How much to order, with the waste on top
Concrete for a slab, bricks or blocks for a wall, paint for a room, tiles for a floor. Standard coverages, your waste allowance.
Ordering the right amount
Ordering materials is a matter of geometry plus waste. The estimator takes the dimensions, applies the standard coverage for each material and adds the waste allowance you choose, so the order is neither short nor wasteful.
Concrete is volume: length by width by thickness, delivered in cubic meters. Bricks and blocks go by wall area at the usual counts per square meter. Paint goes by area and coats. Tiles go by area and the tile size.
Ten percent waste is the common allowance for cuts, breakage and the odd mistake. Patterns laid diagonally, complex walls and small rooms with many corners waste more.
Check the supplier's own figures for the product you order: paint coverage varies with the surface, blocks come in regional sizes, and tile boxes hold different counts.
Other free tools
- Scale ConverterConvert lengths between a scaled drawing and real size at 1:50, 1:100, 1:200 and more, in metric or imperial. Free, no sign up.
- Unit ConverterConvert length, area and volume between metric and imperial units: meters, feet, square meters, square feet, cubic meters, cubic yards and more.
- Stair and Ramp CalculatorWork out risers, riser height, tread depth and total run for a stair, or the length and landings for an accessible ramp, from the total rise.
- Project Cost EstimatorEstimate a construction budget from floor area, building type and level of finish, with design fees and contingency on top. Free, for early conversations.
- Project Timeline EstimatorEstimate a building project timeline phase by phase, from brief and concept to construction and handover, by floor area and complexity.
- Roof Pitch CalculatorWork out a roof pitch in degrees, as a ratio and as a gradient from rise and run, with the rafter length. Free, no sign up.
- Floor Area Ratio CalculatorCalculate the allowed floor area, footprint and stories from site area, floor area ratio and site coverage. Free, for early feasibility.
- Window to Wall Ratio CalculatorCalculate the window to wall ratio of a facade and check daylight with a glazing to floor area rule of thumb. Free, no sign up.
- Parking CalculatorCalculate parking spaces and parking area for housing, offices, retail and hotels at common ratios, with accessible spaces. Free, no sign up.
- Occupancy CalculatorCalculate occupant load from floor area and use, with the number of exits and total exit width it needs. Free, for a first check of a plan.
- Sun Angle CalculatorCalculate sun altitude and azimuth for a latitude, date and hour, with shadow length, for shading studies and renders with correct light.
- Print Size CheckerCheck whether an image has enough pixels to print at a given size: resolution in dpi, a quality reading, and the largest print at 300 dpi.
- Aspect Ratio PlannerPlan a crop to a target aspect ratio from an image size: the exact pixel dimensions that fit and the pixels lost on each side. Free, no sign up.
- File Size EstimatorEstimate image file size from pixel dimensions and format, JPEG, WebP, PNG or TIFF, and check whether it fits an email. Free, no sign up.
The numbers are done. Now the image.
Turn the sketch, plan or model into a render the client can react to.