How to Calculate Stucco

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Determine your stucco needs with a basic formula.

Stucco is a common building material used to finish walls and ceilings. If you are attempting to stucco a surface by yourself, however, you need to know the proper quantity to mix a durable stucco batch for the amount of surface that you will be covering. Thankfully, for those unfamiliar with the stuccoing process, it is straightforward and easy to calculate your needs in only 30 minutes of work.

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Step 1

Measure the width of the surface that you are going to stucco with a measuring tape and record the measurement. Be sure to measure in feet.

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Step 2

Measure the height of the surface you are going to stucco and record the measurement.

Step 3

Multiply the width of the surface by the height of the surface to determine the square footage of the entire surface. For example, if the width was 15 feet and the height was 7 feet, then the surface would be 105 square feet.

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Step 4

Calculate the number of bags of ready-mix stucco powder you need for the job. Read the instructions on the bags of stucco to determine how much a bag will cover. In most cases, a single five-pound bag will cover 30 square feet. In order to determine how many bags you will need for the job, divide the square footage of the surface by the square footage each bag will cover. In our example, we will need 3.5 five-pound bags of stucco since 105 divided by 30 is 3.5.

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