Cost guide · Deck
How much does a 12x16 deck cost?
Materials for a 12 × 16 ft pressure-treated deck come to about $1,037.00, with a likely range of $881.45 to $1,192.55 at ballpark home-center prices. That buys 29 deck boards at 16 ft, 13 joists, 2 boxes of screws, 3 posts and 12 bags of concrete for the footings. Beams, ledger, hangers, stairs and railings are not in that figure.
Prices Ballpark U.S. home-center figures, not quotes. Default price list reviewed . Enter local prices in the calculator for a tighter number.
Materials takeoff
How much does a 12x16 deck cost? · https://estimahome.com/guides/deck-cost-12x16/
Deck length (parallel to house): 16 ftDeck depth (out from house): 12 ft
- Deck area
- 192 sq ft
- Board rows
- 26
- Decking
- 416 lin ft
- Footing concrete
- 7.07 cu ft
| No. | Item | Qty | Unit | Unit cost | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deck boards, 16 ft | 29 | ea | $18.00 | $522.00 |
| 2 | Joists, 12 ft span | 13 | ea | $22.00 | $286.00 |
| 3 | Deck screws (676 pcs) | 2 | box | $38.00 | $76.00 |
| 4 | Posts | 3 | ea | $25.00 | $75.00 |
| 5 | Concrete, 80 lb bags | 12 | bag | $6.50 | $78.00 |
- Subtotal
- $1,037.00
- Likely range
- $881.45 – $1,192.55
- Not included: beams, ledger, rim joists, hangers, post bases, stairs, railings.
- Joist size, span and footing size are set by your local code. Check before you buy.
Buy these materials
- 29 deck boards (16 ft)Amazon search for deck boards (16 ft) (opens in new tab)
- 13 joists (12 ft span)Amazon search for joists (12 ft span) (opens in new tab)
- 2 boxes of deck screwsAmazon search for boxes of deck screws (opens in new tab)
- 3 postsAmazon search for posts (opens in new tab)
- 12 80 lb bags of concreteAmazon search for 80 lb bags of concrete (opens in new tab)
Links open a store search for each item. Check sizes and grades against your plan.
Open the deck materials calculator with these inputsChange any measurement, assumption or price and the takeoff updates.
How the numbers work
- Layout: 16 ft along the house, 12 ft out from it. Area is 16 × 12 = 192 sq ft.
- Board rows: 144 in of depth ÷ (5.5 in board + 0.125 in gap) = 25.6, rounded up to 26 rows.
- Decking: 26 rows × 16 ft = 416 lin ft. With 10% waste, 457.6 ÷ 16 ft boards = 29 boards.
- Joists: 16 × 12 ÷ 16 in on center = 12, plus 1 = 13 joists.
- Screws: 26 rows × 13 joists × 2 = 676, so 2 boxes of 350.
- Footings: one row, posts no more than 8 ft apart = 3. Each 12 × 36 in hole holds 2.36 cu ft; 7.07 cu ft ÷ 0.6 = 12 bags of 80 lb mix.
- Cost: 29 × $18.00 + 13 × $22.00 + 2 × $38.00 + 3 × $25.00 + 12 × $6.50 = $1,037.00.
Comparison
| Deck | Boards | Joists | Footings | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 × 10 ft | 16 | 8 | 3 | $693.00 |
| 12 × 12 ft | 22 | 10 | 3 | $845.00 |
| 12 × 16 ft | 29 | 13 | 3 | $1,037.00 |
| 16 × 20 ft | 49 | 16 | 4 | $1,590.00 |
Each row is a separate run of the Deck Materials Calculator at default prices. The highlighted row is the project above.
What changes the cost
- Decking material
- Decking is 50% of this list. The $18.00 default is a 16 ft 5/4 × 6 pressure-treated board. Cedar and composite cost more per board, and many composites call for joists at 12 in on center, which adds joists. Price the board you will actually use.
- Waste factor
- 10% covers end cuts, crooked boards and splits. Use 15% for diagonal decking or a picture-frame border. Board lengths that break on joists keep scrap down.
- Footing depth
- Footings go below your local frost line. At 36 in, the 3 footings take 12 bags. At 48 in they take 16. A freestanding deck needs a second row of footings: 6 posts instead of 3.
- What is not counted
- Beams, ledger board and flashing, rim joists, joist hangers, post bases, stairs and railings. On a raised deck, railings and stairs are a large line of their own. Add them from your plan.
- Labor versus DIY
- These are register prices for doing the work yourself. A contractor's bid adds labor, equipment, overhead, permit fees where they apply, and markup on materials, so it will run well above this figure. Get two or three written bids against the same plan and compare the material lists line by line.
- Regional prices
- Default prices are ballpark U.S. home-center figures. Expect them to differ by region, season, brand and grade. Enter your store's prices in the calculator and every quantity on this page reprices. Lumber moves with the market more than most materials.
Questions
How many deck boards for a 12x16 deck?
29 boards at 16 ft, laid parallel to the 16 ft side, with 10% waste. That is 26 rows of 5.5 in boards with 0.125 in gaps.
How many bags of concrete for 12x16 deck footings?
12 bags of 80 lb mix for 3 footings 12 in across and 36 in deep. Deeper frost lines and wider footings take more; at 48 in deep it is 16 bags.
Does a 12x16 deck need a permit?
Under the model residential code (IRC), a deck skips the permit only if it is 200 sq ft or less, no more than 30 in above grade, not attached to the house and not serving a required exit door. A 12 × 16 deck is 192 sq ft, so a low freestanding one can qualify and an attached one cannot. Local rules vary; ask your building department.
Figures computed with the Deck Materials Calculator and the default price list (/api/prices.json, reviewed October 20, 2026). Quantities are rounded up to what stores sell. Updated 2026-10-20.