You may already have estimated the decking, but have you thought about the screw count? Knowing roughly how many deck screws you need per square meter or square foot makes the project easier to plan.
A common starting point
Most deck boards are fastened with two screws at each joist. With a typical joist layout and standard deck board widths, a practical baseline is:
About 35-40 screws per square meter of deck
That works out to a little more than 3 screws per square foot.
What changes the number?
- board width
- joist spacing
- visible vs. hidden fastening method
- board material and profile
A few buying tips
- choose stainless or otherwise corrosion-resistant screws for outdoor use
- use a screw length that fits the board thickness
- leave room for waste, mistakes, and a few extra repairs later
For a better planning estimate, start with the deck calculator rather than relying only on a rough guess.