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Yardwork

Construction and landscaping glossary

Last updated

Short definitions of the units and building terms used in the calculators and guides. Each entry links to the pages that use the term, and every figure links to the source it comes from.

A

Acre

A unit of land area equal to 43,560 square feet (NIST Handbook 44). Divide an area in square feet by 43,560 to get acres.

Source:
NIST Handbook 44 (2026), Appendix C: Units of Area (National Institute of Standards and Technology)

B

Bag yield

The volume of mixed concrete one bag makes, as published by the manufacturer. QUIKRETE lists 0.60 cubic feet for an 80 lb bag of Concrete Mix (No. 1101), so one cubic yard (27 cubic feet) takes 45 bags before any allowance.

Also called:
Yield

Board foot

A unit of lumber volume. Under the American Softwood Lumber Standard (PS 20), board feet = nominal thickness in inches × nominal width in feet × length in feet, so an 8 ft 2×6 is 8 board feet.

Also called:
Board measure

Bulk density

The weight of a loose material per unit of volume, such as tons per cubic yard, used to turn a volume of gravel or soil into a weight. This site's gravel and topsoil calculators do not assume one: enter the figure your supplier gives for the material you are buying.

Also called:
Density, Unit weight
Basis:
How this site's gravel and topsoil calculators handle weight: density is always your input.

C

Compaction

Pressing loose gravel or soil into a denser, firmer layer. Idaho's LHTAC Gravel Roads Manual says to expect a loose load's volume to drop by 25–30% once it is spread and compacted, so order more than the finished volume.

Source:
Gravel Roads Manual (2021) (Local Highway Technical Assistance Council (Idaho))

Control joint

A shallow groove cut into a fresh concrete slab with a grooving tool, dividing it into panels. QUIKRETE's slab instructions for Concrete Mix (No. 1101) call for joints 1 in deep every 6 to 8 ft.

Crown

The raised center line of a gravel driveway or road, with the surface sloping down to each edge so it sheds rain. Vermont's driveway guidance and Idaho's LHTAC manual use about 1/2 in of height per foot of width from the center (LHTAC: roughly a 4% cross-slope); FHWA's unpaved-road guidance targets 5% ± 1%.

Sources:
Crowned Driveways, Good Gravel, and Rock- or Grass-lined Drainage Ditches (Lake Wise BMP) (Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, Lakes & Ponds Section); Gravel Roads Manual (2021) (Local Highway Technical Assistance Council (Idaho)); Unpaved Road Dust Management, Chapter 6: Construction and Additive Application (Federal Highway Administration, Center for Local Aid Support)

Cubic foot

The volume of a cube 1 ft on each side; 27 cubic feet make one cubic yard (NIST Handbook 44). Bagged materials state their volume in cubic feet, such as 2 cu ft for Scotts Nature Scapes mulch.

Also called:
ft³, cu ft

Cubic yard

A volume 3 ft long, 3 ft wide, and 3 ft deep, equal to 27 cubic feet (NIST Handbook 44). On this site, "yards" of gravel, mulch, soil, or concrete always means cubic yards, not linear or square yards.

Also called:
yd³, cu yd, Yard of material
Source:
NIST Handbook 44 (2026), Appendix C: General Tables of Units of Measurement (National Institute of Standards and Technology)
Basis:
The last sentence is how this site uses the word "yards".

Curing

Keeping new concrete moist and at a moderate temperature while it gains strength. QUIKRETE's instructions for Concrete Mix (No. 1101) say to start as soon as possible and continue for 5 days at 70 °F or warmer, or 7 days at 50–70 °F, and to protect the concrete from freezing for the first 48 hours.

D

Deck board gap

The space left between neighboring deck boards, set by the board maker. Trex requires at least 3/16 in between its composite boards, while the American Wood Council's DCA 6 guide says to space wood decking about 1/8 in apart.

Also called:
Deck board spacing, Gapping

Drywall panel

A sheet of gypsum board sold in fixed widths and lengths. USG lists its Sheetrock UltraLight 1/2 in panels 4 ft or 54 in wide and 8 to 16 ft long; the drywall calculator counts whole panels of the size you choose.

Also called:
Drywall sheet, Gypsum panel

F

Fines

The finest particles in a gravel mix, smaller than the sand. Idaho's LHTAC Gravel Roads Manual describes good surface gravel as crushed stone, sand, and fines, with the fine material (typically clay) acting as the binder that holds the mix together.

Source:
Gravel Roads Manual (2021): "good" surface gravel (Local Highway Technical Assistance Council (Idaho))

Flight (of stairs)

An uninterrupted run of steps between floor levels or landings. The 2018 IRC, as quoted in a Town of Timnath stair guide, limits one flight to 12 ft of vertical rise.

G

Gallon (US)

The US liquid gallon is exactly 231 cubic inches, about 3.785 liters (NIST Handbook 44). Paint spread rates are quoted per gallon.

H

Headroom

The clear height above a stair, measured vertically. The 2018 IRC, as quoted in a Town of Timnath stair guide, requires at least 6 ft 8 in.

J

Joist

One of the parallel framing members that carry a deck or floor surface. The American Wood Council's DCA 6 deck guide requires each piece of decking to bear on at least 3 joists, and Trex says its decking must span at least three joists.

