---
title: "Ordering & Measurement"
url: https://ipedeckingsource.com/Ipe-order
description: "How a decking project is described in square and lineal feet before material is cut, with the allowance carried for miscalculation and miscuts."
published: 2026-08-17
updated: 2026-08-17
---

# Ordering & Measurement

Published 2026-08-17

Lumber orders are technical rather than catalogue work, so a project is described in figures before any material is cut. There is no online ordering for lumber.

- 01Take the square or lineal footageThe starting point is the square footage or lineal footage of the project. That comes either from the figures themselves or from the dimensions of the areas being covered.
- 02Describe each area and its board directionEach area is described with its dimensions and the direction the boards run, because the run direction decides how the lengths are cut. A worked example: the first area is 12 by 30 with the joists running in the 12 foot direction, the second area is 18 by 50 with the deck boards running in the 50 foot direction, and there are two sets of stairs 4 feet wide with 15 treads.
- 03Draw the complicated layoutsProjects with complicated designs are worked out from a rough drawing of the layout rather than from a description alone.
- 04Add the allowanceRoughly 5 to 10 percent additional material is factored in for miscalculation and miscuts before the footage is fixed.
- 05Convert to lineal feetThe area is then converted at the published rate for the board: 220 lineal feet per 100 square feet in 1x6 decking, 343 lineal feet in 1x4 decking, and 370 lineal feet in 1x4 tongue and groove porch flooring.