Warhammer 40K Points Calculator – Build Your Army Fast
⚔️ Warhammer 40K Points Calculator
Build balanced army lists — calculate unit points, detachments, command points & more
⚡ Quick Presets
📋 Army Configuration
📊 Army Build Results
🎯 Key Format Stats
500
Combat Patrol pts
1000
Incursion pts
2000
Strike Force pts
3000
Onslaught pts
3
Base Command Pts
6
Max Unit Types
44x60
Standard Board (in)
6th
10th Ed. Rule Set
📜 Game Format Reference
| Format | Points Limit | Board Size (in) | Board Size (cm) | Est. Models | Play Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat Patrol | 500 | 44 x 30 | 112 x 76 | 10–20 | 45–60 min |
| Incursion | 1,000 | 44 x 44 | 112 x 112 | 20–40 | 75–90 min |
| Strike Force | 2,000 | 60 x 44 | 152 x 112 | 40–80 | 2.5–3.5 hrs |
| Onslaught | 3,000 | 72 x 48 | 183 x 122 | 60–120 | 4–5 hrs |
| Apocalypse | 4,000+ | 96 x 48 | 244 x 122 | 100+ | 6+ hrs |
🛡️ Detachment Requirements (10th Edition)
| Detachment | HQ Min | Troops Min | Elites Min | Fast Atk Min | Heavy Spt Min | Base CP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patrol | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 CP |
| Battalion | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 CP |
| Brigade | 3 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 12 CP |
| Spearhead | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 CP |
| Outrider | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 CP |
| Vanguard | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 CP |
🦩 Faction Typical Points Distribution
| Faction | Avg HQ Cost | Avg Troop Cost | Avg Elite Cost | Style |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Space Marines | 90–130 pts | 75–110 pts | 100–200 pts | Balanced |
| Chaos Space Marines | 100–150 pts | 80–120 pts | 120–250 pts | Aggressive |
| Tyranids | 80–200 pts | 50–90 pts | 90–180 pts | Horde/Elite Mix |
| Necrons | 85–130 pts | 80–110 pts | 100–220 pts | Durable |
| T'au Empire | 80–120 pts | 60–100 pts | 150–350 pts | Shooty/Suits |
| Orks | 70–120 pts | 60–80 pts | 80–150 pts | Horde |
| Aeldari | 90–140 pts | 65–100 pts | 100–200 pts | Mobile |
| Astra Militarum | 55–90 pts | 55–75 pts | 80–140 pts | Horde/Gunline |
💡 Army Building Tips
⚔️ Balanced Army Allocation: A well-rounded army typically spends 10–15% on HQ, 20–30% on Troops, 25–35% on Elites, and keeps 10% as a points buffer for upgrades and wargear options.
🎯 Command Points Efficiency: A Battalion Detachment provides 5 CP for 2 HQ + 3 Troops — the most CP-efficient detachment at 2000pts. Brigade gives 12 CP but requires filling 18 slots, which may compromise list quality at lower points levels.
In Warhammer 40K, Points work as currency, that sets the size of your army. Every unit gets its own Points value, and before the game starts, the players agree on the total number of Points that they will bring to the table. This is what keeps balance and fairness in the whole game.
Many folks like to play at around 1,500 to 2,000 Points. The usual standard for most matches is 2,000 Points, but there is also Combat Patrol with only 500 Points, that has its own rules. In the lower range, one finds games between 500 and 1,000 Points.
How Points Work in Warhammer 40K
Many players think, that the sweet spot sits at 2,000 to 2,500 Points. In the higher level it becomes really fun, because you can build lists based on new, themed ideas, instead of simply stuffing the strongest units. And if you have a big collection of models, that only gathers dust, then bigger games finally give reason to use all those bits, that you saved.
The 10th edition changed Points quite a lot. The whole system was torn down and simplified, to match the style of Age of Sigmar. Gone were the times, when you paid for every model and its gear separately.
Before, 40K charged you point by point for models and gear, while Age of Sigmar always only costed the units broadly.
All Points values sit in the Munitorum Field Manual, that is in the section for downloads on the website of Games Workshop. Everything here is always the most current version. Because the Points move so often for needs of balance, having everything in one file for download means, that Games Workshop does not need to update the official rulebooks always.
That marks a big change compared with the old system, players had to buy a book called Chapter Approved every six months or so. Getting free digital updates is really a change fore the game.
The apps and programs like Battlescribe also grab the changes in balance. Balance Dataslates can change stats of units and even alter key rules, but the Munitorum Field Manual mostly looks at the Points changes. In the last patch, Adeptus Mechanicus had Points dropping, while Necron units of C’tan shards got back some cost.
At the same time Adepta Sororitas, Thousand Sons, Drukhari and Space Wolves all got updates for their weak units. When January 2026 arrived, all landed for Necrons, Space Marines and Sisters of Battle, and February broughtNew updates tied to the releases of the Maelstrom Books.
In tournaments, you cannot pass your Points limit, end of story. Games at 2,000 Points require, that your army sits at or under 2,000 Points exactly. Casual games are a bit more relaxed, going over some Points can happen, but not because of cheap upgrades, that simply sit unused.
For friendly matches between friends, you do not always need to count everything in Points. One detachment against another works well, if both players are fine with that.
