Find a contractor Buyer's guide Partner with us
MCAA Logo
Log in Sign up Join Hi, there Account
2026 Midyear Registration is OPEN
Find a contractor Buyer's guide Partner
Log in Sign up Join Account

Construction calculators help students develop applied math skills

Words: Mike AdamsCalculated Industries (CI), a long-time partner of NCCER’s, provides specialty calculators to NCCER training programs throughout the country that teach Core Curriculum, Carpentry, Electrical, HVAC, Masonry, Pipefitting, Millwright and Ironworking. Based in Carson City, Nevada, CI introduced the first version of its construction-math calculators 30 years ago. In the early 2000s, the company started its education initiative with real estate calculators, but it soon became obvious that construction crafts were about as applied-math intensive as it gets.

“Craft professionals who used our calculators in the field were transitioning into management positions in the industry or beginning second careers in teaching,” said CI Vice President Mark Paulsen. “Initially, they came to us, saying ‘The Construction Master calculator made my job so much easier. It would be a great way to teach applied math to folks going into the trades.’ So we started contacting schools with carpentry and construction management programs, and it just took off from there.”

Once educators and trainers became aware of the craft-specific benefits of using the calculators to help their students develop applied- math skills, they asked for tools to make teaching easier and more effective. CI created emulator programs that allowed instructors to show the actual keystrokes on a screen or white board while the students used the calculators. CI also developed a workbook and study guide for classes using the Construction Master Pro calculator.

One large company that uses the NCCER curriculum and CI’s products is TIC — The Industrial Company. TIC uses the calculators in several different training programs, including pipefitting and industrial carpentry. Fernando Sanchez, who works for TIC in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, says, “Being the only company in the country to provide the kind of training we do for our craft employees, we have very high expectations for them, and we train them to be the best at what they do. As pipefitters, we have a responsibility to be precise and accurate in our jobs, and we trust our calculators to help us accomplish the heart and soul of our craft — math. Calculators help our students get the motivation and necessary skills to become great journey-level pipefitters.”

Like NCCER, CI is a long-time sponsor and supporter of SkillsUSA. For the last two years, CI has donated Construction Master Pro calculators to both the carpentry and masonry national competitions that NCCER sponsors. The students were allowed to use the calculators during the competition and keep them afterwards.

CI offers four types of calculators for construction craft training. The Construction Master Pro and Construction Master Pro Trig calculators include craft-specific functionality, built-in calculations for stairs, roofs, rafters and framing and have full trigonometric functions. The Pipe Trades Pro calculator also has full trigonometric functions and is used by pipefitters, sprinkler fitters and welders to calculate angles, bends, slopes, cutbacks, offsets and flow rates. The ElectriCalc Pro calculator solves electrical calculations that conform to the National Electrical Code, and it calculates Kirchhoff ’s Law, Ohm’s Law, wire and conduit sizes, motor full-load amps, parallel resistance and integrated voltage drops. The Tradesman Calculator is used to teach or learn applied math, including right triangle math, trigonometry, circles, arcs, ratios, proportions, hexagons, polygons and fractions.

Organizations like Kiewit Infrastructure, Buckeye Career Center in New Philadelphia, Ohio, Francis Tuttle Technology Center in Oklahoma City and Lee County High School in Leesburg, Georgia, along with countless numbers of NCCER Accredited Training Sponsors, craft trainees and craft professionals have found CI calculators to be invaluable tools in their training, development and everyday task performance. For more information on CI calculators, visit www.calculated.com.
 0
Bonding with Masonry 2026: Q2
June 2026

This issue’s questions come from a Mason Contractor and an Engineer. What questions do you have? Send them to info@masonrymagazine.com, attention Technical Talk.

David Biggs
Bonding with Masonry
Read More
The Thirty-Year Mason: Ergonomics as a Retention Strategy
June 2026

In most industry circles, the conversation around the labor shortage follows a predictable script: How do we find the next generation of masons? While recruitment is vital, we often overlook the most valuable asset already on the job site: the experienced

Shayne Sanders
MAP Partner
Read More
Acme Brick Company Releases 2026 Pocket Guide to Brick Construction
June 2026

For more than four decades, all the basics of building with brick have come in a guide small enough to fit into a pocket. Acme Brick has just released a 2026 version of its Pocket Guide to Brick Construction. And yes, it’s still printed on paper just like

MAP Partner
Read More
Masonry in the Media: Casa Azul, Chapultepec Castle, & More
June 2026

A film’s settings can take viewers to new locations, all from the comfort of their own home. It immerses them in the scenes, whether they take place in an opera house in Brazil or a grand mansion in Mexico City. Explore how these Latin American masonry ma

Lily Burger
Masonry in the Media
Read More