How Much Plywood for a 10x10 Shed Floor?
Sheets to buy
4 sheets
A 10 by 10 ft floor, 100 square feet, joists 16 in on center, ten percent waste.
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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.
- Length of the area10 ft
- Width or height10 ft
- What it is forSubfloor
- Framing spacing16 in on center
- Openings to deduct0 sq ft
- Waste allowance10 %
Sheets to buy4 sheets
| Gross area | 100 sq ft |
|---|---|
| Openings deducted | 0 sq ft |
| Net area | 100 sq ft |
| One sheet covers | 32 sq ft4 by 8 |
| Sheets before waste | 3.13 |
| Squares | 13.125 sheets per square |
| Nails per sheet | 646 in edges, 12 in field at 16 in spacing |
| Nails in total | 2562.6 lb of 8d common |
| Joist under the sheets | 75 ft |
| Subfloor adhesive | 1 tubes28 oz, about 84 ft of quarter inch bead each |
| Screws instead of nails | 3 lbsame count, number eight at about 95 to the pound |
The material list this produces
| Sheathing, 4x8 sheets | 4 |
|---|---|
| Subfloor screws, lb | 3 |
| Or 8d ring shank nails, lb | 3 |
| Subfloor adhesive, 28 oz tubes | 1 |
Floor size compared
The common ten foot wide shed floors. The middle column is what the area divides into before the waste allowance, and the gap between it and the sheet count is what you pay for and cut off.
| Floor size | Sheets to buy | Sheets before waste | Joist under the sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 by 8 ft | 3 sheets | 2.5 | 60 ft |
| 10 by 10 ft | 4 sheets | 3.13 | 75 ft |
| 10 by 12 ft | 5 sheets | 3.75 | 90 ft |
| 10 by 14 ft | 5 sheets | 4.38 | 105 ft |
| 10 by 16 ft | 6 sheets | 5 | 120 ft |
| 10 by 20 ft | 7 sheets | 6.25 | 150 ft |
What else matters here
Four sheets of 4x8 plywood, 75 ft of joist under them and 3 lb of screws. This is the most asked plywood question on the site and 10 ft is the most awkward number in it.
Ten does not divide by four and it does not divide by eight. Two sheets laid side by side cover 8 ft of the 10 ft width and leave a 2 ft strip; running the other way, one row of sheets covers 8 ft of the 10 ft length and leaves the same strip turned ninety degrees. Either way the fourth sheet exists to make up 2 ft, and 6 ft of it is offcut.
The order that works is joists first, laid out so that a sheet edge lands on the center of a joist wherever two sheets meet, then a bead of adhesive on every joist, then the sheets down and screwed rather than nailed. Adhesive is what stops a shed floor squeaking in year two, and one tube covers about 84 ft of quarter inch bead, which is why the calculator returns one for this floor and not more.
What this calculator assumes
- A sheet is 4 by 8, which is 32 square feet, so three and an eighth sheets cover a square.
- Openings come off in full here, not at half. A window hole in a sheathed wall is a real hole and the offcut around it is what the waste line is for.
- The nail count is the fastener schedule rather than a rule of thumb: six inches around every edge and twelve inches into the framing in the field, so a sheet at 16 inch spacing takes 64 nails and one at 24 inch spacing takes 56. Eight penny common runs about 100 nails to the pound.
- Subfloor adhesive is figured on the linear feet of joist under the sheets, at about 84 feet of quarter inch bead from a 28 ounce tube, which is the size subfloor adhesive actually comes in.
- Roof sheathing wants H clips in each bay along the unsupported joint between rafters, which is four per sheet at 24 inches on center. At 16 inches most panel thicknesses do not need them, so the list leaves them off below 19.2 inch spacing.
- A subfloor gets screwed rather than nailed on most jobs, so the list carries the same fastener count in number eight screws at about ninety five to the pound and leaves the nail line under it as the alternative. Only one of those two lines gets bought.
- Thickness does not change the count, only the price and the span rating. Check the panel span rating against your framing spacing before you buy the thin one.
Questions people ask
How many sheets of plywood for a 10x10 shed floor?
4 sheets of 4x8 plywood, including a ten percent waste allowance on 100 square feet.
Should shed floor plywood be screwed or nailed?
Screwed, with adhesive on the joists underneath. The calculator returns 3 lb of number eight screws for this floor. Adhesive is what stops the squeak that shows up in the second year.
Why is a 10 ft dimension awkward for plywood?
Because 10 divides by neither 4 nor 8. Two sheets cover 8 ft and leave a 2 ft strip whichever way you turn them, so the last sheet is bought to make up two feet.
The plywood calculator takes any dimensions you like and hands back the same list.