Siding Calculator

Add up your wall and gable area, subtract windows and doors, then add a waste percentage (commonly 10%). Divide the result by 100 — one siding square equals 100 square feet. This calculator does that math for you automatically as you enter measurements.

No. A home’s listed square footage describes floor area, not exterior wall area. Siding coverage depends on wall height, gable shape, and how many windows and doors you have — two homes with the same floor plan can need very different amounts of siding.

Yes. Openings like windows, doors, and garage doors don’t need siding, so their area is subtracted from your gross wall area before waste is added.

Most simple, rectangular homes use a 10% waste allowance. Homes with more corners, gables, dormers, or diagonal cuts often need 15–20% to account for extra trim cuts and pattern matching.

A siding square is a construction industry unit equal to 100 square feet of wall coverage. It’s used to price and order material regardless of the specific product’s panel or board size.

This calculator applies standard construction formulas to the measurements and assumptions you provide. It’s a planning estimate, not a substitute for an on-site measurement or a contractor’s take-off — actual material needs vary with product dimensions, house geometry, and installation method.

One square of siding is 100 square feet of wall coverage. It is the same for every material, which is why contractors use it to compare prices and quantities.

A vinyl carton commonly covers about 200 sq ft (two squares) with roughly 20 to 25 panels, and about 12 double-4 panels make a square. Coverage varies by product, so check the carton label and edit the values under “Siding material”.

Measure each wall’s length and height, add the triangular gable areas (base × height ÷ 2), subtract windows and doors, then add waste. Our guide on how to measure for siding walks through each step.

For roughly 1,700 sq ft of wall, typical installed totals run about $7,000 to $17,000 for vinyl and $12,000 to $24,000 for fiber cement. Region, product tier and wall condition move the number, so use the Siding Cost Calculator with your own prices.

Yes. Every calculator on this site is free to use, with no account, email, or sign-up required.

No — you can start with rough measurements and refine them later. The calculator recalculates instantly as you adjust any wall, gable, or opening.

Vinyl, fiber cement, James Hardie®-style boards, LP SmartSide-style panels, wood, cedar, metal, and board-and-batten, each with editable coverage assumptions.

No. It’s a planning estimate based on the prices you enter. Use it to compare scenarios or sanity-check a contractor quote — not as a binding price.

Siding is the exterior wall covering that protects a home’s frame from weather and gives it its finished look. Common materials include vinyl, fiber cement (Hardie®-style), wood, cedar, metal, and board-and-batten, each with different cost, durability, and installation requirements.

Installed, vinyl siding typically runs about $4 to $10 per sq ft, with material alone around $2.50 to $7 per sq ft. Panel thickness, insulation backing, and local labor rates decide where a project lands — see the Vinyl Siding Cost page for details, or the Vinyl Siding Calculator to price your own house.

It depends on the material. For vinyl, material alone is often $2.50–$7 per sq ft while a fully installed price runs $4–$10 per sq ft, so labor is a meaningful share but not the majority. Heavier materials like fiber cement and wood generally carry a higher labor share since they take longer to install.