Garage Workshop Size Calculator

A single-car bay (about 12x20 ft, 240 sq ft) makes a workable compact shop for one workbench wall plus a couple of stations. A 20x20 ft two-car bay (400 sq ft) is comfortable for a full machine lineup. Use the Workshop Size Sizer above: pick your stations and it recommends dimensions rounded up to even feet.

The garage size calculator (nrtechstudio.com/tools/garage-size-calculator/) sizes a garage for parking vehicles: single, double and 3-car bays, door sizes, and vehicle fit checks. This tool plans a garage WORKSHOP instead: workbench walls, machine station footprints, 42-inch aisles, storage, power, and lighting. If you need to park cars AND work, use the garage size calculator for the parking bays and this tool for the workshop zone.

The industry-standard workbench top is 72 x 30 inches (6 x 2.5 ft). Fixed-height benches are commonly 34-36 in tall, while adjustable models span roughly 30-42 in. Allow 3 ft of standing room in front of the bench and a 2 ft gap between benches placed side by side.

Plan 42 inches (3.5 ft) for main aisles, the midpoint of the 36-48 in range used in professional shop planning. Secondary working aisles can be 30 in. If an aisle doubles as an accessible route, keep at least 36 in clear.

A miter saw station with support wings runs about 8 ft wide x 2.5 ft deep, since 8-ft wing kits are the standard size. Add 3 ft of operator space in front, so plan an 8 x 5.5 ft working envelope.

A contractor table saw needs roughly 4 ft of infeed and 4 ft of outfeed to handle 8-ft stock, plus operator room: about an 11 x 7 ft working envelope. Align the saw with the long axis of the shop so long boards never hit a wall.

Use 50 lumens per sq ft for general workshop lighting, 75 over a workbench bay, and 100 for detailed finishing work. A 400 sq ft shop at 50 lumens per sq ft needs 20,000 lumens, for example four 5,000-lumen 4-ft LED shop lights.

Give each major machine (table saw, dust collector, air compressor) its own dedicated 20-amp circuit. Plan receptacles about every 6 ft of wall, and put lighting on separate 15-amp circuits. Have an electrician verify the plan against your local code before wiring.

A portable 1.5-2 HP dust collector takes roughly a 2.5 x 2.5 ft corner. Plan 4-inch hose drops with enough reach to serve each machine, and park the collector near the dustiest station, usually the table saw or planer.

Yes, if you dedicate one wall: a 12-ft wall fits one 6-ft workbench plus a 26-in tool chest with room to spare, and a 4x8 ft pegboard mounts above the bench using zero floor space. Keep a 42-in main aisle clear and verify the layout with the Aisle and Layout Checker above.