Board and Batten Spacing Calculator: Equal Gaps, Cut List and Wall Drawing
Enter a wall size, batten width, wanted gap and any doors or windows. Get equal batten spacing, a cut list, the stock boards to buy and a wall drawing. Runs in your browser.
The layout is worked out in this browser. Nothing is uploaded or sent to a server.
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Report a problem or suggest an improvement
Nothing is sent until you press Send. Your measurements are included only if you tick the box, and you can see the full report below first.
When to use this
- You are planning a board and batten accent wall and want every gap to look the same.
- A door or window cuts across some battens and you need the shorter pieces in the cut list.
- You already used the Wallpaper Roll Calculator and want to reuse the same wall size.
How to use
- Choose feet and inches or metres and millimetres, then type the wall width and height.
- Type the real batten width, the gap you want and the stock board length.
- Add doors and windows, one per line, if the wall has any.
- Press Work out the layout. Check the drawing and copy the cut list or download it as CSV.
Examples
- 10 ft wall, 8 ft high, 3.5 in battens, 12 in gap: 9 battens fit with a batten at both ends. The equal gap is (120 - 9 x 3.5) / 8 = 11.0625 in, so the battens sit 14.5625 in apart centre to centre. Nine 96 in pieces need nine 8 ft boards.
- Same wall with a 3 x 6.5 ft door: A door 3.5 ft (42 in) from the left end and 6.5 ft (78 in) tall crosses 3 battens. They are cut to the 18 in above the door, so the cut list is six 96 in pieces and three 18 in pieces.
Understanding the result
The tool picks the whole number of battens whose gap is closest to the gap you wanted, then divides the space left over equally. A batten that overlaps a door or window is split into the pieces above and below the opening. The pieces are packed onto your stock boards, with a small saw cut allowance, and spare boards are added on top.
Limitations
- Only one flat wall is planned at a time. Run each wall separately.
- Horizontal rails, baseboards, outlets and switches are not modelled. Add them to your own list.
- Real walls are not perfectly square. Measure on site and dry-fit before nailing.
- This is a planning estimate. Check measurements and local building rules before you cut.
FAQ
How do you space board and batten evenly?
Pick how many battens fit, then divide the width left after the battens by the number of gaps. This tool does that and shows each batten position.
Should there be a batten at both wall ends?
That is a style choice. You can choose a batten at both ends, or an equal gap at both ends.
How many boards do I need?
Each batten is a vertical piece the height of the panel. The tool packs all pieces onto your stock length and adds spare boards.
Can I reuse the wall from the wallpaper calculator?
Yes. Add your wallpaper result to the project plan and use the import button here to fill in the first wall's width and height.
Is my wall data sent anywhere?
No. Everything runs in your browser. A share link stores your numbers after the # sign, which is not sent to a server.
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