Structural calculators & guides
Free structural tools and plain-English guides for New Zealand — each gives the answer fast and shows the working behind it.
About structural calculations
Structural calculations answer the question every other trade builds on: will this carry the load? Spans, beam sizes, and load paths reduce to established engineering relationships, and the everyday versions — what's the load on this beam, how do point and distributed loads add up — are calculable with transparent arithmetic.
The structural tools here handle that visible arithmetic with the working shown, using the published values and assumptions stated on each tool.
Using the results
Structure is the one domain where "close enough" has the worst failure mode, so the honest framing is strict: these calculators are for understanding, estimating, and checking — sizing real structure is engineering work, governed by the building rules where you are, and frequently legally required to come from a qualified engineer. Use the tools to be a better-informed client of that process.