How Many Boards for a 6x10 Deck?
Deck boards to buy
11 12 ft boards
60 square feet, 13 rows running the 10 foot way, joists 16 inches on center.
When the figures look right, the deck material list downloads as a real PDF with your business details on it, built inside your own browser. Nothing you type is uploaded anywhere.
How that number is worked out
These are the figures this page was built with and every line the calculator produces from them. Change anything above and all of it moves.
- Deck length10 ft
- Deck width6 ft
- Board face width5.5 in
- Gap between boards0.25 in
- Board length you buy12 ft
- Joist spacing on center16 in
Deck boards to buy11 12 ft boards
| Deck area | 60 sq ft |
|---|---|
| Board rows across the width | 13 |
| Linear feet of decking | 130 lf |
| Boards at 12 ft | 11 |
| Joists at 16 in on center | 9 |
The material list this produces
| Deck boards, 12 ft | 11 |
|---|---|
| Joists, 6 ft | 9 |
| Joist hangers, each | 18 |
| Deck screws, lb | 2 |
Board length compared
Same deck, four board lengths. Longer boards mean fewer end joints and more offcut risk.
| Board length | Deck boards to buy |
|---|---|
| 8 ft boards | 17 8 ft boards |
| 12 ft boards | 11 12 ft boards |
| 16 ft boards | 9 16 ft boards |
| 20 ft boards | 7 20 ft boards |
What else matters here
Thirteen rows at 10 feet is 130 linear feet, eleven 12 foot boards with a 2 foot offcut off each. Ten foot boards would be 13 with no waste and are worth asking about.
Thirteen rows is the number to look at. Six feet of width divided by five and three quarter inches of coverage is 12.5 rows, so the thirteenth row is a rip: the last board has to be cut down the length to about three inches to finish flush.
Nobody plans that board and it always ends up at the house wall or the outside edge where it is most visible. The fix is to take the difference off the first and last rows instead, so both edges get a board ripped to four and a half inches and the deck reads as symmetrical rather than as a full board and a sliver.
What this calculator assumes
- A nominal 2x6 board is 5.5 inches of actual face. Nominal sizes are not real sizes, which is where most deck orders go wrong.
- Joist count is the span across the deck width at the spacing given, plus one for the last joist.
- Waste is not added. Add 5 to 10 percent if the deck is not a plain rectangle.
Questions people ask
How many boards for a 6x10 deck?
Eleven boards of 5/4 by 6 at 12 feet, covering 13 rows at 10 feet each.
What do I do with the last narrow deck board?
Split the difference between the first and last rows so both edges carry a ripped board of the same width. A full board against a two inch sliver is what reads as a mistake.
How many joists for a 6x10 deck?
Nine at 16 inches on center along the 10 foot run, each one 6 feet long.
The deck calculator takes any dimensions you like and hands back the same list.