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Corner Bead Calculator

Sticks of corner bead for outside corners, drywall window returns, cased openings and soffits, with offcuts reused and splices counted.

  • Cut plan
  • Window returns
  • Soffit edges
  • Embeddable

By · Updated

Outside corners

Walls that meet at a point
ft

Drywall returns

Returned in drywall
ft
ft
3 x 6 ft 8 in, no door
ft
Two edges each

Sticks

Stick length

Your estimate

8 ft sticks, offcuts reused
6sticks of corner bead
42.0 ft of edge

Edges

Outside corner x 216.0 ft8 ft each
Window sides x 420.0 ft5 ft each
Window head x 26.0 ft3 ft each

Each run gets one piece where a stick is long enough; a shorter run is cut from an earlier offcut when one fits. Buy one spare stick for a dented end.

Embed this calculator on your site

Free for contractors, suppliers and bloggers. Paste this into any page that accepts HTML. The calculator resizes itself, and the credit link must stay with it.

Corner bead is sold in sticks, and the count is a cutting problem, not an area problem. An 8 ft corner takes one 8 ft stick; a 5 ft window return leaves a 3 ft offcut that can finish a window head. This calculator lists every edge that needs bead, cuts them from sticks longest first, reuses an offcut whenever one is long enough for a whole run, and tells you where a run is longer than a stick and needs a splice.

Where corner bead goes

  • Every outside corner, floor to ceiling.
  • Window and door openings returned in drywall instead of wood jambs: both sides and the head, and the sill too if it is drywall.
  • Both exposed edges of a soffit or bulkhead, along its length.

Metal, paper-faced or vinyl

Bare metal bead is fastened through its flanges, every 9 in by USG's finishing guide, then coated; USG cuts it 1/2 in shorter than the wall height. Paper-faced metal bead is pressed into a bed of joint compound and needs no fasteners, by both USG's and ClarkDietrich's instructions. Vinyl bead resists dents; Trim-Tex sets it with spray adhesive and staples every 6 to 8 in. Whichever you use, avoid splicing in the middle of a wall if a full-length stick fits: a splice is the most likely place for a crack.

Frequently asked questions

One per outside corner when the stick is at least as tall as the wall, plus whatever the window returns and soffits need after offcuts are reused. Enter your corners and openings above for the count and the cut plan.

Primary references

Manufacturer and industry guidance used to check this article.

Product instructions, tested assemblies and local code take priority over general guidance.

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