BuildSums

Wall panelling calculator

Enter the wall width and how many battens you want to see the exact gap between them and where to mark each one.

Your measurements

You’ll need the width of the wall and the width of your battens. The boxes start with example figures, and the result updates as you type.

Metres, or feet and inches
At the ends of the wall

Result

Fill in the measurements to see what to order.

Figures checked 25 October 2026. See the sources, or report a problem.

How this is worked out

Take the battens’ total width away from the wall width, then share what’s left between the gaps. With a batten in each corner there’s one gap fewer than battens. With a gap at each end there’s one gap more.

The mark-out list adds one gap and one batten width at a time from the left of the wall, rounded to the nearest millimetre.

Worked example

A 3.6m wall with nine 70mm battens, one in each corner: the battens take up 630mm, leaving 2,970mm for eight gaps, so each gap is 371mm and the battens sit every 441mm.

Tips

  • Walls are rarely square. Measure the width at the top, middle and bottom and use the smallest.
  • Sockets and switches look neater sitting in the middle of a gap. Try one more or one fewer batten if a socket lands on a line.
  • For horizontal rails, use the same calculator with the wall height instead of the width.

Questions people ask

How far apart should wall panelling battens be?

There’s no fixed rule. Many feature walls end up with gaps of 200 to 400mm. Try a few batten counts in the calculator and pick the gap that looks right for the wall’s width and height.

Should there be a batten at each end?

For a framed look, yes: a batten tight into each corner. If the panelling stops short of the corners or meets a door frame, choose the option with a gap at each end.

What size battens are used for panelling?

MDF strips around 70 to 95mm wide and 9 to 18mm thick are common for shaker and board-and-batten walls. Thinner strips suit a delicate grid.

How do I mark out the battens?

Mark the left edge of each batten at the measurements the calculator gives, measured from the left of the wall. Use a spirit level or laser to draw each line plumb.

Sources

This calculator only uses the measurements and figures you type in, so there are no outside figures to cite. The formula is shown above.

Trade review pending. A named tradesperson will check this calculator, and their name and qualifications will appear here.

Figures last checked 25 October 2026. Read how we calculate and our disclaimer. Found a mistake? Tell us.