Building or Shed Materials

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The Building or Shed Materials calculator computes the top to bottom framing and roofing materials needed for a simple building based on a few dimension.

INSTRUCTIONS: Choose units and enter the following:

(L) Length of Building
(W) Width of Building
(H) Inside Height
(P) Pitch of Roof
(OH) Rafter Overhang
(MS) Metal or Shingles on Roof
(RT) Rafter framing or Trusses
(RoC) Rafter or Truss Spacing (default 24")
(SoC) Stud Spacing (default 16")
(JoC) Joist Spacing (default 24")

Building or Shed Materials: The calculator returns the following list of materials:

For METAL roof:
- Number and Length of Metal Roof Panels
- Number and Length of Purlins
- Surface Area of Roof
For SHINGLED roof:
- Number of 4x8 sheets (sheathing)
- Number of bundles of shingles (standard 33.33 ft² bundles)
- Number of roofing nails for normal and high wind environments
For RAFTERS:
- Number and Length of Rafters
- Length of Ridge Beam
- Total Area of Roof
- Number and Length of Rafter and Collar ties
For TRUSSES:
- Number of Trusses
Number of 8' top (doubled) and bottom wall plates
Number and Length of wall studs
Number of 4x8 sheets for exterior walls
Interior Wall Surface Area
Number and Length of Floor Joists
Number of 4x8 sheets for subfloor
Floor Surface Area

Note, that when you are happy with the estimate, you can e-mail it to yourself or others in a report with your custom instructions from vCalc using the Share Calculation button.

Please let us know how to improve this! Your feedback is priceless to us at vCalc.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Building or Shed Materials calculator is meant to help with material estimates. In all cases, confirm your estimates with a professional estimate and adhere to local building codes.

The Math / Science

The Building Shed Calculator uses the common dimensions of Length, Width, Height, Pitch and Overhang to determine the dimensions of the building. It then uses the spacing information for the rafters, studs and floor joists to compute the lumber for the framing. It assumes that the builder will use a metal roof which requires both rafters and purlins to hold the roofing material. It also assumes that the roofing panels are three feet wide which is standard in the United States.

The calculator does not compute the foundational support structure. This could be anything from posts (e.g. 6x6 posts or concrete piers) or blocks or a full foundation with footers. Please see the list of calculators below for those calculations.