Job takeoff
Fibre cement siding takeoff
Courses, cutting waste, corner posts, fasteners and caulk for a lap-sided elevation.
A takeoff is the trade word for the shopping list a job produces — every material, and how much of each, worked out by its own cited calculator.
- 4Measurements in
- 5Trades out
Give the job once
Every figure on the right follows these, in the units you choose.
Been given a quote for this job?
Paste it into the fibre cement siding quote check: each line is read against these same calculators — what it leaves out, what it adds, and what to ask.
Check the quoteEvery trade, from those dimensions
then change a dimension, and each line shows what moved.
| Trade | Quantity | |
|---|---|---|
Fiber-Cement Siding Plank Reveal & Course CalculatorCourses up the elevation at the calculator's default reveal of 178 mm (7 in). The fastener row counts its courses at this same reveal; the plank area below does not depend on it, though the number of planks that area makes does.How this figure was reached
Resting on
Change any other figure on the Fiber-Cement Siding Plank Reveal & Course Calculator | 16 courses | |
Fiber-Cement Siding Cutting Waste Factor CalculatorPlank area including the cutting waste the material actually generates.
Why this quantity?
Resting on
The cutting waste allowance: the calculator's working figure, a trade convention. Change any other figure on the Fiber-Cement Siding Cutting Waste Factor Calculator | 332.64 ft² | |
Fiber-Cement Siding Corner Post CalculatorCorner post stock for the external corners.
Why this quantity?
Resting on
The waste allowance: the calculator's working figure, a trade convention. Change any other figure on the Fiber-Cement Siding Corner Post Calculator | 18.9 ft | |
Lap Siding Fastener Schedule CalculatorFasteners for this elevation, one course to each reveal of the row above, at the default stud spacing.
Why this quantity?
Resting on
The waste allowance: the calculator's working figure, a trade convention. Change any other figure on the Lap Siding Fastener Schedule Calculator | 458 fasteners | |
Fiber-Cement Siding Caulk Joint Volume CalculatorSealant for the joint length you measured, at the default joint size.
Why this quantity?
Resting on
Change any other figure on the Fiber-Cement Siding Caulk Joint Volume Calculator | 0.1266 gal | |
Fiber-Cement Siding Plank Reveal & Course CalculatorCourses up the elevation at the calculator's default reveal of 178 mm (7 in). The fastener row counts its courses at this same reveal; the plank area below does not depend on it, though the number of planks that area makes does.How this figure was reached | 16 courses | |
Fiber-Cement Siding Cutting Waste Factor CalculatorPlank area including the cutting waste the material actually generates.
Why this quantity? | 30.24 m² | |
Fiber-Cement Siding Corner Post CalculatorCorner post stock for the external corners.
Why this quantity? | 5.67 m | |
Lap Siding Fastener Schedule CalculatorFasteners for this elevation, one course to each reveal of the row above, at the default stud spacing.
Why this quantity? | 458 fasteners | |
Fiber-Cement Siding Caulk Joint Volume CalculatorSealant for the joint length you measured, at the default joint size.
Why this quantity? | 0.432 L |
Estimates, not a quote. Each row gives its base, the allowance on top, the adjusted figure and what to order; change an allowance on the row, or open its reasoning to see every figure it rests on. A trade's own page carries what it does not cover — open the one you are about to order against.
Labour and programme
Person-hours for the rows going in, from trade rules of thumb: a range for each piece of work, never a price.
- Fiber-Cement Siding Cutting Waste Factor15 h (8.3–30)
- Fiber-Cement Siding Caulk Joint Volume1.4 h (0.7–3.0)
About 17 person-hours in all, between 9.0 and 33.
Trade by trade
- Carpenter2 carpenters1 day
- Glazier1 glazierunder a quarter of a day
About 1 day, one trade after another at eight hours a day. Left out: drying and curing, deliveries, inspections, trades overlapping.
3 rows carry no hours of their own
- Fiber-Cement Siding Plank Reveal & Course: counted with Fiber-Cement Siding Cutting Waste Factor
- Fiber-Cement Siding Corner Post: counted with Fiber-Cement Siding Cutting Waste Factor
- Lap Siding Fastener Schedule: counted with Fiber-Cement Siding Cutting Waste Factor
Labour and programme
Person-hours for the rows going in, from trade rules of thumb: a range for each piece of work, never a price.
- Fiber-Cement Siding Cutting Waste Factor15 h (8.1–30)
- Fiber-Cement Siding Caulk Joint Volume1.4 h (0.7–3.0)
About 16 person-hours in all, between 8.8 and 33.
Trade by trade
- Carpenter2 carpenters1 day
- Glazier1 glazierunder a quarter of a day
About 1 day, one trade after another at eight hours a day. Left out: drying and curing, deliveries, inspections, trades overlapping.
