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Deck material list calculator

A 16 × 12 ft deck on 2×8 joists 16 in apart takes 13 joists, a 16 ft ledger and rim, a 2-ply 2×10 beam on three 6×6 posts, 13 hangers, three footings with 12 bags of concrete, 28 Trex boards and 4 boxes of Hideaway clips: one list from every deck calculator.

Describe the deck once: its size, whether it hangs on the house, the joists, the boards, and the height if it has stairs. The list runs every deck calculator on this site from that one description and groups what they count the way a store is laid out, with a link beside each group to change its assumptions. Copy it, print it, or send the link.

Figures checked October 11, 2026

Size

The boards run this way.

Frame
Boards
Stairs and railing

Leave blank for no stairs.

All the railing, end to end. Leave blank for none.

16 × 12 ft deck

13 joists · 28 boards · 3 footings

Framing lumberAdjust
2×8 joists, 12 ft16 in on center, cut to 11′ 9″
13
2×8 ledger, 16 ft
1
2×8 rim joist, 16 ft
1
2×10 beam plies, 16 ft2-ply beam
2
6×6 posts, 8 ft3 posts, cut to length on site
2
2×8 blocking, 8 ft12 blocks of 14 1/2 in over the beam
2
HardwareAdjust
Ledger lag screws, ½ × 4 in, with washers14 7/16 in apart, 2 in from each end, in two staggered rows on a 2×8 ledger
14
Joist hangers, Simpson LUS28 (2×8)one per joist at the ledger
13
Hanger nails, 10d6 into the ledger and 4 into the joist, per hanger
130
Hurricane ties, Simpson H2.5Aone per joist at each beam
13
Tie nails, 0.131 × 2½ in
130
Rim nails, 10d3 through the rim into each joist end
39
Beam nails, 10d (3 × 0.128 in)two rows at 16 in along each edge of the built-up beam
26
Post basesone per post, on the footing
3
Post caps or beam connectorsone per post, under the beam
3
Footings and concreteAdjust
Footings at the end posts: 14 in round pad, 6 in thick
2
Footings at the middle posts: 18 in round pad, 6 in thick
1
Tube forms, 10 in32 in long, pad to 2 in above grade
3
Concrete, 80 lb bags6.9 ft³ including 10% extra
12

Footings 36 in deep to the bottom: check your local frost depth, and the soil, in the footing calculator.

DeckingAdjust
Trex 1×6 (5½ in) boards, 16 ft26 rows, 5% extra
28

The last row is ripped to 1 7/8 in.

Deck fastenersAdjust
Trex Hideaway universal clips325 counted board by board; the maker's rate for 192 sq ft says 346; packs: 4 × 90
346
Start clipsfirst row, one per joist
13
Face screws for the last row
26

Where the deck doesn’t say, the list assumes: 2×10 2-ply beam on 6×6 posts up to 8 ft apart, 4 ft tall; Footings sized for a 40 psf live load on 1,500 psf soil: 10 in tube piers on round pads, 36 in deep; Boards counted with 5% extra, gaps set for 70 °F; No stairs (add the deck’s height for stringers and treads); No railing (add its length for balusters).

What each group counts

  • Framing lumber and most of the hardware come from the deck framing calculator: joists from the length and spacing, the ledger and rim in stock lengths, the beam plies and where they splice over the posts, posts, blocking over the beam, and the Simpson LUS hangers, H2.5A ties and 10d nails they take, following the IRC and DCA 6.
  • Ledger lag screws come from the ledger calculator: IRC Table R507.9.1.3(1)’s spacing for the joist span, two staggered rows, with the length that reaches past the band joist.
  • Footings and concrete come from the deck footing calculator: the area each post carries, sized by IRC Table R507.3.1, poured as round pads with 10 in tube piers, and the 80 lb bags for them with 10% extra.
  • Decking and deck fasteners come from the deck board and fastener calculators: rows for the board width and the maker’s gap, boards per row with butt joints, 5% extra, and the maker’s clips (or screws, for wood) in packs.
  • Stairs come from the stair stringer calculator once the deck’s height is known: risers under 7¾ in, 10½ in treads, 2×12 stringers in the stock length the diagonal needs, spaced for 2× wood treads.
  • Railing balusters come from the baluster calculator: 2×2 wood balusters with openings under 4 in, in 6 ft sections.
  • Finish, for wood boards only, comes from the deck stain calculator: two coats of a semi-transparent stain at the label’s coverage, in gallon cans.

How to use it

  1. Measure along the house first. That is the deck’s length; the boards run that way and the joists run the other way, out from the house. The projection is from the house wall to the outside of the rim.
  2. Pick the joists and the boards. Composite boards need joists no more than 16 in apart; 2× wood boards can span 24 in. The list warns when the two don’t match.
  3. Add the height for stairs, and the railing length. Leave either blank and that group stays off the list.
  4. Adjust what the deck doesn’t say. Each group’s “Adjust” link opens its calculator with the deck filled in. Change the soil, the beam, the stain or the clip system there and come back; this browser keeps the deck.
  5. Copy the list and paste it into a quote request, or print it as the order sheet.

Before you order

Most of these quantities are what the code tables and the makers’ instructions call for. Your permit office decides what applies where you live: frost depth for the footings, the ledger details, and the guard height. The deck framing and footing calculators explain each rule they use.

