LayoutWise

Wall Framing Calculator

Enter the wall and its doors and windows. You get every stud — common, king, jack and cripple — plus plates, headers and sheathing, drawn on the wall.

Your wall

1. Wall
Wall length
ft
in
2. Doors & windows

Use the rough opening sizes from the door or window maker.

Studs

27

precut 92 5/8"

Plates

4

2x4 x 16 ft

Openings

2

4 king, 4 jack

Sheathing

5 sheets

4' x 8'

Wall framing

16" on center
Headers Jack studs King studs

Shopping list

  • ✓Studs: 27 x 2x4 precut 92 5/8" (21 full-length + 3 cut into cripples, +10% for crooked ones)
  • ✓Plates: 4 x 2x4 x 16 ft (one bottom, two top, plus window sills)
  • ✓Headers: 13' 8" of 2x lumber, doubled with 1/2" plywood between (size per your code's header table)
  • ✓Sheathing: 5 sheets of 7/16" OSB or plywood, 4' x 8'
  • ✓Framing nails: about 3 lb of 16d (3 1/2") nails

Header sizes depend on the span, the load above and your local code (IRC Table R602.7). Non-bearing interior walls can use a single flat 2x header.

How many studs do I need?

Start with the wall length divided by the stud spacing, plus one. Then adjust: each door or window replaces the studs inside its opening with two king studs (full height, at each side) and two jack studs (holding the header), plus short cripple studs above the header and below a window sill. Each corner adds about two studs, and so does every wall that ties in.

Example: a 16-foot exterior wall, 8 feet tall, studs 16" on center, with one 38" window and one 38" door and corners at both ends. That's 21 full-length studs and 3 more cut into cripples — 27 to buy with 10% extra for crooked ones, plus four 16-foot plates and five sheets of sheathing.

Precut stud lengths

Precut studs are sized so the wall comes out right with a single bottom plate and double top plate: 92 5/8" for an 8-foot wall, 104 5/8" for 9 feet, and 116 5/8" for 10 feet.

Headers

In a bearing wall each opening needs a header — usually two 2x boards on edge with 1/2" plywood between to match the wall thickness. The size depends on the span and the load above; the residential code's header tables (IRC R602.7) give the sizes. Non-bearing interior walls can use a single flat 2x.

Covering the wall afterward? Try the drywall calculator inside and the siding calculator outside.