Two figures in, a clear answer out. The board and batten calculator uses board spacing, board width, door height, number of doors, door width, number of trims, wall height, wall width, window height, number of windows and window width to produce rows of furring strip, number of battens and number of boards, applying the standard relationship for this problem in the order the calculation actually needs it.
What Is the Board and Batten Calculator?
The board and batten calculator turns board spacing, board width, door height, number of doors, door width, number of trims, wall height, wall width, window height, number of windows and window width into rows of furring strip, number of battens and number of boards, so you can order the right amount of material the first time.
Material estimates are where projects go over budget. Getting the quantities right before the delivery arrives is worth more than any discount on the order.
How to Measure for the Board and Batten
Measure everything in the same unit and take the largest dimension you can reasonably use rather than the average. Formwork, ground conditions and cutting waste all push the real figure above the theoretical one.
Where a plan calls for a specific thickness, check it against local building regulations before you order. The calculator reflects the relationship, not the code.
Allowing for Waste and Errors
Order a little more than the calculation suggests. The gap between the theoretical quantity and what actually arrives on site is normally waste, spillage, over-excavation and uneven grading, and all of it comes out of the same budget.
Write the figures down and compare them with what you actually used on site. That is how you build an estimate you can trust for the next job.
A Worked Example
Working through an example, with board spacing set to 10, board width set to 5, door height set to 2, the calculator returns rows of furring strip of 2, and furring strip of 200, and number of boards of 80.67. Substitute your own figures and the same steps produce the same kind of answer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do I need to work out rows of furring strip?
Enter board spacing, board width, door height, number of doors, door width, number of trims, wall height, wall width, window height, number of windows and window width. The calculator then works through the relationship and reports rows of furring strip, number of battens and number of boards.
What does the board and batten actually calculate?
It takes board spacing, board width, door height, number of doors, door width, number of trims, wall height, wall width, window height, number of windows and window width and converts them into rows of furring strip, number of battens and number of boards using the standard relationship for this problem. Each step is applied in turn, so every output is traceable back to the numbers you typed in.
How should I enter board spacing?
Use the value you actually have, in the unit shown next to the field. Enter every value in the same unit system. The calculator assumes the figures you supply are consistent, so it cannot correct a mistake that happens before the calculation starts.
Do I have to fill in every field?
Only the fields a particular result depends on. If you leave one blank, the results that need it simply show a note instead of a number, and everything else still works.
Is the answer exact?
It is as exact as the formula and the inputs allow. The method itself is the standard one for this problem, so the only sources of error are the figures you enter and the precision you ask for.