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MaterialNest

Formula methodology

Formula changelog

Current and historical formula versions, what changed, and how saved estimates are reviewed.

Published Updated Reviewed

Transparent variables, rounding decisions, and scope limits for every result.

October 3, 2026 release

This release contains 30 directory tools and 31 saved expansion workflows. It includes the construction measurements, expansion worksheets, stair purchase holds, roof coverage holds, shed gravel ordering, insulation package correction and French Drain profile quantities described below.

The current original-tool versions are Baluster Spacing 1.1.0, Railing Posts 2.0.0, Deck Railing 3.0.0, Fence Posts 2.1.0, Chain Link 2.1.0, Post-hole Concrete 1.2.0, Wood Fence 1.1.0, Deck Boards 1.1.0, Paver 1.1.0, French Drain 1.3.0, Stair 1.2.0, Roof 1.1.0, Drywall 1.0.0, Shed Foundation 1.1.0 and Insulation 1.1.0. All 31 saved expansion workflows are 1.0.0.

The notes below preserve when earlier calculation changes were developed and released. Saved estimates retain their earlier results until you explicitly review and recalculate them.

Historical source and deployment notes

The September 24, 2026 production release contained ten calculators. The October 3 release adds the tools and calculation changes developed in the following notes.

Earlier source changes

October 2, 2026 — construction measurement calculators (PR #145 source)

  • Cubic Yard 1.0.0 sums entered rectangular sections without intermediate rounding and reports ft³, yd³ and m³ using exact international-foot conversion factors.
  • Gravel 1.0.0 keeps measured and extra-adjusted volume separate, then estimates pounds and US short tons from an entered supplier or explicitly illustrative density. Project contexts select no depth; FHWA compacted dry ranges are references, never loose-delivery presets.
  • Construction Square Footage 1.0.0 adds rectangles, triangles, circles and trapezoids, subtracts applicable exclusions, and retains gross and net coverage with ft², yd², m² and acres. Section locations and overlap remain field-sketch responsibilities.

These new saved workflows retain canonical millimetre measurements and use existing Planner recomputation, explicit handoff and print records. They produce no material purchase lines. PR #145 source integration follows its merge record; these formulas do not establish a hosted release.

September 25, 2026 — stair geometry and material-list review

  • Stair and stringer layout 1.2.0 removes a riser warning that could never fire under its own step-count rule. It keeps a preliminary cut sketch but withholds every material order line until both project-reviewed rise/run limits are entered and the current geometry, support-count, and selected stock checks pass. Older saved stair results need explicit review and recalculation before their quantities can join a combined order.

September 25, 2026 — purchase-output corrections

  • Stair and stringer layout 1.1.0 compares nosing with one calculated tread run and excludes stringer stock from the order when the entered board is too short. The geometry remains available for review.
  • Multi-plane roof takeoff 1.1.0 keeps multi-course metal panel field positions as preliminary evidence and withholds a purchase count until approved laps and net usable coverage are known.
  • Shed Foundation 1.1.0 retains compacted and loose gravel volumes but places only the loose delivery allowance in the purchase list.
  • Insulation 1.1.0 reports no package line when effective existing R meets or exceeds the chosen target and does not require an irrelevant product label for that result.

Older saved results remain readable. These four result types are held from a combined purchase list until the owner reviews and explicitly recalculates them; source changes are not a production release.

September 24, 2026 — new foundation and insulation planners; French Drain 1.3.0

  • Shed Foundation 1.0.0 uses one of five system-specific plan and quantity paths. Site loading, anchoring, and frost design are outside its scope.
  • Insulation 1.0.0 pairs dated ENERGY STAR/DOE zone references with an entered existing R, selected target, installed product R per inch, and exact-label package coverage.
  • French Drain 1.3.0 optionally interpolates ground elevations and a planned trench-bottom line for one run, reports station depths, and uses the linear average depth in that run's gravel volume. Existing saved inputs without a profile remain readable and are marked stale until reviewed; no production version is implied by this changelog.

This changelog records calculation behavior that can change a saved estimate. Copy, layout, or diagram-only edits do not change a formula version unless they also change the calculation.

Previous production formula versions

These versions describe the verified September 24, 2026 production release. The current versions are listed in the October 3 release record above.

  • Baluster spacing 1.1.0: preserves the full solved gap, presents maximum- constrained spacing without rounding upward, and adds cumulative fixed-datum edge and center marks. Legacy 1.0.0 records require review before replacing their saved presentation.
  • Baluster spacing 1.0.0: equal-end-gap count and spacing formula.
  • Railing posts 2.0.0: section geometry, shared endpoints, per-section openings, and per-run post spacing.
  • Deck railing 3.0.0: section-aware unspliced rail cuts, deterministic offcut reuse, actual post-to-post clear rail length, distinct top/bottom stock, and a waste-based whole-piece minimum.
  • Fence posts 2.0.0: layout topology, shared endpoints, individual gate placement, and per-run spacing.
  • Fence posts 2.1.0: requested spare posts now appear as a separate purchase line using the user-selected post category and price. Legacy estimates retain unclassified spares visibly without guessing a product or price.
  • Chain-link fence 2.1.0: retains the 2.0.0 material method and applies the corrected rectangular-post fit check to optional embedded concrete inputs.
  • Post concrete 1.2.0: retains the 1.1.0 volume method and rejects a rectangular post whose corner-to-corner diagonal cannot fit inside the selected round hole.
  • Wood fence materials 1.1.0: bounded optimization retains the best valid stock plan.
  • Deck boards and fasteners 1.1.0: bounded optimization retains the best valid stock plan.
  • Paver patio materials 1.1.0: bounded optimization retains the best valid edging/fabric stock plan.
  • User-designed yard-drain material takeoff 1.2.0: retains the best valid bounded stock plan alongside quantity-only scope, explicit gravel policy, attributable product evidence, pipe-stock and fabric allocation, canonical bag-volume and density preservation across unit views and saved reopening, and legacy 1.0.0 review before recalculation.

