Calculated Industries 8525 User Manual

The

ProjectCalc Plus

Yourselfers

quantities, linear distances, areas/volumes and material costs
like a pro. Unlike other calculators, it works and converts
directly in Feet-Inches-Fractions, Yards, Metric, Square and
Cubic, so you don’t have to figure tedious math.

Use it to estimate quantities & costs for:

• Board Feet/Lumber • Bricks/Blocks

• Carpet • Concrete

• Deck • Drywall

• Fence • Gravel

• Mulch • Paint

• Roofing Bundles • Studs

• Tile • Wallpaper

The

ProjectCalc Plus

home

Do-It-Yourself

was designed specifically for

. It helps you quickly figure project material

is an indispensable tool for all your

projects!

Do-it-

KEY DEFINITIONS

[On/C] — On/Clear Key

Turns power on. Pressing once clears the display.

[Conv] [On/C] — Off

Turns all power off, clearing all non-permanent registers.

[Rcl] — Recall Value

Recalls stored values.

[+] [–] [x] [÷] [=]

Arithmetic operation keys.

[0] — [9] and [ • ]

Digits used for keying in numbers.

[ / ] — Fraction Bar

Convert Key Functions

[Conv] — Convert Key

Used with the dimensional unit keys to convert between
dimensions, the Project Keys to compute material quanti­ties, or with other keys to access special functions.

[Conv] [ x ] — Clear All

Clears all stored values and sets calculator back to defaults.

[Conv] [ – ] — Sign (

Sets value on display to plus or minus. (Repetitive presses
of [Conv] [ – ] will change sign from plus or minus.)

[Conv] [ ÷ ] — Square Root

Finds square root of value in display.

[Conv] [ + ] — x

Finds square of value in display.

[Conv] [ Stor ] — Pi (π)

Constant 3.141593

[Conv] [ / ] (

Memory

[Stor] [Met] (M+) — Adds or stores a value in the semi-

permanent memory (e.g., 150 [Stor] [Met]). Semi-perma­nent means the value is cleared when the calculator is
turned off.

[Conv] [–] [Stor] [Met] (

the semi-permanent memory (e.g., 150 [Conv] [–] [Stor]
[Met] subtracts 150 from the memory).

[Rcl] [Met] (

150 has been stored in Memory, pressing [Rcl] [Met] will
display 150).

[Rcl] [Rcl] (
[Conv] [On/C] (

Dimensional Unit Keys

[Yds] — Yards Key

Enters or converts to yards.

[Feet] — Feet Key

Enters or converts to feet as whole or decimal numbers.
Also used with the [Inch] and [/] keys for entering Feet­Inch-Fraction values (e.g., 6 [Feet] 9 [Inch] 1 [/] 2).
Repeated presses during conversions toggle between Feet­Inch-Fractions and Decimal Feet.

[Inch] — Inch Key

Enters or converts to inches. Entry can be whole or decimal
number. Also used with the [/] key for entering fractional
inch values (e.g., 9 [Inch] 1 [/] 2). Repeated presses during
conversions toggle between Fractional and Decimal Inches.

+ / –

)

2

%

) — Percent

M-

) — Subtracts a value from

M-R/C

) — Recalls memory value (e.g., if

MC

) — Displays and clears memory value.

Off

) — Clears memory value.

[ / ] — Fraction Bar Key

Used to enter fractions. Fractions can be entered as proper
(1/2, 1/8, 1/16) or improper (3/2, 9/8).

[Met] — Meter Key

Enters or converts to meters.

Entering Square or Cubic

To label a dimension as “square” or “cubic,” enter the
value, then press the desired dimension key twice for
square and three times for cubic. For example, to enter
25 cubic yards, press 25 [Yds] [Yds] [Yds].

Fraction Resolution

Your calculator is set to display fractional values to the
nearest 16th of an inch (default setting). The 1/16 resolution
can be displayed by pressing [Rcl] [/]. Repeated presses of
[/] will then revolve through the available settings: 1/16, 1/32,
1/64, 1/2, 1/4 and 1/8. The setting that you last see on the
display will be permanently set when you exit this mode
(simply press any other key to exit). To change the setting,
repeat the key sequence above and select your desired
fractional resolution. To recall your setting at any time,
press [Rcl] [/].

