Bays and lifts
A bay is the gap between two pairs of standards along the face; a lift is the vertical gap between ledgers. A 12 m elevation with 2.1 m bays needs 12 ÷ 2.1 = 5.7, so 6 bays. An 8 m height with 2 m lifts needs 4 lifts. A working lift is one that's boarded out with guardrails and toe boards.
The counting rules
| Component | Rule (two rows of standards) |
|---|---|
| Standards and base plates | (bays + 1) × 2 |
| Ledgers | bays × lifts × 2 |
| Transoms | (bays + 1) × lifts |
| Boards per working lift | boards wide × boards per bay length × bays |
| Guardrails per working lift | main and intermediate rail along each bay, plus 2 at each end |
| Toe boards per working lift | bays + 2 |
| Right-angle couplers | 2 per ledger, transom and guardrail |
| Brace tubes and swivel couplers | 1 brace per lift in the end bay, 2 swivels each |
| Ties | about one per 4 m along every second lift (check the design) |
Worked example
A 12 m long, 8 m high elevation, 2.1 m bays, 2 m lifts, 5 boards wide, with 2 working lifts.
| Item | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Bays × lifts | 6 × 4 |
| Standards | 14 |
| Base plates | 14 |
| Ledgers | 48 |
| Transoms | 28 |
| Boards (2.4 m) | 60 (30 per lift) |
| Guardrails | 32 |
| Toe boards | 16 |
| Brace tubes | 4 |
| Right-angle couplers | 216 |
| Swivel couplers | 8 |
| Ties | 6 |
Add sole boards under the base plates, ladder access or a stair tower, and any loading bay. The Scaffolding Quantity Calculator works these counts out from the same inputs and draws the elevation so you can check them.
Safety and compliance
These are estimating quantities, not a scaffold design. In the UK, scaffolds must be erected, altered and dismantled by competent, trained scaffolders (CISRS cardholders), follow the NASC TG20 guidance or a bespoke design, and be inspected under the Work at Height Regulations 2005 before first use, after alteration and at least every 7 days. Tie patterns, loading class and bracing come from the TG20 compliance sheet or the designer, not from a rule of thumb.