By Zencalcy Editorial TeamLast reviewed About us
A hoop house is a row of parallel arches under one continuous sheet of plastic. The arch length sets the tubing per hoop and the width of the plastic, the spacing sets the hoop count, and the plastic itself is ordered oversized so it can be tensioned and buried in a trench at the base.
Plastic, framing and hoop spacing for a hoop house.
arch ≈ π × width ÷ 2 + 2 × sidewall plastic = arch × length × 1.1 hoops = ⌈length ÷ spacing⌉ + 1
The semicircle approximation suits a quonset profile; gothic peak arches are taller for snow shed and need more plastic. The 10% extra on the plastic covers the tensioning and trench allowance at each end and along the base.
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| W | Hoop house width. |
| L | Length along the run. |
| s | Center-to-center hoop spacing. |
Arches of about 29.1 ft, 13 hoops, 475 ft of frame tubing and roughly 1,538 sq ft of plastic with slack.
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Four feet in mild, calm country; two to three feet where snow load or wind is serious. Closer spacing means more hoops but a frame that survives the winter.
Results use standard construction estimating arithmetic: volumes from measured area and depth, unit weights from published material densities, and code-referenced spans or clearances where the page names a code. Quantities are rounded up to whole saleable units and include the stated waste allowance. These tools are planning aids, not structural design, and do not replace a licensed engineer, a local code check, or a contractor's site measurement.
Reference material used to build and check this calculator:
Last reviewed: September 2026. See how we build and check every tool on the about page.
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Content updated: September 2026