Decking Cost Estimate

The Decking Cost Estimate calculator estimates the cost of deck boards needed to cover an area, subfloor and joists, based on the unit price per square foot.

INSTRUCTIONS:  Choose units and enter the following:

• (L) Deck Length
• (W) Deck Width 
• (UP) Unit Price 

Deck Board Material Cost (TC): The calculator will estimate the number of deck boards and the total cost in U.S. dollars.   However, this can be automatically converted into numerous other currencies (see list below) via the pull-down menu next to the answer.

The Math / Science

The formula for Deck Board Material Cost is:

TC = nB ⋅ UP

where

• TC = Total Cost of Flooring
• nB = Number of Deck Boards needed 
• UP = Unit Price per Area (e.g., $2.45 per square foot)

Wood Decking Pricing

To assist in making rough price estimates for projects, vCalc performs periodic pricing surveys of nationally advertised commodities.  The pricing came from the website of the Store listed and at the Date specified.  This is for rough calculating convenience and local pricing should ALWAYS be used.

Wood Decking Price Survey

• Date: 11/7/23
• Store: Menards
• Number of Products Surveyed: 37
• Board Price per Square Feet Stats: 
  • Economy Wood Decking Price: $1.18/ft²
  • Low Wood Decking Price: $1.76/ft²
  • Mid Wood Decking Price: $2.21/ft²
  • High Wood Decking Price: $2.67/ft²
  • Premium Wood Decking Price: $4.04/ft²

See Pricing Raw Data for the Wood Decking for details. 

CAUTION: The pricing information provided is for calculating convenience with NO implied guarantees to the accuracy of the values listed. Authoritative sources should be sought to confirm any value before risking health or wealth on the veracity of the data. Furthermore, Calc gives no guarantee that you will be able to buy products at listed prices or even if they will be available.  The data provided is purely a convenience for making estimates, so we strongly recommend that one ALWAYS use local pricing and authoritative specifications.

The Pricing Data can be used for the Flooring Material Cost calculator, CLICK HERE.

Deck Builder Calculator provides estimates for a simple rectangular deck project.  Calculator functions include the following:

• Deck Board Count: Computes the number of decking boards needed for your deck based on the size of the deck and the size of the decking boards.
• Deck Boards Cost: Computes the cost of deck board flooring based on a computed number of deck boards and the price per board.
• Decking Cost Estimate: Estimates the cost of wood board decking based on total area and unit pricing in dollars per square feet.
• Subfloor 4x8 Sheets: Computes the number of 4x8 sheets to cover floor/deck area.
• Subfloor Cost: Computes the cost of 4x8 sheets to cover fool/deck area.
• Deck Joist Count: Computes the number of floor joists needed for a deck.  It returns the number of joists and plate boards, square feet of area and the length of the diagonal.
• Joists on Beams: Computes the number of joists (2x dimensional lumber or i-joists), number of beams, number of joist hangers, and length of plate boards needed for a floor or deck with a span that might require one or more beams.
• Deck Joist Cost: Computes the total cost of the floor joist boards.
• Deck Stain and Sealer: Computes the amount of stain and sealer needed for a deck.