Your calculator will also toggle between the highest fractional
resolution available and the set resolution with repeated
presses of the Fraction Bar [/] when a fraction is displayed.
See the example below:

Keystroke

3 [Inch] 3. INCH
[÷] 64 [=] 1/16 INCH
[ / ] 3/64 INCH
[ / ] 1/16 INCH

Display

Project Keys

The following keys help you quickly estimate material
quantities for common DIY projects. In addition, the [Stor]
key allows you to set material values to other than the
industry standards currently stored in the calculator (i.e.,
you may replace the default values).

Note:

To view Examples on how to customize Project Key

settings using the [Stor] key, see “Project Examples–

Using Custom Settings.”

[Paint] — Paint

Computes volume of paint, based on an entered area and a
stored Paint Coverage per Gallon (see below). Finds quan­tity in gallons, quarts or pints upon repeated presses.

[Stor] [Paint] — Stores Paint Coverage

Stores Paint Coverage per Gallon. To recall this setting,
press [Rcl] [Paint].

[Wall Paper] — Wallpaper

Computes number of rolls of wallpaper, based on an
entered area and a stored Wallpaper Roll Coverage Area
(see below).

[Stor] [Wall Paper] — Stores Wallpaper Roll
Coverage Area

Stores Coverage Area (in square feet) per Wallpaper Roll.
To recall this setting, press [Rcl] [Wall Paper].

[Tile] — Tile

Finds the number of tiles, based on an entered area and a
user-stored Grout Width (see below). Repeated presses will
scroll between numbers of tiles for various “standard” tile
sizes (18”, 16”, 13”, 12”, 10”, 8”, 6”, 4”, 2”, 1” and 24”).

Note:

Tile sizes are shown in inches, not square inches (as
used in custom tile size calculations). In other words, a 6”
tile is really 6” x 6,” or a 36 square-inch tile, but it is
labeled as a 6” size.

[Stor] [Tile] — Stores Grout Width

Enters Grout Width in inches; used in calculating the number
of tiles (see above). To recall this setting, press [Rcl] [Tile].

[Deck] — Deck

Finds the number of boards for a deck, based on an
entered area and a stored Board Width or Board On-Center
(see below). Repeated presses will scroll between numbers
of boards for various “standard” board lengths (12’, 10’, 8’,
20’, 18’, 16’ and 14’).

[Stor] [Deck] — Stores Board Width/O.C.

Stores Board Width or Board On-Center for deck or fence
calculations. To recall this setting, press [Rcl] [Deck]. Also
used to store the board on-center for Fence Spacing.

[Fence] — Fence

Multi-function key that finds the number of fence boards,
number of posts and number of rails based on an entered
distance, Board Width/O.C. and post spacing.

[Stor] [Fence] — Stores Post Spacing

Stores Post Spacing On-Center for fence in feet-inches. To
recall this setting, press [Rcl] [Fence].

[Conv] [7] — Board Feet

Computes number of board feet based on entered volume.

[Conv] [8] — Studs

Computes number of studs, based on an entered linear
distance and a stored On-Center Spacing (see below).

Note:

Automatically adds one stud to the computed answer

to account for one on the end.

[Stor] [8] — Stores On-Center for Studs

Stores On-Center Spacing for studs in inches. To recall this
setting, press [Rcl] [8].

[Conv] [9] — Roof Bundles

Computes number of bundles of roof shingles, based on
an entered roof area and a stored Area per Roof Bundle
(see below).

[Stor] [9] — Stores Area per Roof Bundle

Stores the Coverage Area per Roof Bundle. To recall this
setting, press [Rcl] [9].

[Conv] [4] — 4x8 Sheet

Computes number of 4’ x 8’ sheets (for drywall, paneling),
based on entered linear distance or area.

