Board and batten calculator
To space battens evenly, subtract one batten width from the wall width and divide by the number of gaps. A 10 ft wall with 2.5 in battens at 16 in or less takes 9 battens 14 11/16 in on center, with 12 3/16 in gaps. Type your wall and this calculator gives the exact spacing and a mark for every batten. The second tab counts siding sheets or boards and battens for the whole house. Free, no account.
Batten spacing
Type the wall and the batten width, then the most spacing you want or the number of battens. The calculator spaces them evenly and lists where to mark each one.
Batten length
Actual width, or pick one below
Center to center
Over 4 ft siding sheets, use the Siding materials tab: 12, 16 or 24 in from a sheet edge puts a batten on every joint.
| Batten | Left edge | Center | Left edge, ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 in | 1 1/4 in | 0 ft |
| 2 | 14 11/16 in | 15 15/16 in | 1 ft 2 11/16 in |
| 3 | 29 3/8 in | 30 5/8 in | 2 ft 5 3/8 in |
| 4 | 44 1/16 in | 45 5/16 in | 3 ft 8 1/16 in |
| 5 | 58 3/4 in | 60 in | 4 ft 10 3/4 in |
| 6 | 73 7/16 in | 74 11/16 in | 6 ft 1 7/16 in |
| 7 | 88 1/8 in | 89 3/8 in | 7 ft 4 1/8 in |
| 8 | 102 13/16 in | 104 1/16 in | 8 ft 6 13/16 in |
| 9 | 117 1/2 in | 118 3/4 in | 9 ft 9 1/2 in |
Hook the tape on the wall's left end and mark each left edge. Sizes round to the nearest 1/16 in. 8 equal gaps.
Walls
Measure each wall that gets board and batten: width along the ground, height up to the soffit. Then add the gable ends and the openings.
Gable ends
The triangles above the end walls. Use 0 for a hip roof.
Openings to take off
15 sq ft each
21 sq ft each
112 sq ft each
- Front: 40 ft wide, 16 in on center
- 31 battens
- Back: 40 ft wide, 16 in on center
- 31 battens
- Left side: 30 ft wide, 16 in on center
- 24 battens
- Right side: 30 ft wide, 16 in on center
- 24 battens
- Gable ends: 2 × 22 shorter battens
- 44 battens
- Cut from 12 ft lengths, + 10% waste
- 135 lengths
- Walls 1,260 + gables 225 − openings 334 sq ft
- 1,151 sq ft
- + 10% waste ÷ 36 sq ft a sheet
- 36 sheets
Each wall counts a batten at both ends; where corner boards cover the corners, take two off per wall. Windows and doors don't reduce the batten count: the short pieces above and below them come out of the same lengths. Trim, corners and fasteners are extra.
Worked out in your browser from the numbers you type. Nothing is looked up or saved. No prices are shown here. Confirm every number on site.
How to space battens evenly
Even spacing means equal gaps across the whole wall, with a batten flush at each end. Work it out in five steps.
- Measure the wall width in inches, and the batten's actual width (a 1×3 is 2.5 in).
- Subtract one batten width from the wall. That's the distance from the first batten's center to the last one's.
- Divide by the most spacing you want on center and round up. That's the number of gaps; add one for the battens.
- Divide the distance from step 2 by the number of gaps for the exact on-center spacing. Subtract a batten width for the gap.
- Mark each batten's left edge at a multiple of the on-center spacing, measured from the wall's left end.
ExampleA 10 ft wall, 2.5 in battens, 16 in or less
- 120 in − 2.5 in batten
- 117.5 in
- 117.5 ÷ 16 = 7.34, rounded up
- 8 gaps
- Battens, one more than the gaps
- 9
- 117.5 ÷ 8
- 14 11/16 in on center
- Gap: 14 11/16 − 2.5
- 12 3/16 in
- Left edges
- 0, 14 11/16, 29 3/8, 44 1/16 …
- Last batten's left edge
- 9 ft 9 1/2 in
With 8 battens instead, the spacing opens to 16 13/16 in on center; with 10, it closes to 13 1/16 in.
How to count board and batten materials
Work out the wall area for the boards or sheets, then count the battens wall by wall. The Siding materials tab follows these steps.
- Measure each wall's width and its height to the soffit. Add each gable end as a triangle: width times peak height, divided by 2.
- Take off windows and doors. The calculator uses 15 sq ft a window, 21 a door and 112 a garage door.
- Add waste, then divide by the sheet area for sheets, or by the width each board covers (board plus gap) for boards.
- Battens: divide each wall's width in inches by the spacing, round up and add one. Each batten is as tall as the wall.
- Cut the shorter gable battens from what's left over, then round up to whole lengths with waste.
ExampleOur 40 × 30 ft house, 4 × 9 ft sheets, battens 16 in apart
- Walls: 40 + 40 + 30 + 30 ft × 9 ft
- 1,260 sq ft
- Gable ends: 2 × 30 ft at 6/12
- + 225 sq ft
- 12 windows, 2 doors, 1 garage door
- − 334 sq ft
- Net wall area
- 1,151 sq ft
- + 10% waste ÷ 36 sq ft a sheet
- 36 sheets
- Battens: 31 + 31 + 24 + 24 on the walls, 2 × 22 in the gables
- 154 battens
- Cut from 12 ft lengths, + 10% waste
- 135 lengths
The 110 wall battens are 9 ft each, so every 12 ft length leaves a 3 ft offcut. Those cover the short battens near the bottom of each gable.
