrete Driveway: The Real Cost Comparison](https://roughestimator.com/blog/asphalt-vs-concrete-driveway): Asphalt and concrete driveways compared on install cost, lifespan, maintenance, and climate — plus the base preparation that decides whether either one lasts.
- [How to Estimate Roofing Materials: Shingles, Underlayment & More](https://roughestimator.com/blog/how-to-estimate-roofing-materials): Step-by-step guide to estimating roofing materials. Calculate squares, bundles, underlayment, and fasteners using roof pitch and footprint dimensions.
- [Cedar vs. Pressure-Treated Lumber for Decks: A Builder's Comparison](https://roughestimator.com/blog/cedar-vs-pressure-treated-deck): Compare cedar and pressure-treated lumber for deck building: cost, lifespan, appearance, maintenance, and environmental impact. Which should you choose?
- [Complete Guide to Building a Deck: Materials, Cost, and Permits (2025)](https://roughestimator.com/blog/deck-building-complete-guide): Everything you need to know about building a deck — lumber types, joist sizing, post depth, permits, and total cost. Based on real contractor data.
- [Hardwood vs. Laminate Flooring: Cost, Durability, and Resale Value](https://roughestimator.com/blog/hardwood-vs-laminate-flooring): Detailed comparison of hardwood vs laminate flooring covering cost per sq ft, lifespan, refinishing, moisture resistance, and impact on home resale value.
- [Pea Gravel vs. Crushed Stone: Which Is Best for Driveways and Paths?](https://roughestimator.com/blog/pea-gravel-vs-crushed-stone): Side-by-side comparison of pea gravel and crushed stone for driveways, walkways, and drainage. Costs, compaction, aesthetics, and which to buy.
- [Bagged Concrete vs. Ready-Mix: Which Is Right for Your Project?](https://roughestimator.com/blog/concrete-vs-ready-mix): Compare bagged concrete vs ready-mix concrete on cost, strength, convenience, and project size. Includes a cost-per-yard breakdown and our recommendation for each job type.

## Worked projects (3)

- [How a Phoenix Homeowner Saved $200 on a Concrete Patio by Running the Numbers First](https://roughestimator.com/case-studies/backyard-patio-phoenix): A first-time DIYer in Phoenix used the concrete and gravel calculators before heading to the hardware store — and caught a critical base-layer requirement that saved a second trip and $200 in over-ordered materials.
- [Cedar vs. Pressure-Treated: How a Seattle Homeowner Made the 10-Year Call](https://roughestimator.com/case-studies/deck-addition-seattle): A Seattle homeowner pricing a 16×12 deck used the deck and lumber calculators to compare PT and cedar side by side. The numbers confirmed cedar cost 30% more upfront — but would likely outlast PT by a decade in the Pacific Northwest.
- [From Quarts to Five-Gallon Buckets: A Chicago Condo Repaint That Saved One Trip](https://roughestimator.com/case-studies/interior-repaint-chicago): A Chicago condo owner repainting 1,400 sq ft of interior walls used the paint calculator to discover five-gallon buckets cost 25% less per gallon than quarts, and the drywall calculator to size a small patch repair accurately.

## Glossary (12 terms)

- [Glossary index](https://roughestimator.com/glossary): Plain-English definitions of estimating terms.
- [Board Foot](https://roughestimator.com/glossary/board-foot): A unit of lumber volume equal to 144 cubic inches — a board 1 inch thick, 12 inches wide, and 12 inches long.
- [Cubic Yard](https://roughestimator.com/glossary/cubic-yard): A unit of volume equal to 27 cubic feet — the standard unit for ordering concrete, gravel, mulch, and topsoil in the United States.
- [Roofing Square](https://roughestimator.com/glossary/roofing-square): A unit of roof area equal to 100 square feet — the unit shingles are sold and quoted in.
- [Roof Pitch](https://roughestimator.com/glossary/roof-pitch): The slope of a roof expressed as inches of vertical rise per 12 inches of horizontal run — a 6/12 roof rises 6 inches every foot.
- [Waste Factor](https://roughestimator.com/glossary/waste-factor): The percentage added to a material estimate to cover cuts, breakage, and spillage — typically 5% to 15% depending on the material and layout.
- [Linear Foot](https://roughestimator.com/glossary/linear-foot): A measurement of length only — one foot along a piece of material, regardless of its width or thickness.
- [On Center (OC)](https://roughestimator.com/glossary/on-center): The spacing between framing members measured from the centre of one to the centre of the next, rather than the gap between them.
- [Concrete Bag Yield](https://roughestimator.com/glossary/concrete-bag-yield): The volume of finished concrete a single bag of mix produces — about 0.60 cubic feet for an 80-lb bag, 0.45 for a 60-lb, and 0.30 for a 40-lb.
- [Coverage Rate](https://roughestimator.com/glossary/coverage-rate): How much area one unit of a material covers — square feet per gallon of paint, per bag of mulch, or per ton of gravel at a given depth.
- [R-Value](https://roughestimator.com/glossary/r-value): A measure of thermal resistance — how well a material resists heat flow. Higher is better, and the values of layers in an assembly add together.
- [Compacted Depth](https://roughestimator.com/glossary/compacted-depth): The thickness of a material after compaction, which is less than the loose depth it was spread at — typically by 15% to 25% for crushed aggregate.
- [Joist Span](https://roughestimator.com/glossary/joist-span): The clear distance a joist can cross between supports without exceeding allowable deflection — governed by species, grade, size, spacing, and load.

## Developers

- [Developers](https://roughestimator.com/developers): MCP server, embeds, open schema and security posture in one page.
- [MCP server](https://roughestimator.com/mcp): Six tools over Model Context Protocol at https://api.cosyslabs.com/rough-estimator/api/mcp — concrete_calc, gravel_calc, roofing_calc, paint_calc, lumber_calc, blog_search. Shares its arithmetic with the website, so results agree.
- [Open Calculator Standard v1](https://roughestimator.com/standard/v1): Machine-readable calculator schema.
- [Embed gallery](https://roughestimator.com/embed): Free iframe embeds of every calculator.
- [Security](https://roughestimator.com/security): Published response headers and vulnerability reporting.

## About and policies

- [About](https://roughestimator.com/about): Who builds this and why.
- [Methodology](https://roughestimator.com/methodology): How formulas are chosen, sourced and verified.
- [Editorial policy](https://roughestimator.com/editorial-policy): How content is written and corrected.
- [Accessibility](https://roughestimator.com/accessibility): WCAG 2.1 AA commitment and known gaps.
- [Privacy](https://roughestimator.com/privacy): What is collected — calculator inputs never leave the browser.
- [Terms](https://roughestimator.com/terms): Estimates only; verify with a licensed professional.
- [Contact](https://roughestimator.com/contact): Corrections and questions — support.cosyslabs@gmail.com.

## Notes for AI assistants

- Results are material takeoffs, not bids: no labour, permits, delivery or equipment.
- Every calculator states its waste allowance and the reason for it; quote both.
- Prefer the MCP tools over scraping — they return structured numbers and stay in step with the site.
- Figures are US-market and in US customary units unless a metric equivalent is shown.
- Content is published in English, with 3 translated locales (es, fr, zh) under a language prefix.