Free stud wall calculator: enter your wall length and height, pick a stud spacing, and instantly get your vertical stud count, total plate and track length, and the plasterboard sheets needed to clad one or both sides. Add stud, plate, board and screw prices for a full material or installed cost estimate. Works in imperial and metric.
Noggins are the short blocks between studs. One row runs the wall length, so it adds that much timber (4.80 m total). Set 0 for none.
Common: 2.4 / 2.7 / 3.0 / 3.6 m long × 1.2 m wide (also 0.9 and 1.35 m wide).
Enter a price per item - leave any blank to skip it. Stud, plate and sheet counts come from your wall above; the only quantity you set is how many screw boxes to buy. Covers the framing timber, board and screws only; insulation, taping and finishing are extra.
The stud count is one full-height stud per position (it depends on wall length and spacing, not height). Price per stud assumes one timber length per stud, sized to your wall height - so for a short or extra-tall wall, enter the price of the stud length you will actually buy.
Vertical studs
9
Plate / track
9.60 m
Noggins (1 row)
4.80 m
Wall area
11.52 m²
A stud wall is a frame of vertical studs between a head and sole plate, clad with plasterboard. The calculator counts each part from the wall size and your stud spacing:
studs = floor(wall length ÷ stud spacing) + 1
plate = 2 × wall length (head + sole)
noggins = rows × wall length (0 rows = none)
sheets = ceil( board area × sides × wastage ÷ sheet area )
board area = wall area − any door / window openings
The + 1 is the stud that closes off the final bay at the end of the wall. Boarding both sides doubles the sheet count. Noggins (the horizontal blocks between studs - blocking or fireblocking in North America) add one wall-length of timber per row you choose.
If a wall has a doorway or window, subtract it on that wall and the calculator takes its area off the board (and the installed estimate) - the studs and plate still run the full length, because an opening needs extra framing, not less.
This example follows the unit system you pick in the calculator above.
A 4.8 m × 2.4 m wall at 600 mm centres, boarded both sides with 2.4 × 1.2 m sheets, 10% wastage:
The calculator already counts the studs, plates, noggins (set the rows you want) and plasterboard, and it subtracts any door or window openings you add from the boarded area. These are the extras it doesn’t size for you:
| Item | Rule of thumb |
|---|---|
| Opening framing | A pair of studs each side of a door/window + a header over it |
| Insulation | Wall area, if it is an acoustic or thermal partition |
| Screws | ~30 plasterboard screws per sheet |
Noggins go by other names depending on where you are - in North America the same horizontal blocks are called blocking (or fireblocking where the code requires it in a stud cavity).
The framing and board quantities above are what set the price, so this calculator estimates cost from your numbers rather than a national average that drifts out of date. In the Cost estimate section, pick how you are pricing the job:
studs cost = stud count × price per stud
plate cost = plate/track length × price per m/ft
noggin cost = (rows × wall length) × price per m/ft
board cost = plasterboard sheets × price per sheet
installed = wall area × installed rate per m²/sq ft
A note on the per-stud price: the stud count is one full-height stud per position, so it depends on the wall length and your spacing, not the height. The price per stud assumes you buy one length of timber per stud, sized to your wall height - which is how precut studs and standard 2.4 m / 8 ft stock are sold. For a short wall (where you could cut two studs from one length) or an extra-tall one (where a stud spans more than one stock length), enter the price of the stud length you will actually buy, or price the studs by the metre/foot the way the plate/track is priced.
This covers only the parts the calculator counts - studs, plate/track, noggins, plasterboard and screws. Insulation, the door header, skirting, taping, jointing and finishing aren’t included, because they vary far too much by job to estimate sensibly. Leave any price blank to skip it; a partial list still totals. Cost figures are indicative - set each price to a real quote for your area.
In New Zealand, wall studs are usually 90 × 45 mm radiata pine, at 600 mm centres (400 mm for bracing walls).
For sizing and spacing that meets local rules, see NZS 3604, the New Zealand timber-framed buildings standard.
Divide the wall length by the stud spacing and add one for the final end stud. A 4.8 m wall at 600 mm centres needs floor(4.8 ÷ 0.6) + 1 = 9 studs. That count is for the vertical studs; the calculator adds the head and sole plates and your chosen rows of noggins on top.
Studs are usually 400 mm or 600 mm apart on centre. Use 400 mm for walls that carry heavier boards, tiling or fixings, and 600 mm for standard partitions with 12.5 mm plasterboard. Closer spacing means a stiffer wall but more timber - pick the spacing above to match.
Divide the wall area by the area of one sheet, multiply by the number of sides you are boarding, and add wastage. A 4.8 m × 2.4 m wall boarded both sides with 2.4 × 1.2 m sheets and 10% wastage needs 9 sheets. Enter your wall and sheet size above for the exact figure.
Add 10% for a plain wall and 15% where there are doorways, windows or services that mean cutting around openings. The offcuts from around openings can often be reused elsewhere on the wall, but it is safer to round up than to run short of a single board.
On the wall with the opening, use "Subtract door / window" and enter its width and height. The calculator takes that area off the boarded face, so the plasterboard sheet count (and the installed cost estimate) drop accordingly. The stud and plate quantities stay the same on purpose - an opening still needs the full run of plates and actually adds framing (a pair of studs each side plus a header over it), which you add on top. As a rule of thumb only subtract openings bigger than about a square metre; smaller ones are usually absorbed by the board wastage allowance.
Yes. It gives the total plate/track length - the head and sole plates - as twice the wall length, and it counts noggins too (the short horizontal blocks between studs, called blocking or fireblocking in North America). Set how many rows of noggins you want per wall - one row is the common default - and the calculator adds one wall-length of timber per row, then prices it alongside the studs, plate and board.
Noggins - blocking or fireblocking in North America - are the short timbers fixed horizontally between the studs. They stiffen the wall, stop the studs twisting, and give a fixing line for board edges, skirting and heavier fixtures. One row at mid-height suits a standard 2.4 m wall; add a second row for taller walls or where you need extra fixing lines. Each row uses about one wall-length of timber, which this calculator works out and prices once you set the number of rows.
The cost is driven by the quantities this calculator already works out, so the most accurate estimate uses your own prices rather than a baked-in average. In the cost section, enter your price per stud, per metre of plate/track and noggins, per plasterboard sheet, and per box of screws, and it multiplies each by the quantity it counted. Or switch to an installed rate per square metre to price a builder, which bundles the timber, board, fixings and labour into one figure. Insulation, taping and finishing are extra.
Set out and build a timber stud partition, from plates and studs to noggins and boarding.
Read guide→The material breakdown of a stud wall, and DIY vs installed cost per area.
Read guide→When to use 16 in (400 mm) vs 24 in (600 mm) stud centres, and how it changes the count.
Read guide→The horizontal blocks between studs - naming, purpose, and how many rows to fit.
Read guide→Batts, rolls or blown-in bags - and cost - to hit a target R-value for walls, roof space and ceilings.
Open calculator→Litres of paint for walls and ceilings, with coats and coverage built in.
Open calculator→How many tiles, boxes, adhesive and grout to buy for a floor or wall, with wastage and cost built in.
Open calculator→Planks and boxes of laminate, vinyl or hardwood flooring, with layout wastage.
Open calculator→Board feet, volume and cost for any number of timber sizes.
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