Wood Siding Calculator — Cedar Clapboard, Shake & Shingle Coverage
Five wood siding profiles deconstructed with board-foot conversions, waste factors, and cost ranges — cedar lap, shake, shingle, board-on-board, and engineered wood.
Siding inputs
Area: 360.00 sq ft
Area: 360.00 sq ft
Area: 270.00 sq ft
Area: 270.00 sq ft
Area (½ × base × height): 120.00 sq ft
Typical for Vinyl Double 4 (D4): ≈ $3.00/sq ft · edit above to override.
Final Estimate
Net Siding Area
1,244.00 sq ft
Order Area (with waste)
1,368.40 sq ft
Purchase This
Cost Breakdown
Planning estimate only. Confirm installed exposure, package coverage, supplier quantities, and local labor rates before ordering. Siding color batches change quarterly — buy 5–10% extra for matchability.
Area Breakdown
Trim & Accessories
150.00 linear ft of trim
14 pieces (itemized — each accessory rounded up separately)
Five Wood Siding Types — Deconstructed
Every wood siding profile broken down to the numbers that matter: coverage per unit (board foot, cord, square), waste factor, cost range, lifespan, and the unique quirk that catches estimators by surprise.
Cedar Lap Siding (Clapboard)
The classic premium wood siding
4″ exp → 192 sq ft / 1,000 bd ft 6″ exp → 144 sq ft / 1,000 bd ft 8″ exp → 128 sq ft / 1,000 bd ft
8–10%
$5–$12/sq ft
20–40 yrs with maintenance
Coverage depends entirely on exposure — nominal 6″ board at 4.5″ exposure covers 10% less than at 5″.
Colonial, cottage, traditional homes
Cedar Shake Siding
Split-face, rustic texture
225 sq ft / square (100 shingles) @ 10″ exposure
15–20%
$10–$18/sq ft
25–40 yrs with maintenance
Irregular split shapes generate the highest waste of any siding — 15–20% minimum due to natural defect culling.
Mountain cabins, lodge-style homes, accent walls
Cedar Shingle Siding
Sawn-face, more uniform than shake
256 sq ft / square @ 10″ exposure #1 Blue Label grading
12–15%
$8–$15/sq ft
20–35 yrs
Shingles are graded by Blue Label rules — #1 has tight grain, few knots; lower grades waste 5–8% more.
Cape Cod, beach houses, historic restorations
Board-on-Board Siding
Double vertical boards, maximum coverage
55 sq ft / cord (128 cu ft of 1″ boards) Two boards + air gap
10–12%
$8–$16/sq ft
15–25 yrs
Coverage is lowest of any siding type — 1 cord = only ~55 sq ft because two boards overlap each other.
Barns, farmhouses, modern industrial
LP SmartSide (Engineered Wood)
Treated engineered wood — rot-resistant
200 sq ft / carton 4′ × 8′ panels, 1/2″ thick
5–8%
$4–$8/sq ft
30–50 yrs (5/50 warranty)
Most economical wood option — engineered wood resists rot and insects, but you give up the natural grain character.
Budget wood look, high-humidity areas, new construction
Lifespan Comparison (higher = better)
Board Foot → Wall Coverage Conversion Table
Wood siding is wholesaled by the board foot — a volume measure, not an area measure. Converting board feet to wall coverage is the step most DIYers and even some contractors get wrong. Here is the formula and a worked example.
Board foot conversion formula
1 board foot = 12″ × 12″ × 1″ = 144 cubic inchesCoverage (sq ft per 1,000 bd ft) = (Exposure in inches ÷ 12) × (1,000 × 12 ÷ Board Thickness)A 6″ exposure 12′ cedar board is not 6 board feet — it is 5.33 (because 1″ × 6″ × 12′ ÷ 144 ≈ 5.33). Price quotes using 6 bd ft/board will overbudget by about 12%.
Wood Siding vs. Fiber Cement — Cost + Maintenance Side-by-Side
The main competitors to wood siding are fiber cement (like James Hardie) and vinyl. Here is how wood stacks up on cost, lifespan, and the maintenance schedule that owners actually encounter.
Wood = character, but character needs workPhoto: UnsplashCost per square foot (installed)
Maintenance
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