# MaterialsEstimator > Work out how much you need, what to buy, and what it costs. Construction material calculators and installed-cost pages for the US market. Every quantity ends in a real product — bags, sheets, boxes, tons — and every figure cites a dated source. How this site is organised, because it is not the usual split. Most calculator sites separate quantity from cost into two thin pages. Here each job has ONE page, and what differs is only which question it leads with: the pages under Costs lead with the price, the pages under Calculators lead with the quantity, and both carry the calculator and the pricing. Method, in four lines: - Material prices are national; only labour is adjusted by region, from the BEA regional price parities. Heavy materials carry a separate freight factor. - Waste is shown as its own line, explained, and editable. Compaction is separate and per material. - Every figure cites a source by id, and the source registry is published at https://materialsestimator.com/sources/ with the date each one was last checked. - Review dates are written by a person. Nothing on this site is stamped with the date it was rendered. ## Costs — what a job costs installed - [Roof replacement](https://materialsestimator.com/roof-replacement-cost/): Squares, bundles, underlayment and ridge, adjusted for pitch. - [Windows](https://materialsestimator.com/window-replacement-cost/): Priced by united inches, with insert against full frame and an honest energy payback. - [Central air conditioning](https://materialsestimator.com/central-air-conditioner-installation-cost/): Installed price per ton, by size and SEER2 — and what an oversized quote is costing you. - [Carpet](https://materialsestimator.com/carpet-installation-cost/): Roll width, seam placement and the offcut nobody accounts for. - [Water heater](https://materialsestimator.com/water-heater-replacement-cost/): Tank gallons or tankless flow rate from real fixture demand. - [Tankless water heater](https://materialsestimator.com/tankless-water-heater-cost/): Gallons a minute at YOUR temperature rise, not the figure on the box. - [Hardwood](https://materialsestimator.com/hardwood-flooring-installation-cost/): Installed cost by the method the subfloor forces, with boards, cleats and the winter gap. - [Fence](https://materialsestimator.com/fence-installation-cost/): Posts, rails, pickets and concrete, with frost-depth post holes. - [Flooring](https://materialsestimator.com/floor-installation-cost/): Boxes of laminate, vinyl plank or hardwood, with racking waste. - [Siding](https://materialsestimator.com/siding-installation-cost/): Squares of vinyl or fibre cement, minus openings, plus trim. - [Drywall](https://materialsestimator.com/drywall-installation-cost/): Sheets by size, plus mud, tape, screws and corner bead. - [Gutters](https://materialsestimator.com/gutter-installation-cost/): Linear feet, downspout count and the sizing for your rainfall. - [Tile](https://materialsestimator.com/tile-installation-cost/): Tile by pattern, thinset from the trowel, grout from the joint width. - [Pavers](https://materialsestimator.com/paver-patio-installation-cost/): Pavers, bedding sand, base depth and edge restraint. - [Sod and turf](https://materialsestimator.com/sod-installation-cost/): Pallets of sod, seed by species or turf by the roll, priced over 20 years. - [Floor refinishing](https://materialsestimator.com/hardwood-floor-refinishing-cost/): Sandings left in the wood, recoat against a full sand, coats and days out of use. - [Metal roof](https://materialsestimator.com/metal-roof-cost/): Panels cut to length, counted on coverage, with every run of trim. - [Insulation](https://materialsestimator.com/attic-insulation-cost/): Depth to reach the R your zone asks for, and what every rung of it actually earns. - [Furnace](https://materialsestimator.com/furnace-installation-cost/): Installed price by size and AFUE, and the chimney work the efficient one forces. - [Epoxy floor](https://materialsestimator.com/epoxy-floor-installation-cost/): Gallons from solids and film thickness, preparation priced apart, and cost per year of service. - [Artificial turf](https://materialsestimator.com/artificial-turf-installation-cost/): Rolls with a grain, the compacted base, infill and edging. - [Mini split](https://materialsestimator.com/mini-split-installation-cost/): Installed price zone by zone, with the condenser that carries them and the circuit it needs. - [Heat pump](https://materialsestimator.com/heat-pump-installation-cost/): Installed price per ton, and the balance point that decides the January bill. - [Build cost per sq ft](https://materialsestimator.com/construction-cost-per-square-foot/): Installed cost per ft² for every trade on the site, calculated not quoted. - [Chain link](https://materialsestimator.com/chain-link-fence-installation-cost/): Terminal posts, line posts, fabric by the roll and what the shape of the yard costs. - [Garage door spring](https://materialsestimator.com/garage-door-spring-replacement-cost/): The exact spring from the door's weight, and the cycle rating turned into years. ## Calculators — how much material a job takes - [Concrete](https://materialsestimator.com/concrete-calculator/): Yards, bags, rebar and joints for slabs, footings and piers. - [Square footage](https://materialsestimator.com/square-footage-calculator/): Area and volume for any shape, in the units the job uses. - [Concrete slab](https://materialsestimator.com/concrete-slab-calculator/): Yards with the thickened edge, base, barrier, steel and joint layout. - [Paint](https://materialsestimator.com/paint-calculator/): Gallons by coat and substrate, not one flat spread rate. - [Gravel](https://materialsestimator.com/gravel-calculator/): Tons or yards by stone type, at the compacted depth. - [Deck](https://materialsestimator.com/deck-calculator/): Boards from real stock lengths, framing, stairs and 25-year cost. - [Asphalt](https://materialsestimator.com/asphalt-calculator/): Tons by compacted depth, plus seal, overlay or rebuild priced side by side. - [Stairs](https://materialsestimator.com/stair-calculator/): Risers, treads, stringer length and the code checks, with a scale diagram. - [BTU / HVAC sizing](https://materialsestimator.com/btu-calculator/): Heating and cooling load by