Battens per wall at 12, 16 and 24 in
Over 4 ft siding sheets, 12, 16 and 24 in all divide the sheet, so a batten lands on every vertical joint. Hardie Panel's install instructions allow a batten to cover each joint (James Hardie install instructions).
Spacing is also a look. James Hardie's design guide suggests wider spacing for a calm, modern wall and tight spacing in a dark color for texture (James Hardie design guide). Closer spacing means more battens on the same wall.
Battens at each spacing
| On center | Per 10 ft of wall | Feet per 100 sq ft | 12 ft lengths, our house |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 in | 11 | 100 ft | 176 |
| 16 in | 9 | 75 ft | 135 |
| 24 in | 6 | 50 ft | 91 |
Per 10 ft counts a batten at both ends. The last column is the example house above with 10% waste.
Board, batten and sheet sizes
Lumber is sold by its nominal size and is narrower than its name, so lay out boards by the actual width. A 1×10 is 9.25 in wide (Archtoolbox, Southern Pine Inspection Bureau). Hardie Panel sheets are 4 ft wide, and Hardie Trim Batten boards are 2.5 in wide and 12 ft long (Hardie Panel specs, Trim Batten specs).
Boards with a 0.5 in gap
| Board | Actual | Battens apart | 10 ft boards, our house |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1×6 | 5.5 in | 6 in | 254 |
| 1×8 | 7.25 in | 7.75 in | 197 |
| 1×10 | 9.25 in | 9.75 in | 156 |
| 1×12 | 11.25 in | 11.75 in | 130 |
Battens: 1×2 is 1.5 in, 1×3 is 2.5 in and 1×4 is 3.5 in. Pick one wider than the gap so it laps both boards.
Hardie Panel sheets
| Sheet | Sq ft | Per 100 sq ft | Our house |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 × 8 ft | 32 | 3.1 | 40* |
| 4 × 9 ft | 36 | 2.8 | 36 |
| 4 × 10 ft | 40 | 2.5 | 32 |
*Shorter than the 9 ft walls, so each wall needs a horizontal joint, and James Hardie calls for Z-flashing at every one. Primed sheets come in all three lengths; Statement Collection colors come in 8 and 10 ft.
Skip the tape: wall area from an address
Measuring every wall and gable is the slow part of a siding bid. Enter an address and Measured Bid uses aerial imagery and property data to work out the wall perimeter, the gable ends and the net wall area, by story count, then prices it with your rates.
On our model house that's 1,666 sq ft of net wall at one story. It doesn't see each window or which walls get board and batten, so measure those on site before you order.
Price it with your rates
Boards, sheets and battens are the order. In Measured Bid you price siding per square foot of wall for each material, with tear-off, trim, taller-house adjustments and a job minimum.
FAQ
How do I space board and batten evenly?
Subtract one batten width from the wall width, then divide by the number of gaps. On a 10 ft wall (120 in) with 9 battens 2.5 in wide, that's 117.5 in over 8 gaps: 14 11/16 in on center, with 12 3/16 in of clear space between battens. Mark each batten's left edge at a multiple of 14 11/16 in from the left end.
How many battens do I need for a wall?
Subtract one batten width from the wall width, divide by the most spacing you want on center and round up. That's the number of gaps; add one for the battens. A 10 ft wall with 2.5 in battens takes 9 at 16 in or less, 11 at 12 in and 6 at 24 in. Gable ends take shorter battens that step down toward the eaves.
What is the standard batten spacing?
There isn't one rule. With boards, a batten covers every joint, so the spacing is the board width plus the gap: 1×10 boards (9.25 in actual) with a 1/2 in gap put battens 9.75 in apart. Over siding sheets, 12, 16 and 24 in all divide a 48 in sheet, so a batten lands on every vertical joint. James Hardie's design guide treats spacing as a look: wider for a calm wall, tighter for texture.
Boards and battens, or panels with battens?
Boards are the traditional build: wide boards side by side with a batten over each joint. With panels, 4 ft sheets are the siding and the battens are mostly for looks. James Hardie pairs its Hardie Panel vertical siding (4 × 8 ft, 4 × 9 ft and 4 × 10 ft) with 2.5 in Trim Batten boards 12 ft long, and its install instructions allow a batten to cover each vertical joint between sheets.
How much does board and batten siding cost to install?
Angi's cost guide, updated September 2026, puts installation at $2.50 to $12.50 per square foot, with labor at $1.75 to $2.50 of that when it's split out and materials at $1 to $10. It lists $12,800 as the national average for a 2,000 sq ft home. Use it to check your own rate per square foot of wall. Checked October 2026.
How much waste should I add for board and batten?
The calculator starts at 10%, the same as the siding calculator. Raise it for steep gable ends, lots of windows or boards with defects. The batten count already uses the leftover lengths for the short gable battens before the waste goes on.
Can I get the wall sizes from an address?
Yes, as a starting point. Measured Bid's free siding calculator estimates the wall area of any US address from the roof outline and the story count. Measure each wall on site before you order boards or sheets.
Related pages and tools
Price siding from an address
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