ConstructionPal
Exact feet-inch-fraction math for the jobsite. Add, subtract, multiply, and divide real dimensions — fractions, metric, area, volume, right triangles, and board feet — with named project subtotals that stay on your device. Free to download, 14-day full trial, one $2.99 unlock. No subscription, no ads, no account, and no data capture without your permission.
The tape measure does the measuring. ConstructionPal does the math.
ConstructionPal is the construction calculator for the framer laying out studs, the remodeler pricing a kitchen, the DIYer building a deck, and anyone who has ever tried to add 7′ 9 5/8″ and 4′ 11 3/16″ in their head on a ladder. Enter dimensions the way they appear on your tape. Get exact answers — not float-drift approximations. Keep running job totals without fighting ads, locked buttons, or a subscription.
Exact answers, down to the 32nd
Most calculator apps do dimension math with decimal approximations and round wherever convenient. ConstructionPal computes with exact rational arithmetic — a half stays a half all the way through, and the display rounds only at the end, to the smallest fraction you choose (1/2″ down to 1/32″). What you see is what the math says. No penny-off cuts, no mystery sixteenths.
Free to download. Pay once when it earns its keep.
ConstructionPal is a free App Store download with a 14-day, full-featured trial — every operator and every tool works for those fourteen days. When the trial ends, your projects, history, and subtotals stay fully visible, exportable, and deletable. The one thing that asks for payment is starting a new calculation after the trial — a single $2.99 one-time purchase unlocks that forever. No subscription, no ads, no account.
Built for the complaints real construction apps get
The loudest complaints in construction calculator reviews are subscription paywalls, ads interrupting work, basic operations locked behind payment, and repurchase pressure after an update. ConstructionPal is built the opposite way on every one of those axes: free to try so an apprentice isn't gambling lunch money, every operator free during the trial, a simple one-time purchase instead of a subscription, and a restore that honors what you bought. Local-first so there's nothing to lose, no ads, no account.
Everything on the tape, nothing in the cloud
Feet, inches, and fractions. Decimal inches to four places. Metres, centimetres, and millimetres — mixed with imperial in the same expression when the plans disagree with the lumber. Area and volume. Right-triangle solving from any two known values. Board feet. Circle and arc values. Named project subtotals that accumulate across calculations, and a full history you can revisit, export, or clear. Your measurements never leave your device.
What ConstructionPal is not
ConstructionPal is not a CAD program, not an estimating suite, and not a plan markup tool — it won't draw your deck or price your bid. But it is the fastest honest way to get exact answers to dimension questions: right triangles solved without a rafter table, board feet without a chart, mixed-unit expressions without a conversion app. What ConstructionPal won't ever be: a subscription, an ad platform, an account-based cloud service, or a tool that locks basic arithmetic behind a paywall.
ConstructionPal is published by TLC Designs. Available on the App Store.
What makes ConstructionPal special?
Exact dimension arithmetic
Add, subtract, multiply, and divide feet, inches, and fractions with exact rational math — no float drift, no mystery sixteenths. Enter it like the tape reads it.
Fractions your way
Five-step smallest-fraction selector (1/2″ to 1/32″), decimal inches to four places, and fraction-plus-decimal answers shown together. Display rounding never touches the stored exact value.
Imperial and metric, mixed freely
Feet, inches, metres, centimetres, millimetres — in the same expression when the plans and the lumber disagree. Pick your result unit; imperial is the default.
Right triangles, solved
Rise, run, diagonal, pitch or slope angle — enter any two and get the rest. Square-up diagonals without a rafter table and without a pro module upsell.
Board feet and circles
Lumber quantities in board feet and circle/arc values built in. The charts stay in the truck.
Project subtotals
Named projects accumulate running totals across calculations. Your cut list, your estimate backup, your day's takeoffs — kept on your device.
Full history
Every calculation is kept and revisit-able. Review what you did Tuesday, export it, or clear it and start the job fresh.
Private by construction
No account, no analytics, no ads, no server. Measurements stay on your iPhone and iPad. Nothing renews, nothing phones home.
Try free, then pay once
ConstructionPal is a free download with a 14-day, full-featured trial — every operator and every tool works. After the trial, your projects, history, and subtotals stay visible, exportable, and deletable. Starting a new calculation needs this one one-time unlock. No subscription, no ads, no recurring charge.
- Free to download — 14-day full-featured trial, every operator unlocked
- One $2.99 unlock, once — no subscription, nothing to repurchase
- After the trial: projects and history stay viewable, exportable, deletable
- Only starting a new calculation needs the unlock — your existing work never does
- No account, no ads — measurements stay on your device
Frequently asked questions
The most common questions about ConstructionPal — answered.