Civil & Structural

A beam either holds its load within an acceptable deflection or it doesn't, and the calculators in this discipline exist to answer that question before material gets cut. Beam Deflection, Bending Stress, and Section Modulus cover the structural-theory side - simply supported and cantilever beams, moment of inertia, extreme-fiber distance. Board Foot, Deck, Retaining Wall, and Rafter Length cover the site-material side - how many boards, blocks, or how long a rafter, for a real build.

That split reflects who actually uses this discipline: engineering students checking beam theory against a textbook problem, and contractors or homeowners sizing a deck or retaining wall from real dimensions. Both groups get the same standard applied - visible formulas, stated assumptions, and unit-aware results - regardless of which side of that split they're on.

None of these tools replace a stamped structural design or a local building-code check. They compute the underlying mechanics and material quantities; a licensed engineer's sign-off is still what a real structure needs.