[Conv] [5] — Carpet

Computes carpet length required (of either 12’, 13’ or 15’­wide carpet rolls), based on entered area. Repeated presses
of [5] will scroll between values for 12’, 13’, and 15’ rolls.

[Conv] [6] — Custom Tile

Computes number of tiles based on an entered area and a
stored Custom Tile Size (see below). This is used separately
from the regular Tile Key ([Tile]).

Note:

Calculation does not account for grout width for custom

tiles, so you will need to adjust for this.

[Stor] [6] — Stores Custom Tile Size

Stores Custom Tile Size in square inches. To recall this setting,
press [Rcl] [6].

[Conv] [1] — Concrete

Computes the number of bags of concrete required, based
on an entered volume (e.g., cubic feet or cubic yards) and
a stored Volume per Bag (see below).

[Stor] [1] — Stores Concrete Volume per Bag

Stores the Volume per Bag of concrete. To recall this setting,
press [Rcl] [1].

[Conv] [2] — Brick

Computes the number of standard 8-inch-size U.S. bricks
(with 3/8” mortar) based on entered linear distance (or
area, volume). Finds values for both “face” (21-square
inch) and “paver” (32-square inch) brick applications. By
pressing [2] again in succession, it will toggle back and
forth between “face”, “paver” and entered value.

[Conv] [3] — Block

Computes the number of standard 128-sq.inch blocks (with
1/2” mortar), based on an entered linear distance or area
and a stored Block Area (see below).

[Stor] [3] – Stores Block Area

Stores Block Area in square inches. To recall this setting,
press [Rcl] [3].

Note:

When calculating the number of blocks for an
entered length, calculator uses a 16-inch block length, as
the majority of blocks are 16” long.

[Conv] [0] — Gravel

Computes tons of gravel required, based on an entered volume
and a stored Weight per Volume (see below).

[Stor] [0] — Stores Gravel Weight per Volume

Stores the number of tons per one cubic yard of gravel. To
recall this setting, press [Rcl] [0].

[Conv] [ • ] — Cost

“Cost” function that allows you to compute total material
cost, given a unit dimension and an entered

[Conv] [=] — Mulch

Computes the number of bags of mulch you’ll need,
based on an entered volume and a stored Volume per Bag
(see below).

Per Unit Cost

.

[Stor] [=] — Stores Volume per Bag of Mulch

Stores the Volume per Bag of mulch. To recall this setting,
press [Rcl] [=].

Note on Project Keys:

will also find the Coverage Area given an entered Quantity.
For example, you can find the Coverage Area of Paint given
“X” Number of Cans.

For most problems, the Project Keys

DEFAULT VALUES FOR MATERIALS

The

ProjectCalc Plus

settings or material sizes. However, you can change most
of these settings at any time.

Note:

These settings are PERMANENTLY STORED (will not
clear upon turning your calculator off until you change them
or reset the calculator). So be sure to check the stored val­ues using the [Rcl] key prior to completing new problems,
and set new values if needed using the [Stor] key.

Key

Block

*Brick

*Board Feet
*Carpet
Concrete
Deck
*4’x 8’ Sheet
Fence

Gravel
Mulch
Paint
Roof Bundles
Studs
Tile
Tile (Custom Size)
Wallpaper

Note:

Keys with *

uses the below standard (default)

Default Value

128 square inches (includes 1/2”
mortar)

21-square inch (“Face”);
32-square inch (“Paver”)

1 board ft. = 144 cubic inches
12 feet, 13 feet, 15 feet carpet rolls
1 bag covers 0.67 cubic feet
5-11/16 inch board on-center
32 square feet
Post spacing = 8 feet

Board on-center = 5-11/16 inches

1.5 tons per cubic yard
1 bag covers 2 cubic feet
1 gallon covers 350 square feet
1 bundle covers 33.33 square feet
16-inches on-center
Grout width = 0
24 square-inch size
1 roll covers 56 square feet

(European double roll)

cannot

be customized.

DISPLAY ANNUNCIATORS

The following lists “annunciators,” or letters that appear on
your calculator display when pressing respective keys.

