Stud wall calculator

The timber, plasterboard and screws for a timber stud partition: how many studs at 400 or 600 mm centres, the plates and noggins, the boards for one or both sides, and the screws.

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Measure the walls off the drawing with Take-off, put the timber, boards and screws on a purchase order or into your quote from the Book of rates, and save it to the job.

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Worked example

A partition 3.6 m long and 2.4 m high with one door, 38 × 89 mm CLS studs at 600 mm centres, boarded both sides in 2400 × 1200 mm sheets:

9 studs and 7 sheets of plasterboard

Studs at 600 mm centres, each about 2.32 m long between 38 mm plates (38 × 89 mm), with an extra stud each side of every door opening
Head and sole plates 7.2 m, noggins 3.6 m (1 row): 31.7 m of timber in all
17.28 m² of board (both sides), plus 10%: 7 × 2400 × 1200 mm
About 189 plasterboard screws (27 a sheet at 300 mm centres)

How the sum works

Studs: the wall length divided by the centres, rounded up, plus one for the end, plus a stud each side of every door opening. Each stud is the wall height less the head and sole plates (the timber's thickness each). The plates run the full length top and bottom, and each row of noggins is about the wall length. Leave the noggins box blank for one row on walls over 1.5 m high.

Boards: the wall area for one or both sides, plus the extra you choose for cuts (openings are not taken off, because the offcuts rarely get used). Screws: British Gypsum gives fixings at up to 300 mm centres along each stud, so the calculator counts the stud lines across each sheet and the screws down each line. Allow more at corners and round openings.

Before you order

Stud size, centres and noggins depend on the wall: a non-loadbearing partition is usually 38 × 89 mm CLS or 45 to 47 × 95 to 100 mm at 400 or 600 mm, but check the board maker's maximum centres for the board you use: 12.5 and 15 mm board can go on studs at up to 600 mm, but 9.5 mm needs closer centres (NHBC Standards give up to 450 mm on walls), so use 400 mm. 900 mm wide boards need studs at 450 mm centres so the board edges land on a stud. Fire, sound and moisture needs can change the board and the build-up, and a loadbearing wall needs a design. Door heads, trimmers, extra noggins for fixings, insulation, jointing tape and filler aren't included: see British Gypsum: screw fixing centres.

Guides that go with it

How do I do a quantity take-off from drawings?How to take off quantities from drawings for a small job: scale check, set order, deductions, waste and pricing, with a worked garden room example.What should I put in a quote for building work?What a quote for building work should say: scope, exclusions, drawings, price and VAT, validity, payment stages, dates, provisional sums and variations.How do you use timber span tables?Timber span tables for floor joists, ceiling joists and rafters: strength class, centres, load and span, and where building control expects them from.

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