Sawhorse Calc

Board and batten calculator

Enter the wall width, the batten width and roughly how far apart you want them. You get the number of battens, the exact even gap to mark on the wall, and the boards to buy.

Wall and battens

Starting figures are typical. Type the ones on your product or quote if you have them.

Cost (optional)

8 vertical battens

Gap between battens
16 9/16 in
Centre to centre
20 1/16 in
Linear length of batten
76.0 ft
Boards of 8 ft
11
Your wall layout
1234567816 9/16 in12 ft (144 in)8 ft

Mark the left edge of each batten, measured from the left corner

  1. Batten 1: 0 in
  2. Batten 2: 20 1/16 in
  3. Batten 3: 40 1/8 in
  4. Batten 4: 60 3/16 in
  5. Batten 5: 80 5/16 in
  6. Batten 6: 100 3/8 in
  7. Batten 7: 120 7/16 in
  8. Batten 8: 140 1/2 in

How to work it out

  1. Measure the wall width from corner to corner, and the height you want the battens to cover.
  2. Enter the real width of your battens. A 1x3 is 2.5 in wide and a 1x4 is 3.5 in.
  3. Enter the gap you would like. The calculator puts a batten at each end and picks the number that gives an even gap closest to it.
  4. Enter how many horizontal rails you want, such as one along the top. Use 0 for vertical battens only.

Common batten sizes

BoardActual width
1x21.5 in
1x32.5 in
1x43.5 in
1x65.5 in

These are common starting points. Your site, climate and supplier may call for something different.

How the spacing is worked out

With a batten at each end, the gaps are the wall width minus all the battens, shared equally. On a 144 in wall with eight 3.5 in battens, that is (144 − 28) ÷ 7 = 16.57 in, or 16 9/16 in on a tape. Mark the centre of each batten at 20 1/16 in steps from the first one.

Before you start

Walls are rarely perfectly square, so measure the width at the top and bottom and use the smaller. Plan around outlets and switches: move the layout slightly so a batten does not land on one, or add a box extender.

Common questions

How far apart should board and batten be?

Most walls look right with gaps of about 12 to 24 in, and 16 in is a common choice. Wider walls and taller ceilings can take wider gaps.

How do I space battens evenly?

Count the battens, multiply by their width, take that from the wall width, then divide by the number of gaps, which is one fewer than the battens. The calculator does this and gives the answer to the nearest 1/16 in.

What size boards are used for board and batten?

Interior accent walls often use 1x3 or 1x4 boards, or MDF strips cut to about 2.5 to 3.5 in. Thin battens look busy on a big wall; wide ones suit tall walls.

How much shiplap do I need?

Work out the wall area, subtract doors and windows, add about 10 to 15% for cuts, then divide by the coverage printed on the pack. The square footage calculator adds up several walls.

Doing this job for a customer? Turn your numbers into a free written estimate on QuoteToPaid.

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