Key

Block
Brick

Board Feet
Carpet
Concrete
Deck

4'x 8' Sheet (Drywall)
Fence

Gravel
Mulch
Paint
Roof Bundles
Studs
Tile
Tile (Custom Size)
Wallpaper

LCD Display Annunciators

bL
F br (face brick)

P br (paver brick)
BD FEET
12-15 Ft ROLL
BAG, CU FEET/BAG
8-24 Ft, BDS (boards), BD W

(board on-center)
Sh (sheet)
BDS (boards), POST, RL (rail), OC

(on-center), BD W (board width)
TN, TN/CU YD
BAG, CU FEET/BAG
GL, QT, Pt, SQ FEET/GL
rF bn
ST, OC (on-center)
TILE, GROUT
TILE
ROLL, SQ FEET/ROLL

EXAMPLES — CONVERSIONS, BASIC
DIMENSIONAL MATH

Linear Conversions

Convert 16 feet to other dimensions.

Keystroke Display

[On/C] 0.
16 [Feet] 16 FEET
[Conv] [Yds] 5.333333 YD
[Conv] [Feet] 16 FEET 0 INCH
[Conv] [Inch] 192 INCH
[Conv] [Met] 4.8768 M

Feet-Inch-Fraction and Decimal Feet/Inch
Conversions

Convert 15 feet 9-1/16 inches to decimal feet, then
decimal inches.

Keystroke Display

[On/C] 0.
15 [Feet] 9 [Inch] 1 [/] 16 15 FEET 9-1/16 INCH
[Conv] [Feet] 15.75521 FEET
[Conv] [Inch] 189.0625 INCH

Do the opposite, converting decimal feet to feet-inch­fractions and inch-fractions. Convert 14.793 feet.

Keystroke Display

[On/C] 0.

14.793 [Feet]* 14.793 FEET
[Conv] [Feet] 14 FEET 9-1/2 INCH
[Conv] [Inch] 177-1/2 INCH

*Note:

Do the same if you need to convert decimal inches

(e.g., enter 14.793 [Inch] [Conv] [Inch] = 14-13/16”).

Square & Cubic Conversions

Convert 25 square feet to other square dimensions.

Keystroke Display

[On/C] 0.
25 [Feet] [Feet]* 25. SQ FEET
[Conv] [Yds] 2.777778 SQ YD
[Conv] [Met] 2.322576 SQ M

Convert 25 cubic feet to cubic yards.

Keystroke Display

[On/C] 0.
25 [Feet] [Feet] [Feet]* 25. CU FEET
[Conv] [Yds] 0.925926 CU YD

Basic Dimensional Math

Keystroke Display

[On/C] 0.

Adding Dimensions:

10 [Inch] [+] 2 [Feet] 5 [Inch] [=] 3 FEET 3 INCH

Subtracting Dimensions:

5 [Feet] [-] 1 [Inch] 3 [/] 4 [=] 4 FEET 10-1/4 INCH

Dividing Dimensions:

10 [Feet] [÷] 1 [Inch] 1 [/] 4 [=] 96.

Multiplying Dimensions/Waste Factor Allowance:

150 [Feet] [Feet] [+] 10 [Conv] [/] (%) 165. SQ FEET

Finding Area/Square Feet:

2 [Feet] [x] 1 [Feet] 2 [Inch] [=] 2.333333 SQ FEET

Finding Volume/Cubic Feet:

5 [Feet] [x] 1.5 [Feet] [x] 2 [Inch] [=] 1.25 CU FEET

“Square-up”/Diagonal

“Square up” (find the diagonal to ensure a right angle) a
concrete pad that has a length of 10 feet and a width of
20 feet.

Keystroke Display

[On/C] 0.
10 [Feet] [Conv] [+] (
20 [Feet] [Conv] [+] (
[=] 500. SQ FEET
[Conv] [÷] (

2

x

) [+] 100. SQ FEET

2

x

) 400. SQ FEET

Sq Root

) 22 FEET 4-5/16 INCH

USER’S GUIDE

P

ROJECTCALC

®

P

LUS