How many planks do i need if i have 350 sqare feet and the planks are 4x6 and 16 feet long?

Question

How many planks do i need if i have 350 sqare feet and the planks are 4x6 and 16 feet long?

Answer 1

The simple answer is that you need about 48 planks as follows:  A 2 X 6 “plank” (board) is really only 5 ½ inches wide; so you divide 12 (inches) by 5.5 (inches) to get 2.19 boards for one square foot.  Multiply 2.19 times 350 to get 766 square feet- now divide by 16 (the legnth of each plank) and get 47.91 or really 48 boards.

A bit more involved answer takes into to account two or three additional factors: 1) there is usually a space between the boards (I am assuming that you are building a deck) – You can use a 16d nail between each board for uniform spacing – 2) There is always some waste, so you may need 2 – 3 extra boards (if there easy to return, get 55 and return the boards that don’t look so good).  3) There will be more waste if the deck isn’t designed to use the 16’ lengths, or if your are building the deck on the diagonal; that is running the boards at a 45 degree angle on the surface of the deck.

Of course, you still need to figure out how many girders for support, posts & piers, concrete etc.  Good Luck!

Answer 2

44 .