PVC light tunnel calculator
Start with your PVC length and tunnel width. Height is estimated from the arch profile below.
Build your tunnel
Deducts this length from each end before calculating the visible arch.Estimated profile: a semicircular crown with straight vertical legs. Shorter pipes form a shallow circular arch. Actual PVC may bend differently.
First and last arches sit at the ends of the tunnel.Lights & materials
Size labels pipe and fittings. The height estimate does not model pipe stiffness or wall thickness.Rail lights zigzag between adjacent rails along alternate end arches. The transitions contain lights and count toward the total.Light strand plan
| Lighting | Quantity |
|---|
Material estimate
| Material | Quantity |
|---|
Height is a geometric estimate. Curved arches use a rounded half-ellipse profile; the optional straight-leg profile uses a semicircular crown. Neither simulates how PVC bends. Width is measured between pipe centerlines at ground level. Pipe size labels the materials; it does not change this idealized geometry.
For fitted intersections, use a planar 4-way cross with two opposite port pairs at interior arches, and standard tees at the two end arches. A furniture-grade side-outlet 4-way tee has a different port layout; check fitting orientation before buying. Fitted arches are cut at rail positions; the preview keeps the idealized smooth profile. Verify bend and fitting alignment during a trial build.
Pipe lengths exclude fitting socket overlap and fitting body lengths, so these are planning quantities, not a final cut list. Ground anchors are counted as two per arch. This is a geometric estimate, not a structural or electrical design.