Expansion workflow versions

The saved expansion registry contains 31 workflows, all at 1.0.0. These are distinct from the 30 directory tools: several worksheets share an existing calculator, resource or Decision destination. No formula version changes in this editorial correction.

  • Fence measurement and parts: sloped bays, gate clearance, horizontal infill, overlapping infill, vinyl systems, chain-link fittings, selected bay repair, stain exposure and outdoor-fastener reference.
  • Deck and patio: supported diagonal boards, fascia, skirting, mixed-size pattern/pack reconciliation, finished elevations, irregular area, reset/salvage and multi-region fabric.
  • Concrete and access: slab materials, supplied reinforcement schedule, sealant, retaining-wall courses, raised beds, bags/ready-mix quote comparison and shed equipment access.
  • Drain records: entered invert elevations, selected solid-pipe routes and pipe/adapter compatibility.
  • Purchasing: aggregate ordering (including the supplier-basket comparison).
  • Construction measurements: Cubic Yard, Gravel and Construction Square Footage, described above.

Each worksheet retains its exact product or supplied-design evidence, purchase holds and geometry limits. Read the method at its existing destination; an initial saved-workflow version is not production publication or external design approval.

Current formula versions

  • User-designed yard-drain material takeoff 1.3.0: optionally adds station elevations and variable-depth trench volume to the existing material takeoff.
  • Stair and stringer layout 1.2.0: divides finished rise into equal risers, validates nosing against one tread run, plots cut coordinates, and withholds material lines until the entered project criteria and geometry checks pass.
  • Multi-plane roof takeoff 1.1.0: multiplies each horizontal run by its pitch factor, sums sloped areas, and withholds multi-course metal-panel purchase quantities until usable coverage is known.
  • Shed Foundation 1.1.0: models five support paths and separates placed compacted gravel from the single loose delivery order line.
  • Insulation 1.1.0: models an added R gap and exact-label packages only when the chosen target exceeds effective existing R.
  • Drywall sheet layout 1.0.0: places 4 ft wide panels on named surfaces, shifts alternate horizontal course joints, clips visible seams at openings, and fits rectangular edge remnants into later cuts. Opening-center scraps are excluded from the sheet order.

Earlier deployed changes

September 22, 2026 stock-optimization correction

Wood Fence, Deck Board, and Paver advance to 1.1.0; French Drain advances to 1.2.0. Exact stock search starts from a valid heuristic plan and retains its best result when the work limit is reached. Such results are labelled heuristic and can use fewer stock pieces than the previous one-cut-per-piece fallback. Inputs and product requirements are unchanged. Existing saved estimates retain their quantities and are marked stale until explicitly recalculated; imports continue to validate and recalculate supported inputs.

September 20, 2026 fit-validation correction

Post concrete 1.2.0 and chain-link fence 2.1.0 replace the rectangular-post area comparison with the physically necessary corner-to-corner fit check. Existing saved records remain readable. A record that passed the older area check but fails the diagonal check is marked for review and keeps its saved result until its hole or post dimensions are corrected.

September 13, 2026 evidence and explanation update

No formula version changed. The baluster, fence-post, and chain-link pages now publish complete worked-example inputs, load those same evidence records into the calculators, present US examples in US units, and show calculator-specific methods and questions. The fence documentation now matches the existing validation contract: separate gates cannot overlap or touch, retain positive fenced length at both segment ends and between gates, and use two distinct gate posts per accepted opening. Comparable-calculator notes record only cases with matched assumptions.

Deck railing 2.0.0 to 3.0.0

Version 2.0.0 used the total run length and could undercount stock when rails must end at every post. Version 3.0.0 calculates each clear post-to-post cut, reuses only offcuts that fit a complete cut, and does not use stock shorter than a required span. Your inputs remain compatible, but the purchase quantity can change. A saved 2.0.0 estimate stays available until you choose to recalculate it.

Understanding formula updates

A patch version corrects the calculation while keeping the same documented input meaning and materially equivalent result. A minor version adds compatible input or result behavior. A major version changes input meaning, layout rules, rounding order, or quantities enough that a saved estimate may need review.

Saved estimates are never changed automatically. When an update is compatible, you can choose to recalculate using your measurements. When an update needs review, the earlier inputs and estimate remain available until you complete the current form.