Free tool: wall framing
Stud and wall framing calculator for wood and metal studs
Count studs from wall length and spacing, add the extras at openings and corners, and get plate or track lengths. Price it with your own costs.
Fixed price in 2 business hours. Pay only after you accept.
- Fixed price agreed before any work starts
- Plan review is free
- You pay only after you accept the price and delivery date
- Single-trade estimates in 48 hours
Quick answer
The Bidmere stud framing calculator counts studs from wall length and spacing (length in inches divided by spacing, plus one), adds the extra studs your details use at openings and corners, and works out plate or metal track lengths and pieces. Enter your own prices for a cost per foot of wall. It is free and runs in your browser.
Wall framing: wood and metal studs
Stud framing calculator
Studs from wall length and spacing, extra studs at openings and corners, and plate or track lengths. Works for wood studs and metal studs and track.
Results
Bidding a commercial job? Send the plans and get a measured takeoff
Get a fixed quote Fixed price in 2 business hours. Plan review is free. Pay only after you accept.Need the whole job measured? This calculator covers one area at a time. Send the plans and we return the full takeoff and estimate. Fixed quote within 2 business hours. Plan review is free, and you pay only after you accept.
Get a fixed quoteHow to use the stud calculator
- Wall. Wood or metal, wall length, stud length and the spacing on the drawings.
- Openings and corners. How many, and how many extra studs your detail uses at each: king and jack studs and cripples at openings, the stud pattern at corners and intersections.
- Plates or track. The number of rows and the stock length you buy.
- Your costs. Price per stud, per LF of plate or track, labor per LF of wall and a lump sum.
How the framing calculator works
| Step | Formula |
|---|---|
| Studs on layout | Wall length (in) / spacing, rounded down, + 1 |
| Extra studs | Openings x studs per opening + corners x studs per corner |
| Studs to order | (Layout + extra) x (1 + waste), rounded up |
| Plate or track | Wall length x rows x (1 + waste) |
| Pieces | Plate or track LF / stock length, rounded up |
The extra counts at openings and corners are yours because they follow the framing details, the header design and the engineer’s notes. A wall with two openings and two corners can easily need more extra studs than the layout count suggests, so count them from the drawings.
Worked example: a 40 ft wall
- Layout at 16 in: 40 x 12 / 16 = 30, plus 1 = 31 studs
- Layout at 24 in: 40 x 12 / 24 = 20, plus 1 = 21 studs
- Two openings at 4 extra studs and two corners at 2 extra: 31 + 8 + 4 = 43 studs
- Three plate rows: 120 LF, which is 8 pieces of 16 ft
Spacing matters most: the same wall at 24 in takes 10 fewer layout studs than at 16 in.
Metal stud calculator: studs, track and designations
The arithmetic is the same for cold-formed steel: studs by spacing, and track where the details show it. Metal framing is ordered by its four-part designation, which the Steel Stud Manufacturers Association (SSMA) defines as web depth, flange width, style and thickness in mils, for example 600S162-54: a 6 in stud with a 1-5/8 in flange, 54 mils thick. S marks a stud or joist section and T a track section.
| Thickness (mils) | Reference gauge |
|---|---|
| 33 | 20 (structural) |
| 43 | 18 |
| 54 | 16 |
| 68 | 14 |
| 97 | 12 |
Gauge numbers are references only; order and check by mils as the drawings specify. Commercial partitions add deflection track, bridging and backing, which this calculator does not count.
What this framing calculator does not cover
- Headers, beams and their sizes
- Blocking, backing and fire blocking
- Sheathing, wraps and fasteners
- Bridging, bracing and deflection track for metal studs
- Floor and roof framing
For drywall on the same walls, use the drywall calculator. For a full framing takeoff from plans, see lumber and framing takeoffs and drywall and metal framing estimating.
Before you send plans
Common questions about handing off the work
Why so few defaults?
Openings, corners and plates follow your details, not a rule of thumb.
Can I order from these numbers?
For one wall, yes. A house or building needs every wall and header measured.
Who sets the final price?
You do. Bidmere prices quantities at your rates.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How many studs do I need for a wall?
Divide the wall length in inches by the stud spacing, round down and add one. A 40 ft wall at 16 in on center takes 31 studs on layout; at 24 in it takes 21. Then add the extra studs your details show at openings and corners.
How do I calculate studs at 16 inches on center?
Multiply the wall length in feet by 12, divide by 16, round down and add 1. A 20 ft wall: 240 / 16 = 15, plus 1 = 16 studs.
How many plates does a wall need?
It follows your detail. A bottom plate and a double top plate is three rows, so a 40 ft wall needs 120 LF of plate. Enter the rows and the calculator gives the length and the pieces.
What do metal stud designations like 600S162-54 mean?
SSMA’s four-part code: 600 is a 6 in web depth, S a stud or joist section (T is track), 162 a 1-5/8 in flange and 54 the thickness in mils.
Does the calculator store what I enter?
No. It runs in your browser and does not send or save your entries.
Can Bidmere take off my framing?
Yes. Send the plans for a free plan review and a fixed quote within 2 business hours. Single-trade estimates are from $195 and ready in 48 hours after you accept.
For your website
Embed this calculator
You can put the stud framing calculator on your own website for free, for example on a trade association, school or company resources page. Copy the code below into your page’s HTML. It shows the same calculator in a frame that fits phone screens, with a visible “Calculator by Bidmere” credit that links back to this page.
Get a fixed quote
Share the project basics. You get a fixed price and delivery date within 2 business hours. Plan review is free, and you pay only after you accept.
Sources
- US DOE Building America Solution Center, Advanced framing: minimum wall studs: https://basc.pnnl.gov/resource-guides/advanced-framing-minimum-wall-studs
- SSMA Technical Guide 2024 (product designations, mils and gauges): https://ssma.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/24-7-SSMA-Technical-Guide.pdf