QCD and Top Quark Physics at the LHC

The expected performance of the ATLAS and CMS detectors at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in QCD and top quark measurements is discussed, with a focus on the early data taking phase. Such processes are amongst the primary backgrounds in the searches for new physics, and thus must be understood very well before discoveries can be made. In addition, they serve as useful detector calibration candles.