Board & Batten Layout Calculator
Plan a perfectly even board-and-batten wall. Enter the wall size, batten width, and either a target spacing or the number of battens — get exact on-center spacing, edge margins, center marks measured from the corner, total batten stock, and a to-scale preview.
Your wall
Even layout = every bay identical, and both edge margins equal the bays.
Layout results
Press Calculate layout to see the numbers.
Battens
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On-center spacing
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Edge margin (each end)
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Bay between battens
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Total batten stock
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Batten center marks — measure from the left corner
Preview drawn to scale. Battens shown actual width; dimensions in inches.
Worked examples
12 ft wall, 3″ battens, 16″ target
Wall 144″, batten 3″. (144+3)/16−1 = 8.19 → 8 battens.
| On-center | 16.33″ (16 5/16″) |
| Edge margin | 13.33″ (13 5/16″) |
| Centers from left | 14.83, 31.17, 47.50, 63.83, 80.17, 96.50, 112.83, 129.17″ |
| Stock (8 ft wall) | 64 ft (70.4 ft with 10% waste) |
10 ft wall, 6 battens of 2.5″
Wall 120″, batten 2.5″, count mode with 6 battens.
| On-center | 17.50″ (17 1/2″) |
| Edge margin | 15.00″ (15″) |
| Centers from left | 16.25, 33.75, 51.25, 68.75, 86.25, 103.75″ |
| Stock (9 ft wall) | 54 ft (59.4 ft with 10% waste) |
117″ wall, 16″ target — tie rounds up
(117+3)/16−1 = 6.5 exactly → rounds half-up to 7 battens.
| On-center | 15.00″ (15″) |
| Edge margin | 12.00″ (12″) |
| Check | 7×3 + 8×12 = 117″ ✓ |
| Stock (8 ft wall) | 56 ft (61.6 ft with 10% waste) |
The math
N = round((W + B) / S − 1)gap = (W − N×B) / (N + 1) // edge margin = bay between battenson-center = (W + B) / (N + 1) // = B + gapcenteri = gap + B/2 + i×on-center // i = 0 … N−1, from left edgestock = N × height
W = wall width, B = batten width, S = target spacing, N = batten count. Ties in the rounding step go up (6.5 → 7).
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate board and batten spacing?
Pick a batten count N (or a target spacing and let the calculator round to the nearest count). Subtract the total batten width N×B from the wall width W, then divide the remainder into N+1 equal gaps: gap = (W − N×B)/(N+1). On-center spacing is simply batten width + gap. This calculator does it for you and also lists every batten center measured from the left corner.
What are the edge margins?
In an even layout the two edge margins — the distance from each wall corner to the first batten — are made exactly equal to the bays between battens. That is why the wall is divided into N+1 gaps instead of N. If you would rather have battens flush against the corners, place the outer battens at the corners and divide the remaining width into N−1 equal bays yourself.
Do I measure spacing from the batten edge or center?
Center to center. On-center spacing is the distance between the centers of two neighboring battens, which equals one batten width plus one bay. The center-marks list in the results gives each batten's center distance from the left corner — mark those points, then center each batten on its mark.
How does target-spacing mode choose the batten count?
It solves N = round((W+B)/S − 1) for your target spacing S, rounding to the nearest whole batten (exact ties round up). The result then shows the exact spacing that count produces, plus the one-fewer / one-more alternatives so you can pick the look you prefer.
How much batten stock should I buy?
Multiply the batten count by the wall height: stock = N × height. The calculator shows this in linear feet plus a 10%-waste figure for offcuts and mistakes. Buy stock in the lengths your store carries and round up.
What if my wall has a door, window, or outlet in the way?
This is a purely geometric layout tool for one uninterrupted wall run. For walls with openings, treat each continuous section between openings as its own wall: measure that section's width and lay it out separately so the spacing stays even within every section.
Free tool by NRTechStudio