Estimate the resources, time, and cost required to build your own medieval-style castle. This calculator provides a simplified model based on key architectural dimensions and workforce size.
Sandstone (Easier to work)
Limestone (Standard)
Granite (Hardest to work)
Understanding Castle Construction
Building a medieval castle was one of the most significant undertakings of its time, often spanning decades and consuming vast resources. The process was complex and depended on numerous factors beyond simple dimensions. Our calculator provides a high-level estimate based on the following principles:
Volume of Stone: The primary calculation determines the total volume of stone required for the curtain walls and towers. This is the single largest factor influencing time and cost.
Stone Type: The type of stone used dramatically affects the project. Softer stones like sandstone are easier and faster to quarry and shape, while harder stones like granite are more durable but require significantly more time and specialized tools, increasing costs.
Labor Force: The size of the skilled and unskilled labor force is critical. This includes quarrymen, stonecutters, masons, laborers to operate cranes and transport materials, carpenters for scaffolding, and blacksmiths to maintain tools. A larger workforce can reduce the overall timeline, but only up to a point of diminishing returns.
Logistics & Time: Construction was not a year-round activity. Work often halted during winter months or bad weather. Our calculator assumes an average of 250 working days per year. Transporting stone from the quarry to the build site was also a major logistical challenge.
Example Calculation
Let's consider building a modest square-shaped castle with a 400-meter perimeter (100m per side). The curtain walls are 12 meters high and 3 meters thick. It features 4 corner towers, each 18 meters high with a diameter of 8 meters. The construction uses standard Limestone and employs a workforce of 200 people.
Based on these inputs, the calculator would first determine the total volume of stone needed for the walls and towers. It then estimates the number of standard stone blocks this represents. Using an assumed rate of work per laborer (factoring in the difficulty of working with limestone), it calculates the total man-days required. Finally, it divides this by the number of workers and the working days per year to estimate the total construction time and cost.
Disclaimer: This calculator is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Actual castle construction is vastly more complex, involving foundations, internal structures (keeps, gatehouses, great halls), moats, political factors, and supply chain logistics not factored into this simplified model.
function calculateCastle() {
// — 1. GET INPUT VALUES —
var perimeter = parseFloat(document.getElementById('castlePerimeter').value);
var wallHeight = parseFloat(document.getElementById('wallHeight').value);
var wallThickness = parseFloat(document.getElementById('wallThickness').value);
var numTowers = parseFloat(document.getElementById('numTowers').value);
var towerHeight = parseFloat(document.getElementById('towerHeight').value);
var towerDiameter = parseFloat(document.getElementById('towerDiameter').value);
var numWorkers = parseFloat(document.getElementById('numWorkers').value);
var stoneTypeMultipliers = document.getElementById('stoneType').value.split(',');
var timeMultiplier = parseFloat(stoneTypeMultipliers[0]);
var costMultiplier = parseFloat(stoneTypeMultipliers[1]);
// — 2. VALIDATE INPUTS —
if (isNaN(perimeter) || isNaN(wallHeight) || isNaN(wallThickness) || isNaN(numTowers) || isNaN(towerHeight) || isNaN(towerDiameter) || isNaN(numWorkers)) {
document.getElementById('result').innerHTML = 'Please enter valid numbers in all fields.';
return;
}
if (perimeter <= 0 || wallHeight <= 0 || wallThickness <= 0 || numWorkers <= 0) {
document.getElementById('result').innerHTML = 'Perimeter, height, thickness, and number of workers must be greater than zero.';
return;
}
// — 3. DEFINE CONSTANTS —
var PI = 3.14159;
var standardBlockVolume = 0.25; // Average volume of a dressed stone block in cubic meters (e.g., 1m x 0.5m x 0.5m)
var blocksPerDayPerWorker = 0.2; // Average blocks quarried, dressed, and set per worker per day. A very slow and arduous process.
var workingDaysPerYear = 250; // Accounts for winter, weather, holidays, and festivals.
var costPerBlock = 120; // Base cost in a generic currency unit ($) for labor, tools, transport, and materials for one block.
// — 4. PERFORM CALCULATIONS —
// Calculate volume of the curtain walls
var wallVolume = perimeter * wallHeight * wallThickness;
// Calculate volume of the towers (as cylinders)
var towerRadius = towerDiameter / 2;
var singleTowerVolume = PI * towerRadius * towerRadius * towerHeight;
var allTowersVolume = singleTowerVolume * numTowers;
// Calculate total stone volume
var totalStoneVolume = wallVolume + allTowersVolume;
// Calculate total number of stone blocks
var totalBlocks = totalStoneVolume / standardBlockVolume;
// Calculate total man-days required, adjusted for stone type difficulty
var totalManDays = (totalBlocks / blocksPerDayPerWorker) * timeMultiplier;
// Calculate total construction time in years
var constructionTimeYears = totalManDays / (numWorkers * workingDaysPerYear);
// Calculate total cost, adjusted for stone type
var totalCost = totalBlocks * costPerBlock * costMultiplier;
// — 5. DISPLAY RESULTS —
var resultHTML = '
Construction Estimate:
' +
'
' +
'
Total Stone Volume: ' + totalStoneVolume.toLocaleString(undefined, {maximumFractionDigits: 0}) + ' cubic meters