SettingsSettings for this calculationUS
The radius of the curved wall's arc.
Measure to the wall's centerline radius (or the face you are framing to) — this is the radius used to compute the arc length the studs must span.
The total angle the curved wall sweeps through, in degrees.
A quarter-circle wall sweeps 90°, a half-circle sweeps 180°, and so on. This is converted to radians internally to compute the arc length.
The on-center stud spacing measured along the curve, not the straight-line chord.
Curved walls typically need closer stud spacing than straight walls, especially for tight radii, so standard sheathing can bend smoothly to the curve. Confirm the minimum spacing for your radius and sheathing with the manufacturer or a qualified designer.
Studs needed
13 studs
Curved wall framing typically requires closer stud spacing than straight walls (especially for tight radii) to achieve a smooth curve with standard sheathing — confirm the minimum spacing for your specific radius and sheathing material with the wall system manufacturer or a qualified designer.
- Arc length
- 15.71 ft
They open the calculator with your figures already in it
Curved/Radius Wall Framing Stud Layout Calculator: 13 studs — shown in imperial, US market. The link sets both, so the result they see is the one on your screen.
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How this was calculated
Formula source(s)
- Arc length = Wall Radius × Arc Angle (in radians); Stud count = ceil(Arc Length ÷ Stud Spacing) + 1 — the standard method for laying out framing members along a curved wall's arc length, analogous to straight-wall stud spacing but using arc length instead of chord length.
Inputs used
- Curved Wall Radius
- 10 ft
- Wall Arc Angle (°)
- 90
- Stud Spacing (On-Center, Measured Along the Arc)
- 16 in
Intermediate steps
- Arc length
- 15.71 ft
Confidence note: Curved wall framing typically requires closer stud spacing than straight walls (especially for tight radii) to achieve a smooth curve with standard sheathing — confirm the minimum spacing for your specific radius and sheathing material with the wall system manufacturer or a qualified designer.
What this calculation does not cover
- Counts studs and ignores the plates, which are the real work on a radius wall. Curved top and bottom plates have to be kerfed, laminated up from thin plywood, or cut as segments out of sheet stock, and that sheet material and bench time usually outweigh the studs themselves. Nothing here tells you how many sheets the plates take or how many laminations the radius needs.
- Spacing is measured on one radius, and a wall has two faces. Studs laid out at 400 mm (16 in) on the centerline sit further apart on the convex face and closer on the concave one, and the convex face is the one that has to hold bent sheathing. On a tight radius the outer spacing is the number that governs, and it is always wider than the figure entered.
- The board order changes with the radius, not just the spacing. A curve tighter than the sheet will take dry gets sheathed with two thin layers instead of one thick one — twice the sheets and twice the hanging — or with sheets wetted and kerfed one at a time. This count assumes the spacing you typed already reflects that decision; it does not make it for you.
Estimated cost — your price
This site holds no price list for this material — local prices vary too much to publish honestly. Enter your supplier's price and the result is costed with it.
Look at the gaps: they are wider on the outside of the curve than on the inside, because the spacing you entered was measured on the centreline. This page says so in its limitations — the outer spacing is the one that governs, and it is always wider than the figure you typed. The drawing is to scale, so you are seeing the real difference rather than a warning about it.
Schematic layout — positions are illustrative, quantities are exact. This calculator counts the studs from the arc length and the spacing you entered, and never says where any one of them sits — so they are drawn evenly along the wall. The radius and the sweep are yours and are drawn exactly. It never asks how thick the wall is either, so the two dashed faces are indicative only; the solid line between them is the centreline your spacing was measured on.
Computed in your browser — nothing you enter is uploaded. Presented in US customary units and US trade terminology. Where a formula follows a published standard, that standard and its edition are cited beside it on this page; where none governs, the page says so. Local amendments override model codes — verify against the code in force where you build.
Sources checked 2026-09-06 · in the site-wide review of 2026-09-06 · v1.0.1
Regulatory standards & verification citations1
- Arc length = Wall Radius × Arc Angle (in radians); Stud count = ceil(Arc Length ÷ Stud Spacing) + 1 — the standard method for laying out framing members along a curved wall's arc length, analogous to straight-wall stud spacing but using arc length instead of chord length.
Cite this page
Your workspace
Most jobs need more than one number. Add the calculators you need next and they open right here, underneath this one — your figures stay on screen and nothing is lost to a page change.
Tools and safety for this job
To frame a stud wall and cut framing lumber. Generic types, no brands, no prices.
Protection this work requires
- Hardwood dust is a recognised carcinogen: extract at the tool and wear a P2/N95 respirator when cutting or sanding indoors.
- Saws, grinders and breakers run above 85 dB, where hearing damage accumulates and does not recover: defenders or plugs for every cut, not just the long ones.
- Nailing, chiselling and cutting all throw fragments: glasses to EN 166 or ANSI Z87.1, and goggles rather than glasses overhead.
Show the 9 tools this job needsHide tools
Essential
Circular saw
Claw hammer
Combination or framing square
Spirit level
Tape measure
Recommended
Chalk line
Framing nailer
Mitre saw
Optional
Hand saw
Also needed as materials: chalk refill, circular saw blades, framing nails, fuel cells, mitre saw blades.
what each carpentry tool is for, and the spec that decides which to buy where one does.
Full-size curved plate templates
Print the wall's top and bottom plates as segments cut from sheet: as many whole bays as one sheet holds, so every joint lands on a stud, with each stud marked on the centreline — one segment to cut and repeat, or every segment numbered — and a calibration square on every sheet.