Full Scaffold Material Calculator
Standards, tube length and weight, couplers and board area.
Inputs
Result
Formula
| Standards | N = (floor(L÷s)+1) × (floor(W÷s)+1) |
| Standard length | L = N × (height + 0.2) |
| Lift levels | n = floor(height ÷ lift) + 1 |
| Ledger length | L = (rows × L + columns × W) × levels |
| Tube weight | W = total length × 3.84 kg/m |
6 × 4 m at 4 m high with 1.2 m standards and 1.5 m lifts: 24 standards, 3 ledger levels, 244.8 m of tube, about 940 kg, 368 couplers and 24 m² of board.
Full scaffold material content (1.2 m standards, 1.5 m lifts)
| Height (m) | Tube (m/m²) | Tube (kg/m²) | Couplers per m² |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 8.2 | 31.5 | 12 |
| 4 | 10.2 | 39.2 | 15 |
| 6 | 16.2 | 62.2 | 24 |
| 8 | 20.2 | 77.6 | 30 |
| 10 | 24.2 | 92.9 | 36 |
FAQ
How does a full scaffold differ from a facade scaffold?
A full scaffold fills the whole indoor area with standards to carry finishes, ceilings or structural support, with load going down through the standards into the slab or ground; a facade scaffold runs around the perimeter for external work and edge protection. Parameters differ, and full scaffolds depend more on even spacing and the capacity of what they stand on — often a suspended slab.
Why 3.84 kg/m for the tube?
A Φ48 × 3.0 mm tube has about 424 mm² of steel, giving 3.33 kg/m at 7.85 g/cm³; allowing for wall tolerance and galvanising the code uses 3.84 kg/m. Much of the market sells 2.7-2.8 mm tube at about 3.2 kg/m — over 20% less capacity, so wall thickness must be checked at inspection.
Why is lift height limited?
Lift height sets the effective length of the standard and hence its buckling capacity. Going from 1.5 to 1.8 m cuts capacity by roughly 25%, because slender members fail by buckling. Almost all high-formwork collapses come from excessive lift or missing horizontal bracing — the frame goes out of plumb rather than the tube being crushed.
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Results are estimating aids only and are not a design basis. Construction and final accounts must follow the drawings, the applicable standards and an approved method statement. Anything affecting structural safety, shoring or falsework must be checked by a suitably qualified engineer.