A variety of useful construction calculators created by Jack Gray, a roofing expert with over 25 years in the roofing industry.
2×10 Lumber Weight Calculator This calculator uses the lumber weight values presented in the table below. 2×10 Lumber Weight Calculator 2×10 Lumber Weight Calculator Select Wood Type: 2×10 Board Length: Feet: Inches: Number of Boards: Calculate Weight Results Clear Calculator For the weights of lumber with different dimensions, see my Dimensional Lumber Weight article. 2×10 Weight Factors …
Introduction Knowing material weights is extremely important when you’re planning on putting things on a roof. You have to avoid structural loads that exceed the design strength of the roof and the roof’s supporting structure. I thought it would be helpful to have an easy way to look up the weight of 2×12 lumber, so …
How Much Does the Average 2×4 Weigh? 2×4 weight is the product of a few different factors (see the next section). There is no single correct answer to the question. But just for fun, we’ll try to come up with the answer that has the highest chance of being correct for any randomly selected 2×4 …
Introduction Knowing material weights is extremely important when you’re planning on putting things on top of a roof. You have to avoid structural loads that exceed the design strength of the roof and the roof’s supporting structure. I thought it would be helpful to have an easy way to look up the weight of 2×6 …
2×8 Lumber Weight Calculator This calculator uses the weight values I used in the full table below. 2×8 Lumber Weight Calculator 2×8 Lumber Weight Calculator Select Wood Type: 2×8 Board Length: Feet: Inches: Number of Boards: Calculate Weight Results Clear Calculator For the weights of lumber with different dimensions, see my Dimensional Lumber Weight article. …
Introduction Knowing material weights is extremely important when you’re planning on putting things on a roof. You have to avoid loads that exceed the design strength of the roof and the roof’s supporting structure. I thought it would be helpful to have an easy way to look up the weight of 4×4 lumber, so here …
Introduction Knowing material weights is extremely important when you’re modifying or adding things to a roof. You have to avoid structural loads that exceed the design strength of the roof and the roof’s supporting structure. I thought it would be helpful to have an easy way to look up the weight of 4×6 lumber, so …
Introduction Knowing material weights is extremely important when you’re planning on putting things on top of a roof. You have to avoid structural loads that exceed the design strength of the roof and the roof’s supporting structure. I thought it would be helpful to have an easy way to look up the weight of 6×6 …
What Is a Barrel Roof? A barrel roof is a curved roof that resembles the top half of a cylinder or a barrel laid horizontally. Instead of sloping flat planes like a gable roof, a barrel roof has a continuous, smooth arc from one side of the structure to the other. This curvature can span the …
Introduction Concrete is one of the most commonly used construction materials worldwide due to its strength, durability, and exceptional versatility. There are several different types of concrete, and different types of concrete can have different densities, …
Introduction Conical roofs are distinctive roofing structures shaped like a cone. A cone-shaped roof is circular at its base and terminates in a point or sometimes a finial of some sort. They are often used on towers, turrets, gazebos, and small pavilions. Cone roofs are often a feature on Victorian/Queen Anne-style homes. The surface area of most roofs …
What is Dimensional Lumber? Dimensional lumber is simply lumber that is produced with standardized dimensions. Standardized lumber dimensions such as “2 x 4” allow for a multitude of efficiencies in construction. Subcategories of dimensional lumber include appearance framing lumber, beams, joists, light framing lumber, planks, posts, stringers, structural light framing lumber, studs, and timbers. The lumber …
Introduction There are several types of domes used as roofing features on buildings. Spherical domes are the most common. They have a uniform curvature and efficient load distribution. Ellipsoidal domes, which are shaped from a segment of an ellipsoid, are somewhat less common but frequently used in large-span structures where a lower height is desired. …
Introduction This drip edge quantity calculator is a tool designed to help you accurately estimate the amount of drip edge material you need for your roofing project. It takes into account roof perimeter length, the length …
What Is a Gable Roof? A gable roof is a very common type of roof. Gable roofs have two sloping sides that rise to meet at a central ridge, creating a distinctive triangular shape on each end of the …
What Is Glulam? Glued laminated timber, also known as glulam or GLT, is a type of engineered wood product made by bonding together several layers of dimensional lumber with high-strength adhesive. Glulam can be used in a number of building applications, including use as supporting members for roofs and floors, structural columns, and arches. The bonding adhesive used …
Introduction In this article, I’m going to explain what a hip and valley factor is, show you the math, and give you a pretty comprehensive table where you can look up the hip and valley factors …
