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Shaftwall Track & Stud Screw Count Calculator

Calculate total self-tapping screws for a shaftwall stud run, from the fastening schedule your tested assembly actually specifies.

  • Answers as you type
  • Every formula cited
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The total number of shaftwall studs in the run.

Use the stud count from your shaftwall framing layout — for example, from the Shaftwall Stud Framework Calculator.

How many screws fasten each stud to the track. Take it from the fastening schedule for your tested assembly rather than assuming both ends: many shaftwall listings leave the stud unfastened at the head so the deflection track can move, in which case only the bottom connection is counted.

Check your project specification or the track manufacturer's fastening schedule for the required number of screws per stud-to-track connection.

Total screws needed

72 screws

High confidence
Then change the inputs to see how far the answer moves.

Show calculation logic

How this was calculated

Formula source(s)

  • Total screws = stud count × screws per stud, the same fastening-count method used for standard cold-formed steel stud framing

Inputs used

Number of Studs
18
Screws per Stud (per the project fastening schedule)
4
Final result72 screws

What this calculation does not cover

  • A count with no screw in it. The tested assembly names the fastener — head style, point and the gauge it can drill — and a fine-thread drywall screw put into a heavier gauge stud will spin without drilling or snap its head under the board. Substituting it is a departure from the listing whether or not the count is right, and on a fire-rated shaft it is the listing, not the arithmetic, that gets inspected.
  • Plain studs in a plain run. Jamb studs at openings are commonly boxed or doubled and screwed to each other on a schedule of their own, track splices take fasteners at every joint, and a tall shaft picks up rows of bridging or bracing across the run — each adds screws the stud count above cannot see.

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.

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
  1. Total screws = stud count × screws per stud, the same fastening-count method used for standard cold-formed steel stud framing
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.

Now that you have the number

These guides cover the work this quantity is for — the first ones run this calculator inside the section that raises the question.

  • Building a Rated Shaftwalluses this calculator

    Shaftwall is the one rated assembly built entirely blind — every panel, stud and screw has to land from the corridor side alone.

How to calculate shaftwall track & stud screw count in 3 steps

  1. Number of StudsThe total number of shaftwall studs in the run.
  2. Screws per Stud (per the project fastening schedule)How many screws fasten each stud to the track. Take it from the fastening schedule for your tested assembly rather than assuming both ends: many shaftwall listings leave the stud unfastened at the head so the deflection track can move, in which case only the bottom connection is counted.
  3. Total screws neededThe tool computes the total screws needed from those figures and shows the formula, its sources, and a confidence rating alongside it.

Total screws needed by number of studs

Page defaults, not your figures above.

Number of StudsTotal screws needed (screws)
28
520
1040
2080
50200
100400

Frequently asked questions

Why is this a simple multiplication of stud count by screws per stud?
Because every stud in the run gets the same schedule, whatever that schedule is — so the total scales directly with the stud count. What the schedule says is the part worth checking rather than assuming. Many tested shaftwall assemblies deliberately leave the stud UNFASTENED at the head so the deflection track can move, in which case only the bottom connection is counted; this site's own shaftwall guide calls screwing the stud through the deflection track legs the commonest field error on these walls. Take the number from the listing for the assembly you are building and enter it above.
How many screws per stud should I use?
Use the number specified in your project's fastening schedule or the track manufacturer's installation instructions — this can vary based on stud gauge, track type, and local code requirements.
Where do I get the stud count for this calculator?
Use the stud count from your shaftwall layout, such as the result from a shaftwall stud framework calculation for the same wall run.
Preliminary estimate, not certified engineering. This tool produces an indicative quantity calculation for planning purposes only — it is not a certified structural analysis, a guaranteed material takeoff, or a substitute for building department approval. Always verify measurements on-site and have a licensed contractor or structural engineer review any load-bearing, code-sensitive, or safety-critical work before purchasing materials or starting construction. Spotted an arithmetic or standards error? Report it to contact@craftquantities.com with your inputs — a confirmed fix gets a permanent check of its own, so the same mistake cannot come back.