M

Mulch volcano

Mulch heaped in a cone against a tree trunk. Penn State Extension says volcano mulching is never recommended; UVM Extension advises an even ring kept at least 3 in from the root flare and no more than 2 to 4 in deep.

Sources:
Mulching Landscape Trees (Penn State Extension); Beware the Mulch Volcano (University of Vermont Extension)

N

Nominal size

The name size of a piece of lumber, such as 2×4, which is larger than its dressed (planed) size. Under the American Softwood Lumber Standard (PS 20), a dry 2×4 is surfaced to 1-1/2 in by 3-1/2 in, and a nominal 6 in width dresses to 5-1/2 in.

Nosing

The leading edge of a stair tread. The 2018 IRC, as quoted in a Town of Timnath stair guide, requires a 3/4 in to 1-1/4 in nosing on stairs with solid risers, but none where treads are at least 11 in deep.

R

Rise and run

Rise is a vertical distance and run is the horizontal distance it is spread over. Roof pitch is rise per 12 in of run; on a stair, the total rise is the height from finished surface to finished surface, and the total run is the horizontal length of all the treads.

Basis:
Geometry, as the roof pitch, roofing, and stair calculators use it.

Riser

The vertical part of a step; riser height is measured between the leading edges of neighboring treads. The 2018 IRC, as quoted in a Town of Timnath stair guide, allows risers up to 7-3/4 in, with no more than 3/8 in between the tallest and shortest riser in a flight.

Roof pitch

How steep a roof is, written as inches of rise per 12 in of horizontal run, such as 6/12. A 6/12 roof rises 6 in for every 12 in of run, an angle of about 26.6°.

Also called:
Pitch, Roof slope
Basis:
Geometry; the convention the roof pitch and roofing calculators use.

Roofing square

A unit of roof area equal to 100 square feet (IKO). Shingle coverage is quoted in bundles per square, and a 2,000 sq ft roof is 20 squares.

Also called:
Square

S

Shingle bundle

The package roofing shingles are sold in; coverage per bundle depends on the product. IKO lists Cambridge at 33.3 sq ft per bundle (3 per square) and Armourshake at 20 sq ft (5 per square); Owens Corning lists 3 bundles covering 98.4 sq ft for TruDefinition Duration.

Also called:
Bundle

Short ton

The US ton of 2,000 pounds, which is what "ton" means when used unmodified (NIST Handbook 44). A metric tonne is 1,000 kg, about 2,204.6 lb, so check which one a supplier quotes.

Also called:
Ton
Source:
NIST Handbook 44 (2026), Appendix C: Units of Mass (National Institute of Standards and Technology)

Slope factor

The number you multiply a roof's flat (plan) area by to get its sloped surface area: √(1 + (pitch ÷ 12)²). For a 6/12 roof it is about 1.118.

Also called:
Pitch multiplier, Roof pitch factor
Basis:
Geometry; the formula the roofing calculator uses.

Slump

A standard measure of fresh concrete's consistency, tested with a slump cone (ASTM C143). QUIKRETE lists a typical slump of 2 to 3 in for its Concrete Mix (No. 1101) and says to adjust the mixing water to reach it if you have a slump cone.

Spread rate

How much surface one gallon of paint covers at the manufacturer's recommended film thickness, in square feet per gallon. It depends on the product and surface: Benjamin Moore lists 400–450 sq ft per gallon for Regal Select Eggshell (N549), depending on texture and porosity.

Also called:
Paint coverage

Square foot

The area of a square 1 ft on each side, equal to 144 square inches (NIST Handbook 44). Length × width in feet gives an area in square feet.

Also called:
ft², sq ft
Source:
NIST Handbook 44 (2026), Appendix C: Units of Area (National Institute of Standards and Technology)

Square yard

The area of a square 1 yd (3 ft) on each side, equal to 9 square feet (NIST Handbook 44). Divide square feet by 9 to get square yards; it is an area, not to be confused with a cubic yard of volume.

Also called:
yd², sq yd
Source:
NIST Handbook 44 (2026), Appendix C: Units of Area (National Institute of Standards and Technology)

Stringer

The sloped board that carries a stair's treads and risers; the stair calculator gives its length as the diagonal of the total rise and total run. For deck stairs, the American Wood Council's DCA 6 guide distinguishes cut (notched) stringers from solid ones.

Also called:
Stair stringer
Basis:
The first sentence is how this site's stair calculator uses the term.

T

Tread

The horizontal part of a step that you stand on. Tread depth is measured horizontally from the front edge of one tread to the front edge of the next; the 2018 IRC, as quoted in a Town of Timnath stair guide, requires at least 10 in.

W

Waste allowance

Extra material added to the measured quantity to cover cuts, breakage, spillage, and uneven ground. Where a calculator asks for an allowance, it is a percentage you choose, added before the purchase quantity is rounded up to whole units.

Also called:
Allowance, Overage
Basis:
How this site's calculators apply the allowance; each formula section shows the arithmetic.

Wearing course

The top layer of a gravel road or driveway, the one traffic drives on. FHWA's unpaved-road guidance says it should be at least 4 in thick, and preferably at least 6 in.

Also called:
Surface course
Source:
Unpaved Road Dust Management, Chapter 6: Construction and Additive Application (Federal Highway Administration, Center for Local Aid Support)