Deck Board and Fastener Takeoff
The decking surface takeoff a deck builder orders from.
Example
You enter
- Deck width across the boards (ft) 12
- Board run length (ft) 16
- Board face width (in, 5.5 for 5/4x6 or 2x6) 5.5
- Gap between boards (in) 0.25
- Joist spacing on center (in) 16
- Waste (%) 10
You get
- Deck boards 26 boards across
- Joists carrying the deck 13
- Deck screws (2 per board per joist) 676
- Lineal feet (with waste) 458 lf
Details, formula, and sources
Boards run the length, so the count across the width is ceil((width_in + gap) / (board face + gap)) -- the gap falls between boards, not after the last. A 12 x 16 ft deck of 5.5" boards at a 0.25" gap needs 26 boards, 458 lineal feet at 10% waste, 13 joists (ceil(length x 12 / 16" OC) + 1), and 676 deck screws at 2 per board per joist. Sizes the surface and fasteners only, not the joists, beam, posts, or footings, which come from the span tables and the load. A takeoff estimate; the deck plan governs.
boards = ceil((deck_width_ft x 12 + gap_in) / (board_face_in + gap_in)); lineal_ft = boards x deck_length_ft x (1 + waste_pct/100); joists = ceil(deck_length_ft x 12 / joist_spacing_in) + 1; screws = boards x joists x 2.
First-principles deck-surface takeoff (the same carpentry take-off basis as fence-estimate and residential-framing), by name; the deck plan and the lumber on the rack govern.
First-principles arithmetic; no proprietary source reproduced. The board width, gap, spacing, and waste come from the deck plan and the product.
Estimate. AHJ and licensed professional govern.
Field names used by the API: deck_width_ft, deck_length_ft, board_face_width_in, gap_in, joist_spacing_in, waste_pct, boards, joists, screws, lineal_ft
- Gap placement the gap falls between boards, not after the last: boards = ceil((width + gap) / (face + gap))takeoff geometry
- Fastener count two deck screws per board at every joist crossing (hidden clips are one system per board per joist)carpentry practice