Wheelchair ramp tools

Slope and length planners. Rise times 12 is the whole calculation at the ADA maximum. What a good planner adds is the landing logic: a level landing at the top and bottom, plus a 60-by-60-inch clear landing at each direction change, plus a break whenever a run would rise more than 30 inches. Those landings are what make real-world ramp footprints so much larger than people expect.

Cost calculators. Use them to sanity-check a quote, not to set a budget. Published 2026 figures: $100–$250 per linear foot installed, an average of $2,292 with a typical range of $1,122–$3,594, modular $1,500–$4,000, permanent $2,000–$5,500. Add handrails at $20–$50 per foot and non-slip surfacing at $5–$20 per foot, because most calculators leave those out.

Turning radius and door width planners. These matter more than slope in one specific situation: the top landing. If the landing is too small for the chair to turn and the door to open, the ramp is functionally useless no matter how good the slope is. ADA's 60-by-60-inch direction-change landing is a reasonable minimum to design to even where it isn't legally required.

Material selectors. A useful one asks how long you need the ramp, what your climate is, and whether it may need to move. A less useful one asks for your ZIP code and email. The material answer is mostly determined by duration and climate: aluminum at $130–$225 per foot for removability and low upkeep, wood at $100–$250 for low build cost and higher maintenance, concrete at $200–$250 for permanence.

How to choose

Measure rise carefully — everything scales from it

An inch of error is a foot of ramp. Measure from finished grade to the threshold at the actual door you'll use.

Make the tool show landings

A calculator that returns only a length is understating your footprint. Landings at top, bottom and every direction change are real space.

Add the omitted line items yourself

Handrails $20–$50 per foot, non-slip surfacing $5–$20 per foot, permits $50–$300 where required.

Design the top landing around the door swing

The most common unusable ramp is one where the chair can't turn and open the door at the same time.

Distrust selectors that need your email first

A tool gating results behind contact details is a lead form. Real planners give you the number.