room, climate zone and insulation. - [Mulch](https://materialsestimator.com/mulch-calculator/): Yards or bags, with last year's mulch subtracted and bulk compared to bags. - [Board feet](https://materialsestimator.com/board-foot-calculator/): Volume, weight and price of lumber, plus the three log rules that disagree. - [Roof pitch](https://materialsestimator.com/roof-pitch-calculator/): Rise and run, degrees, grade and the area multiplier, in both directions. - [Recessed lighting](https://materialsestimator.com/recessed-lighting-calculator/): How many, how far apart, the layout drawn to scale, and what it costs installed. ## Comparisons — the decision before the quantity - [Concrete vs asphalt driveway](https://materialsestimator.com/concrete-vs-asphalt-driveway/): Asphalt is $6.01 a square foot and concrete $13.94 — and thirty years later, after a resurface and seven seal coats, asphalt is still 26 per cent cheaper. What concrete buys is not money. Where you live decides the rest. - [Carpet vs hardwood](https://materialsestimator.com/carpet-vs-hardwood/): On the same 182 ft² room, carpet is $1,709 and hardwood $2,701 — 58 per cent more, not double. Over fifty years, with carpet replaced five times and hardwood sanded twice, hardwood comes out 45 per cent cheaper. Carpet wins on warmth and quiet, which is what bedrooms are for. - [Deck vs patio](https://materialsestimator.com/deck-vs-patio/): A patio at grade is cheaper and permanent. A deck is what you build when the ground is not level or the door is not at ground level — and that, not preference, is usually what decides it. - [Concrete patio vs pavers](https://materialsestimator.com/concrete-patio-vs-pavers/): Poured concrete is cheaper and cracks; pavers cost more and move without cracking because they are already in pieces. What separates a good one from a bad one is the base under it, identically for both. ## Reference data — the tables behind the figures, free to cite - [Concrete bag yield](https://materialsestimator.com/data/concrete-bag-yield/): Cubic feet of set concrete per bag, and bags per cubic yard, by bag weight. - [Aggregate weights](https://materialsestimator.com/data/aggregate-weights/): Pounds and tons per cubic yard for stone, sand, DG and topsoil — as a range, not a single figure. - [Drywall levels of finish](https://materialsestimator.com/data/drywall-finish-levels/): What each of the five levels includes, what it is suitable for, and how much compound and labour it takes. - [Mulch coverage and bag counts](https://materialsestimator.com/data/mulch-coverage/): Square feet a cubic yard covers at every depth, bags to a yard and to a pallet, and what each mulch weighs dry and soaked. - [Asphalt tonnage and coverage](https://materialsestimator.com/data/asphalt-tonnage/): Square feet and square yards a ton of asphalt covers at every compacted depth, the spread rate behind it, and millings against hot mix. - [Sod pallets and seeding rates](https://materialsestimator.com/data/sod-and-seed-rates/): What a pallet of sod covers and weighs, and how many pounds of seed per thousand square feet each grass actually wants. - [Deck spans and spacing](https://materialsestimator.com/data/deck-spans-and-spacing/): How far each joist size spans by spacing and species, what spacing each decking material allows, and the gaps a guard has to close. - [Thinset and grout coverage](https://materialsestimator.com/data/tile-coverage/): Square feet per bag of mortar for every trowel notch, and pounds of grout per square foot for every tile size and joint width. - [Gutter sizing by rainfall](https://materialsestimator.com/data/gutter-sizing/): Design rainfall intensity for every state, and the roof area each gutter and downspout size can carry there. - [Paint coverage by surface](https://materialsestimator.com/data/paint-coverage/): What a gallon really covers on each substrate, first coat and later coats, against the figure printed on the tin. - [Fence post depth and frost line](https://materialsestimator.com/data/fence-post-depth/): Design frost depth for all 51 states, and the post hole depth it calls for at each fence height. - [Water heater sizing](https://materialsestimator.com/data/water-heater-sizing/): Tank size and first hour rating by household, and the flow a tankless unit delivers at each climate's temperature rise. - [Heating and cooling load by climate zone](https://materialsestimator.com/data/hvac-load-by-climate-zone/): Screening BTU per square foot for each of the eight climate zones, and what it works out to in tons for common house sizes. - [Roof pitch, angle and multiplier](https://materialsestimator.com/data/roof-pitch-multiplier/): Every pitch from 1:12 to 18:12 as an angle in degrees and as the factor that turns footprint into roof area. - [Regional price index](https://materialsestimator.com/data/regional-price-index/): The labour factor applied to estimates in each of the 51 states, and the federal series it comes from. - [Area and volume conversions](https://materialsestimator.com/data/area-conversions/): Square feet to square yards, metres and acres; cubic feet to cubic yards and metres — with the definition each one follows from. - [Control joint spacing](https://materialsestimator.com/data/control-joint-spacing/): How far apart to cut joints in a slab, how deep, and how soon after the pour. ## About the method and the sources - [Methodology](https://materialsestimator.com/methodology/): how material, labour, waste and region are handled, and what this site refuses to estimate. - [Sources](https://materialsestimator.com/sources/): every dataset read, with the date it was checked and how it was used. - [Corrections](https://materialsestimator.com/corrections/): errors found and what changed, kept in public. - [Editorial policy](https://materialsestimator.com/editorial-policy/): who writes this and how it is reviewed. - [Data changelog](https://materialsestimator.com/data/changelog/): when a published figure changed and why. - [Sitemap](https://materialsestimator.com/sitemap/): every page, grouped. ## Attribution Content may be quoted and the reference tables may be cited. Please attribute to MaterialsEstimator (https://materialsestimator.com) and link to the specific page rather than the home page, because the figures are page-specific and dated.