LN Support - Carpentry
Perimenter and Area Worksheet 1
Measurement
In carpentry main measurements and abbreviations are - Millimetre (mm) and Meters (m).
Measurement Terms
A linear meter is the measurement between the two points.
Diameter of a circle – the measurement across the circle, from one side to the other.
Perimeter - Perimeter is around a two dimensional (2d) shape.
Used to calculate architraves and fences.
This is a linear measurement and meters are written as m
Area- Is the size of a two dimensional (2d) area.
Used to calculate flooring, roofing and carpets.
Meters are written as square meters - m²
Volume – Is the amount of space occupied by any three-dimensional (3d) solid.
Used to calculate concreting.
Meters are written as square meters - m³
Formulas
Formulas are used to calculate measurements like perimeter, area and volume. They use
letters to represent words or sides. For example L – Length, W- Width
Formulas use the shortest way of writing out a calculation.
If calculation for the perimeter of a fence is L + L + W + W
it is then shortened to 2L +2W
W- Width
L- Length
Formulas- Order of operations
If a number in front of the letter it means to multiple
calculating formulas in maths we use the order of operation- BODMA
2L is the same as 2xL. (2L + 2W is the sameWhen
as writing
L+ L + W +W)
the correct order.
When calculating the formulas there is an
order of operation that needs to be
followed, this is order you calculate your
sums.
TG05 | Version 1.0: 9/05/2024
Authorised by: Director – Academic Governance
B
Brackets first (…..)
O
Orders (i.e. Powers⁴ and √Square Roots, etc.)
DM
Division and Multiplication (left-to-right) ÷ x
AS
Addition and Subtraction (left-to-right) + -
When a number is in front of a bracket eg. 2(5-2) or in algebra a letter or nu
© TAFE Gippsland 0417
letter eg. 2l or lw, these
are automatically multiplied.
Document Owner: Program Manager – Foundation
Page 1 / 5
LN Support - Carpentry
Perimeter Formulas
The perimeter is the measurement around the shape. To work out the perimeter we add the
lengths of each side together.
2m
Example
3m
3+3+2 = 8m
3m
Square 4L
(all sides are the same, L+L+L+L)
Rectangle/ Parallelograms 2L + 2W
L
L
W
W
a
Triangle sides a + b+ c
b
c
L
L
Other geometric shape with straight sides- add length of all sides together. L
L
L
L
Circle
A circles perimeter is called a circumference.
Circles uses pie π for calculations π =3.14, the diameter is the measurement across the
circle
Circle circumference πD (3.14 x diameter)
TG05 | Version 1.0: 9/05/2024
Authorised by: Director – Academic Governance
Page 2 / 5
D
© TAFE Gippsland 0417
Document Owner: Program Manager – Foundation
LN Support - Carpentry
Surface area (flat) Formulas
The area is the surface of the shape. We generally multiply the length by the width.
Area is written with squared symbol at the end - m²
2m
W
L
Example
2x10 = 20m²
10m
Square - L² (LxL)
L
L
Rectangle/
W
Parallelograms- bh (bxh)
h (height)
b (length)
a
Trapezium - ½(a+b) x h
h (height)
b
h
Triangle side- ½ bh
b
Circle
To calculate the surface area of a circle you need the radius. The radius is half the diameter.
Circle – πr² (pie x radius²)
TG05 | Version 1.0: 9/05/2024
Authorised by: Director – Academic Governance
rr
(radius is ½ the diameter)
Page 3 / 5
© TAFE Gippsland 0417
Document Owner: Program Manager – Foundation
LN Support - Carpentry
Volume formulas
Volume is the amount of space occupied by any 3d solid. In a rectangle it multiplies the
length x height x width (can be called depth). Volume is written as Area is written as m³
Used to calculate concreting.
2cm
H
L
4cm
W
Cube- L³ (LxLxL)
Example
2x4x1=8m³
1cm
L
H
Rectangular Prism – LHW (LxWxH)
L
W
Or BH (Base area x H)
(base area is a surface area already calculated- LxW)
Triangular Prism- Base Area x L (½bh x L)
h
r
Cylinder- Base Area x H (πr² x h)
TG05 | Version 1.0: 9/05/2024
Authorised by: Director – Academic Governance
L
h
Page 4 / 5
B (base
area)
© TAFE Gippsland 0417
Document Owner: Program Manager – Foundation
LN Support - Carpentry
LN Support Exercise- Matching Measurements
Student ID
Student Name
Student Signature
Date of Activity
VU22356 Recognise and locate simple numerical information in short,
simple highly familiar texts
Unit/s
VU22370 Work with simple measurements in familiar situations
Draw a line to match the formulas and symbol with the correct measurement.
m²
Volume
2L + 2W
Perimeter
πr²
m³
Area
LxWxH
m²
Area
4L
m
Area
LxW
m
½ bh
m²
Perimeter
TG05 | Version 1.0: 9/05/2024
Authorised by: Director – Academic Governance
Page 5 / 5
© TAFE Gippsland 0417
Document Owner: Program Manager – Foundation