3 rows carry no hours of their own
- Fiber-Cement Siding Plank Reveal & Course: counted with Fiber-Cement Siding Cutting Waste Factor
- Fiber-Cement Siding Corner Post: counted with Fiber-Cement Siding Cutting Waste Factor
- Lap Siding Fastener Schedule: counted with Fiber-Cement Siding Cutting Waste Factor
Setups you have saved
The build-up, the dimensions and any allowance you changed — kept on this device, and reusable on any job. Your prices are not copied in: they stay in your price book, so a setup never holds a stale one.
How far does a budget go?
At your own prices, with this build-up unchanged.
About this job
Lap siding is measured in courses rather than in area, and the difference matters more than it sounds. The course count comes from the wall height divided by the reveal — the amount of each plank left showing — and the reveal is a decision, not a property of the plank. Change it by 10 mm on a 2.7 m wall and you gain or lose a course across the whole elevation, which moves the plank count, the fastener count and the look of the building.
Fibre cement is also the material where cutting waste is a real line rather than a rounding. The planks are brittle at the ends, they are cut wet or with a dust-collecting blade, and an off-cut short enough to be useless is more common than in timber. The waste row here is its own calculator for that reason, rather than a percentage buried in the plank count.
The caulk row is the one that decides how the elevation ages. The junctions at corner posts and every trim edge want a movement joint filled with a paintable sealant, not left open because the joint looked tight on the day it was cut. Butt joints between planks are usually not caulked: most plank instructions set them moderate-fit over a joint flashing so that water behind them drains out, so they count here only where the plank maker calls for sealant.
How each line reads
- Base
- What the calculator gives for these dimensions, before anything is added.
- Allowance
- Cutting waste, a lap or spare stock — named, with where it comes from, and changeable on the row.
- Adjusted
- The base with its allowance on top.
- Order
- What to buy: the adjusted figure in whole boards, bags, rolls or lengths.
The order this happens in
Quantities do not tell you the sequence, and on this job the sequence is where the money goes wrong.
- Confirm the weather-resistive barrier and the flashings are complete and lapped correctly before a single plank goes up.
- Fit the corner posts and trims first; the planks die into them, not the other way round.
- Set the starter strip dead level — every course above it repeats whatever error is in it.
- Mark the course lines up the wall rather than measuring each plank off the one below.
- Fasten at the schedule, into studs, keeping the nail in the plank's nailing zone.
- Back each butt joint with joint flashing as the plank instructions set out, caulk the trim and corner junctions, then prime every cut end before it is covered.
What this takeoff does not cover
- The weather barrier, flashings and any rainscreen battens behind the siding.
- Openings. Trims, head flashings and the cuts around a window are set by the opening schedule rather than by the elevation's area.
- Paint, unless the planks are pre-finished — and cut ends need sealing either way.
- Soffit, fascia and the junction where the siding meets them.
- Whether the substrate can take the fastener pattern, which is a structural question about the studs.
Quote check
Been given a quote for this job?
Paste it into the fibre cement siding quote check. Every line of it is read against these same calculators and your measurements. Quantities only, never prices.
What it leaves out
Every line this takeoff has that nothing on the quote reads as.
What it adds
Labour, removal, hire, fees — each named for what it is.
What to ask
One list of questions, ready to copy. Never a verdict.
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Frequently asked questions
- What does the fibre cement siding takeoff give for a typical job?
- Opened at Elevation length 10 m · Elevation height 2.7 m · External corners 2 · Caulked joint length 12 m, it orders: Fiber-Cement Siding Plank Reveal & Course, 16 courses; Fiber-Cement Siding Cutting Waste Factor, 30.2 m²; Fiber-Cement Siding Corner Post, 5.67 m; Lap Siding Fastener Schedule, 458 fasteners; Fiber-Cement Siding Caulk Joint Volume, 0.43 L. Opened at Elevation length 33 ft · Elevation height 9 ft · External corners 2 · Caulked joint length 39 ft: Fiber-Cement Siding Plank Reveal & Course, 16 courses; Fiber-Cement Siding Cutting Waste Factor, 333 ft²; Fiber-Cement Siding Corner Post, 18.9 ft; Lap Siding Fastener Schedule, 458 fasteners; Fiber-Cement Siding Caulk Joint Volume, 0.13 gal. Every figure follows the dimensions you give it.
- Which calculators does the fibre cement siding takeoff run?
- 5 calculators, one to a line: Fiber-Cement Siding Plank Reveal & Course Calculator, Fiber-Cement Siding Cutting Waste Factor Calculator, Fiber-Cement Siding Corner Post Calculator, Lap Siding Fastener Schedule Calculator, Fiber-Cement Siding Caulk Joint Volume Calculator. Each has a page of its own with its formula and its sources; the takeoff runs them all on one set of dimensions.
- What does the fibre cement siding takeoff leave out?
- 5 things, each named on this page: The weather barrier, flashings and any rainscreen battens behind the siding; Openings; Paint, unless the planks are pre-finished; Soffit, fascia and the junction where the siding meets them; Whether the substrate can take the fastener pattern, which is a structural question about the studs.
- Can I check a quote for this job against the takeoff?
- Yes. The fibre cement siding quote check reads a quote's lines against these same calculators and your measurements, and reports what it leaves out, what it adds and what to ask. It reads quantities, never prices.