Scaffold Tie Spacing Calculator

Tie count and spacing from scaffold height and configuration.

Scaffold height (ft)

Scaffold length (ft)

Vertical tie spacing (ft)

Horizontal tie spacing (ft)

First tie height (ft)

Tab to move between fields

Total ties required

Vertical tie rows2

Tie points per row5

Scaffold face area per tie (sq ft)280

Vertical OSHA compliant (1=yes)1

Horizontal OSHA compliant (1=yes)1

How to Use This Calculator

Enter scaffold height (ft) and scaffold length (ft).
Set vertical tie spacing (ft) and horizontal tie spacing (ft) per your scaffold system specs.
Enter the first tie height (ft) above ground level.
Review total ties required, vertical rows, horizontal points, and area per tie (sqft).
Verify tie spacing does not exceed the scaffold manufacturer's engineering requirements for your setup.

How the result changes with Scaffold height (ft)

Scaffold height (ft): Total height of the scaffold structure.
Scaffold length (ft): Total horizontal run of the scaffold.
Vertical tie spacing (ft): Vertical distance between tie rows. OSHA max is 26 ft.
Horizontal tie spacing (ft): Horizontal distance between tie points. OSHA max is 30 ft.
First tie height (ft): Height of the first row of ties. Generally 4x the scaffold base width (max 20 ft for 5 ft wide).

Total ties required: Total number of scaffold-to-building tie anchors needed.
Vertical tie rows: Number of horizontal rows of ties up the scaffold.
Tie points per row: Number of tie points in each horizontal row.
Scaffold face area per tie (sq ft): Average scaffold face area supported by each tie. Lower is more secure.
Vertical OSHA compliant (1=yes): 1 if vertical spacing is within OSHA 26 ft max, 0 if not.
Horizontal OSHA compliant (1=yes): 1 if horizontal spacing is within OSHA 30 ft max, 0 if not.

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Scaffold height (ft) = 40, Scaffold length (ft) = 70, Vertical tie spacing (ft) = 20, Horizontal tie spacing (ft) = 21 = 5 input(s) provided
Calculate Total ties required
Total ties required = verticalRows * horizontalPoints
10 = 10
Calculate Vertical tie rows
Vertical tie rows = 1 + additionalRows
2 = 2
Calculate Tie points per row
Tie points per row = ceil(scaffoldLength / horizontalSpacing) + 1
5 = 5