Free deck calculator and 3D deck planner
Count the boards, framing, railing and fasteners. Show your client in 3D, then tap Start the job. Call or text (718) 851-2100 for today's price.
How do you want to start?
How the deck calculator works
- Put in the deck's size or shape. Type or say the sizes, draw the shape on a grid, or start from a Brooklyn example.
- Design it with your client. Pick the boards, a picture frame border, stairs, railing on the edges you choose, and lights. Keep more than one version to compare.
- Get the counted list. Boards by the lengths we stock with the waste shown, plus framing, railing, stair parts, lights and fasteners.
- Send it to the counter. Start the job sends the plan and its list by text or email with the plan's short code. Call or text for today's price.
What the planner assumes
Last checked .
- Decking boards are counted in the lengths Express Lumber stocks, and the list shows the waste.
- Every list line says Stocked, Special order or Staff will confirm.
- The framing is counted from the joist size, spacing, beam and posts you choose. The planner never suggests a size; sizing the framing is a job for your engineer or architect.
- A product shows in the planner only when our stock records, a confirmed maker's catalog or the yard confirms it. If a board you want is missing, call or text and the counter will check.
- When a plan starts from a New York City address, the lot and house come from city map data, which is not a survey. Check every size on site.
- The list never shows a price. It says "Call or text for today's price."
For framing, the American Wood Council publishes a deck construction guide: DCA 6. Confirm with your engineer or architect.
NYC code rules the planner shows
What each source says, with its section and edition. The planner never says a deck is allowed or safe.
NYC Building Code 1015.3
"Required guards shall be not less than 42 inches (1066.8 mm) high" (the code also says where the height is measured from). Read it together with BC 1510.8 on roof guards. Confirm with your engineer or architect.
Source: NYC Building Code 1015.3, 2022.
NYC Building Code 1510.8
Buildings over 22 feet with low-slope roofs need a parapet, guard or fence at least 42 inches high, and "Guards or fences shall be of noncombustible material, except on buildings of Type V construction." Read it together with BC 1015.3. Confirm with your engineer or architect.
Source: NYC Building Code 1510.8, 2022.
NYC Building Code 1510.9
"The following roof structures may be constructed of combustible material if less than 12 feet (3657.6 mm) high above the roof: ... decking or platforms that do not cover more than 20 percent of the contiguous roof area at that level." Read it together with BC 1510.1. Confirm with your engineer or architect.
Source: NYC Building Code 1510.9, 2022.
NYC Building Code 1510.1
"Rooftop structures shall be constructed with materials as required for the building, except as provided for in this section." Confirm with your engineer or architect.
Source: NYC Building Code 1510.1, 2022.
NYC Building Code 2612.5
"Plastic composites shall be permitted to be used as exterior deck boards, stair treads, handrails and guards in buildings of Type VB construction." Confirm with your engineer or architect.
Source: NYC Building Code 2612.5, 2022.
Deck calculator and planner questions
How many deck boards do I need?
Put in the deck's size or draw its shape, then pick a board. The planner counts the boards in the lengths Express Lumber stocks and shows the waste.
What does the deck calculator count?
Decking boards with the waste shown, the framing from the joist size, spacing, beam and posts you choose, plus railing, stair parts, lights and fasteners.
Is the deck calculator free?
Yes. It is free to use with no account, and it is built for a phone first.
Can I plan a roof deck or roof terrace?
Yes. Start from the roof terrace example, or choose Roof terrace while you design. It builds the deck on pedestals, with tiles or boards on joists. The planner never says a deck is allowed or safe. Confirm with your engineer or architect.
Does the planner show prices?
No. The material list never shows a price. Call or text (718) 851-2100 for today's price.
Will the planner tell me what joist size or spacing to use?
No. You pick the joist size, spacing, beam and posts, and the planner counts them. Sizing the framing is a job for your engineer or architect.
How do I send my list to Express Lumber?
Tap Start the job. It sends the plan and its material list to the counter by text or email with the plan's short code, and it asks for your name and phone.
Can my client see the plan without the material list?
Yes. The client link shows the 3D deck with your company name, and the material list stays hidden unless you turn on "show the list" for that plan.
Which board lengths does the list use?
The lengths Express Lumber stocks, with the waste shown. Each line says Stocked, Special order or Staff will confirm.
Can I put the planner on my own website?
Yes. Copy the embed code on this page and paste it into your site. It shows the planner with a small "Deck planner by Express Lumber" credit.
What the deck material list counts
See what we carry for each part of the deck.
Who made this planner
Express Lumber & Plumbing Supply is a wholesale building-materials supplier in Borough Park, Brooklyn, at 1301 60th St. We built this planner for contractors, framers and handymen.
What the planner's forms collect and how long we keep it: privacy.