General & Conversions Calculators

Building and trade work in the UK requires constant calculation and conversion between different units of measurement. Despite the official metrication of the UK construction industry in the 1970s, imperial measurements persist in everyday use, creating a regular need for conversion between metres, feet, inches, kilograms, tonnes, and bag quantities. This collection of general-purpose calculators and converters covers the essential tools that every UK tradesperson and DIYer needs.

Accurate area and volume calculation is the foundation of almost every material quantity estimate. Whether you are measuring a room for flooring area or calculating the volume of a concrete foundation, getting these base measurements right prevents over-ordering (wasting money) and under-ordering (delaying the job). Our area calculator handles five common shapes including L-shaped rooms, while the volume calculator covers cuboids, cylinders, cones, spheres, and irregular shapes.

The metres to feet converter is one of the most-used tools on the site, reflecting the UK's unique position of using metric officially while many tradespeople, clients, and older building plans still reference imperial measurements. Standard UK plasterboard sheets are commonly described as “8 by 4” (feet) despite being manufactured as 2400mm × 1200mm. Timber is often sold in imperial sizes even though merchants list metric dimensions. This converter handles linear, area, and volume conversions with a quick reference table of common UK building dimensions.

When ordering bulk materials, converting between cubic metres and tonnes is essential. Suppliers sell aggregates, sand, and topsoil by weight (tonnes), but you calculate the amount you need by volume (m³). The density of each material determines the conversion factor, and getting this wrong can mean ordering significantly too much or too little. Similarly, converting total weight requirements into bag quantities (using our kg to bags converter) helps when purchasing from builder's merchants rather than ordering bulk deliveries.

Our skip size guide helps you choose the right skip for your project, comparing capacity in cubic metres and bin bag equivalents. The van payload calculator is invaluable for tradespeople who need to know how much material their Transit, Sprinter, or Berlingo can safely carry without exceeding the legal weight limit. And the scaffolding calculator estimates the components and cost of scaffold hire based on your building dimensions, covering independent, putlog, and tower configurations.