Decking Calculator
How much decking do you need?
“How much decking do I need?” is a very common question. We have put together a very short and simple guide allowing you to quickly work out how much timber decking you actually need for you to create the perfect garden timber decking area!
Step 1 - Work out how many square metres you need
Firstly you need to calculate how many square metres of timber decking you require. To start, measure the length and width of your area. If it is not a simple rectangle or square, try and split the area down into more than one rectangle or square, taking the length and width of each part.
To work out how many square metres you have to cover, multiply the length by the width. If you have more than one area, add them together afterwards.
Step 2 - Work out how many linear metres you need
Secondly, you need to work out how many linear metres you need. This is done by taking the square metre calculation and dividing it by the width of the decking boards you have. We would add 5mm to the width of decking board allowing for the gap between each decking board when it is put together.
Step 3 - Working out the amount of boards you need
The final step is to take the linear metre measurement that you have and divide that measurement by the length of board you are would like. If you have a rectangular area, you can choose to have the timber decking boards either way.
We then advise adding an additional 10% on to the linear metres figure, to ensure you order enough to cover everything.
Example run through:
Working out the amount square metres you have to cover.
The area of the timber decking we have to cover has a length of 10m and a width of 6m.
This means we do the calculations of;
10m x 6m = 60m² to get the square metre measurement.
Working out the number of linear metres you have.
If you are using a timber decking board with a width of 123mm x 33mm, you would + 5mm to this to get 128mm. You then divide the square metres with the 128mm.
So 60m2 with a decking board with a width of 123mm plus 5mm for the gap between each decking board would be 60m² ÷ 0.128mm = 468.75 Linear meters. We would then round this figure up to the nearest whole number.
We then advise adding an additional 10% on to the linear meter figure.
for example 469 (rounded figure) x 1.1 = 515.9
Working out how many timber decking boards to buy.
We take the linear metre measurement and divide it by the length of board you are going to use.
515.9m ÷ 3.0m = 171.96 decking boards.
We would then round this figure up to the nearest whole number.
Meaning we would need to buy 172 decking boards.
Here at Ruby UK, we stock timber decking boards in various lengths. We can also supply full timber decking kits which include everything you need to put together a square decking area.
Thank you for reading our guide on decking calculations. Please take a moment to view our full range of timber decking. If you need any more help, or if you would like a quote for any of our timber decking, please get in touch by one of the below methods:
Live Chat: Available between 8am and 5pm
Phone: 01409231763
Email: sales@ruby-group.co.uk
Check out our handy calculator below to help you work out exactly how much decking you need.