How many studs do I need for a 20 foot wall?

At 16 inch centres a 20 foot wall takes 16 field studs, including the one that closes the end. Corners, intersections and openings are extra — two corners and one door typically push it to about 29.

Is 16 or 24 inch stud spacing better?

16 inch centres are the residential default and required in many load-bearing situations. 24 inch advanced framing uses about a third fewer studs and leaves more room for insulation, but needs thicker sheathing or drywall and careful load paths.

What are king, jack and cripple studs?

A king stud runs full height beside an opening. A jack stud is cut short and sits inside the king to carry the header. Cripples are the short studs that fill the space above the header, and below the sill on a window.

Why do corners need three studs?

Two studs form the corner itself and the third gives the intersecting wall's drywall something to fasten to. A three-stud corner is the traditional detail; a two-stud corner with drywall clips saves lumber and leaves room for insulation.

What size header does a 3 foot door need?

A doubled 2x6 covers a 3 foot opening in a single-storey bearing wall, and a 6 foot opening wants a doubled 2x12. Loads from a storey above, roofs or point loads change that, so check local span tables.

Stud Calculator

Count studs, plates, headers and cripples for a wall, with corners, T-intersections and every door and window accounted for.

The Stud Calculator runs entirely in your browser. Your wall dimensions stay on your device.

Open the Drywall Calculator

关于 Stud Calculator

A stud count is never just wall length divided by spacing. The wall needs a closing stud at the far end, three studs at every outside corner, two where a partition tees in, and each opening trades field studs for a king, jack and cripple assembly that adds more than it removes. Plates are simpler — one at the bottom and a doubled plate on top, three times the wall length — but they still have to be cut out of 16-foot stock, which is where the extra board comes from. This calculator does the whole takeoff, credits each opening the studs it displaces so an opening-heavy wall does not come out over-counted, and prints the layout marks you can pull straight off a tape.

功能特性

Field studs with the closing stud included
Three studs per corner and two per T-intersection
King, jack and cripple studs per opening, with cripples below windows
Field studs credited back where an opening displaces them
Plate linear feet and boards at 16 foot stock
Suggested header size for each opening width
Layout marks in inches from the end of the wall
Everything computes on your device

如何使用 Stud Calculator

Enter the wall length, height and stud spacing
Add the corners and partition intersections in this run
Add each door and window with its rough opening size
Read the stud, plate, header and sheet counts

示例

输入

20 ft wall · 8 ft high · 16 in OC · 2 corners · 1 tee · one 3 × 6.75 ft door · 10% waste

输出

29 studs before waste → 32 to buy · 60 linear ft of plate (4 boards) · 1 header (2× 2x6) · 5 sheets per side

The door removes two field studs but adds two kings, two jacks and three cripples.

常见错误与故障排除

The count seems high for a short wall. — Corners and intersections dominate short walls: three studs per corner and two per tee add up fast. On a 8 foot wall with two corners, the corner studs outnumber the field studs.
Studs were left over after framing. — The calculator credits back field studs that fall inside an opening, but a real wall sometimes keeps one as a king. Small surpluses are normal and get used as cripples and blocking.
The plate count looks short. — Plates are three times the wall length — one bottom plate and two top plates — and top plate joints must be offset from the studs and lapped at corners, so buy one extra 16 foot board per long wall.

常见问题

How many studs do I need for a 20 foot wall?: At 16 inch centres a 20 foot wall takes 16 field studs, including the one that closes the end. Corners, intersections and openings are extra — two corners and one door typically push it to about 29.
Is 16 or 24 inch stud spacing better?: 16 inch centres are the residential default and required in many load-bearing situations. 24 inch advanced framing uses about a third fewer studs and leaves more room for insulation, but needs thicker sheathing or drywall and careful load paths.
What are king, jack and cripple studs?: A king stud runs full height beside an opening. A jack stud is cut short and sits inside the king to carry the header. Cripples are the short studs that fill the space above the header, and below the sill on a window.
Why do corners need three studs?: Two studs form the corner itself and the third gives the intersecting wall's drywall something to fasten to. A three-stud corner is the traditional detail; a two-stud corner with drywall clips saves lumber and leaves room for insulation.
What size header does a 3 foot door need?: A doubled 2x6 covers a 3 foot opening in a single-storey bearing wall, and a 6 foot opening wants a doubled 2x12. Loads from a storey above, roofs or point loads change that, so check local span tables.