What Is a Hip Roof? A hip roof is a type of roof where all sides slope downward from a central ridge (or apex, for a pyramid hip roof) with no vertical gable ends. It typically has four sloping …
Introduction: Degrees, Percentage, Standard Roof Pitch There are three basic ways to express roof slope. Roof slope can be given in degrees, as a percentage, or as a rise-in-run ratio (X-in-12), otherwise known as standard roof …
Also see: Glulam Weight Calculator. What Is LVL? Laminated veneer lumber (LVL) is a type of structural composite lumber (SCL) engineered from thin layers of wood veneer bonded together with moisture-resistant adhesive. Unlike glulam, where pieces of lumber are glued edge-to-edge, LVL veneers are laid with all grain oriented in the same direction, producing a highly …
How Much Do Different Types of Pavers Weigh? The weight of a paver depends on the dimensions of the paver, the type of material used to make it, and the manufacturer’s formulation of that material. Stone pavers made from the same type of stone can also vary in weight somewhat depending on which quarry the …
What is Plywood? Plywood is an engineered wood product made from thin layers, or plies, of wood veneer glued together. Each layer’s grain is typically oriented perpendicular to adjacent layers, which enhances strength, stability, and resistance to warping. Common subcategories of plywood include structural plywood, sheathing plywood, marine plywood, hardwood plywood, softwood plywood, and specialty …
What Is a Pyramid Roof? A pyramid roof is a type of hip roof where all four sides slope upward and meet at a single point, forming a shape that resembles a pyramid. The hips on a typical hip roof rise to meet at the ridge, with the two hips on one end meeting each other at the ridge, …
What is a Roof Pitch Multiplier? A roof pitch multiplier, also called a roof pitch factor, is a number that you use to find the actual surface area of a pitched roof or the length of a common rafter. …
Introduction Have you ever heard someone refer to, for example, a “6 in 12” roof pitch, but you weren’t sure what exactly a 6 in 12 roof pitch actually looks like? This interactive roof pitch visualizer lets you instantly see how different roof pitches look from any angle. You can compare how different roof pitches …
Introduction This calculator works for both saltbox roofs and asymmetrical gable roofs. These two roof types share enough geometric similarities that the same tool can calculate dimensions, surface areas, and attic volumes accurately for either type. What Is a …
Introduction Sheet copper is a durable, highly malleable, and attractive metal product used extensively in architectural, construction, and industrial applications. It has excellent corrosion resistance and impressive longevity, and it’s easy to work with. In construction, copper is often used for roofing, flashing, gutters, decorative elements, and lightning mitigation. In typical roofing applications, the copper …
Introduction Sheet lead is a heavy, highly workable material, used in a variety of building applications, as well as for soundproofing and radiation shielding. In roofing, lead is commonly used for flashing at chimneys, vents, valleys, and structural joints. Common thicknesses for lead sheet used in roofing range from around 1/16 inch to 1/8 inch. …
Introduction When you’re dealing with roofs, material weights are always a concern. Especially if a contractor is trying to get you to let him to store materials on the roof. You want to avoid overloading. I …
Introduction Sheet zinc is a relatively long-lasting and naturally corrosion-resistant metal product widely used in architectural, construction, and industrial applications. When alloyed with small amounts of titanium and copper, zinc becomes malleable and strong enough for bending and shaping into structured profiles using forming machines or manual forming techniques, without significant cracking or loss of …
Introduction When I was managing roof maintenance programs for commercial properties in Chicago, every once in a while a property manager would express concern that the snow building up on her commercial low-slope roofs would melt all at once and the roofs’ storm drainage systems wouldn’t be able to handle it. It seems like it would be …
Introduction The weight of snow is a vital piece of information. There are parts of the building code that are based on knowing how much additional weight a structure will need to support due to the …
Thermal Expansion Calculator This calculator uses the values presented in the thermal expansion table below. Thermal ExpansionCalculator Thermal Expansion Input Form Type of Material: Material Length: feetinchesmetersmillimeters Start Temperature: °F°C End Temperature: °F°C Calculate Change in Length: in ft mm m New Total Length: Clear Calculator Coefficient of Linear Thermal Expansion Explained The coefficient of …
Water Weight Calculator (by Unit of Volume & Temperature) Note that water is at maximum density (or weight per unit of volume) at 39.2°F/4.0°C. The weight of water is usually given for water at maximum density by default, but we are using room temperature (70°F) as the default setting. If you select a temperature other …