What you still need to count

Flashing over the ledger and a water barrier behind it; joist tape if you use it; fascia boards and the trim around the stairs; the stair landing, its footing and the stringer hangers; railing posts, rails and post caps; the handrail; screws or bolts for the railing posts; lighting; and the permit fee. Deck boards for the stair treads are counted as boards of the stair width, which you can cut from the deck boards’ offcuts on most decks.

Questions people ask

What do I need to build a 16 × 12 deck?

Attached to the house with 2×8 joists 16 in apart: 13 joists 12 ft long, a 16 ft 2×8 ledger and a 16 ft rim, a beam of two 16 ft 2×10s on three 6×6 posts, 13 LUS28 hangers with 130 nails, 13 H2.5A ties with 130 nails, 14 ½ in lag screws for the ledger, three footings on 10 in tube piers with 12 bags of 80 lb concrete, 28 Trex boards 16 ft long and 4 boxes of 90 Hideaway clips, plus 13 start clips and 26 screws for the last row. Add the deck’s height and the list adds stringers and treads; add the railing length and it adds balusters.

Are the quantities the same as on the individual calculators?

Yes. Each group is that calculator’s result for this deck, with the calculator’s own defaults for whatever the deck doesn’t say: a 2-ply 2×10 beam on posts up to 8 ft apart, footings for a 40 psf live load on 1,500 psf soil, 5% extra boards, 70 °F gaps. “Adjust” beside a group opens that calculator with the deck filled in, so you can change a default and see what it does; what you change there comes back to the list on this browser.

What isn’t on the list?

Anything the calculators don’t count: flashing and the ledger’s water barrier, joist tape, fascia, the stair landing and its footing, railing posts, rails and caps, lighting, and the permit. Beam connectors are listed as one per post without a model, because the right one depends on the beam. Treat the list as the lumber-yard order and the hardware aisle, and walk the plan once more for the rest.

Why is there no price?

Lumber, hardware and composite prices change by week and by store, and this site only shows figures it can point to a source for. Paste the copied list into a quote request, or price the lines at your yard; the deck board and stain calculators carry the published pack and can sizes the prices are quoted in.

Does the list remember my deck?

On this device, yes: the deck is kept in your browser’s local storage, so every deck calculator and this page start from it until you press “Start over”. The link in the address carries the same deck, so it can be sent or bookmarked. Nothing is stored on the site.

Sources for the numbers on this page

  1. California Building Standards Commission, via Codebook — 2025 California Residential Code, section R507: exterior decks (2024 IRC text; footings, posts, beams) · checked October 4, 2026
  2. American Wood Council — DCA 6: Prescriptive residential wood deck construction guide (2015 IRC edition) · checked October 3, 2026
  3. Fairfax County, Virginia — Typical deck details, version 2021.0 (1/5/2024, PDF) · checked October 6, 2026
  4. ICC Evaluation Service — ESR-2552: Simpson Strong-Tie face-mount hangers, LUS series fasteners (reissued April 2026, PDF) · checked October 4, 2026
  5. ICC Evaluation Service — ESR-2613: Simpson Strong-Tie hurricane ties, H2.5A fasteners (reissued June 2026, PDF) · checked October 4, 2026
  6. Southern Forest Products Association — Southern Pine specification guidelines (standard lengths, 8 to 20 ft in two-foot steps) · checked October 4, 2026
  7. California Building Standards Commission, via Codebook — 2025 California Residential Code, section R401.4: presumptive soil-bearing values (2024 IRC text) · checked October 4, 2026
  8. Colorado Chapter of the International Code Council, via Adams County — Single family residential uncovered decks and porches, 2024 IRC (ledger fastener spacing and loads, PDF, 03/20/26) · checked October 4, 2026
  9. Sonoco — Sonotube Builder’s Tube concrete forms — specification sheet · checked October 1, 2026
  10. Quikrete — Concrete Mix No. 1101 — technical data sheet (bag yields, strength gain, curing) · checked October 1, 2026
  11. California Building Standards Commission, via Codebook — 2025 California Residential Code, section R507.9: deck ledger attachment and lateral connection (2024 IRC text) · checked October 4, 2026
  12. Trex — How many deck boards do I need? · checked October 3, 2026
  13. Trex — Decking installation guide, 2026 edition (gaps, spans, fastening, stairs) · checked October 3, 2026
  14. Trex — Hideaway hidden fasteners, box of 90 (coverage) · checked October 3, 2026
  15. TimberTech — CONCEALoc hidden fasteners (coverage) · checked October 3, 2026
  16. Fiberon — Phantom Universal hidden fasteners (3/16 in gap) · checked October 3, 2026
  17. California Building Standards Commission, via Codebook — 2025 California Residential Code, section R318.7: stairways (2024 IRC text, unamended) · checked October 3, 2026
  18. California Building Standards Commission, via Codebook — 2025 California Residential Code, section R321: guards (California raises the height to 42 in) · checked October 3, 2026
  19. Southern Forest Products Association — Southern Pine standard sizes (nominal and actual dimensions) · checked October 3, 2026
  20. Behr — Premium Semi-Transparent Waterproofing Stain & Sealer No. 5077 (coverage per coat) · checked October 3, 2026

Corrections and updates are logged on the sources page.