Scotia Beading Calculator
How much scotia beading do you need? The usual advice is the perimeter plus 10-20%, which often buys a length or two you will not use. Enter your room and doors, and the calculator lays out each run, stops it at the architrave, and cuts every piece from 2.4m or 2.7m lengths with offcuts reused.
Last reviewed: 30 September 2026
Room
Scotia
Doors
Position is from the left end of the wall as you face it, to the edge of the door opening (not the architrave). Walls go round the room: 1, 2, 3, 4. A doorway with no door counts the same.
How Much Scotia Beading Do I Need?
Richard Burbidge's guide says measure the perimeter and add 10-20% for wastage. For a 5.0m × 4.0m room with one door, that comes to 9 lengths of 2.4m, but the cutting plan needs 8. In the table below, even the low end of that range is over the plan in 10 of 14 cases.
The perimeter counts the doorways, where there is no scotia, and the 10-20% assumes offcuts go to waste. But a run shorter than a length leaves an offcut that can cover the next short run. So this calculator lays out each run between the corners and doors and cuts every piece from as few lengths as it can.
How the Plan Works
- The scotia stops at the architrave. Our reading, the same as skirting. Richard Burbidge finishes each end at a door frame with a small return piece.
- Mitred corners. Richard Burbidge mitres the corners. All four are internal in a rectangular room, so no extra length is added.
- No piece under 300mm, no join within 300mm of a door. The same rules as our skirting calculator, and our own.
- Offcuts reused. Pieces are cut from lengths longest first, so short pieces come out of offcuts.
- Nails. Richard Burbidge: every 30cm, into the skirting, not the floor. We count one at each end of every piece.
What it does not do: rooms that are not rectangles, chimney breasts and other external corners, and fitted units the scotia runs along. For the floor itself, see our laminate flooring calculator.
Scotia Lengths, With Sources
Every length in the dropdown has a product page. Scotia usually has to match the floor, so these are examples of each length.
| Scotia | Product page |
|---|---|
| 2400mm, sold singly (Leader, white) | Leader White 2.4m Laminate Scotia Beading |
| 2400mm, pack of 10 (B&Q, 15 x 15mm MDF) | White Laminate MDF Scotia, 15 x 15mm, 2.4m lengths, pack of 10 (B&Q marketplace) |
| 2700mm, sold singly (Lumberjack, 19 x 19mm solid wood) | Lumberjack Flooring Scotia Beading 19 x 19mm, 2.7m lengths |
The fixing, corner and door-end rules and the 10-20% allowance are from Richard Burbidge's guide to fitting scotia beading. Where the scotia stops at a door, and the joint rules, are our own.
Common Rooms: Lengths Needed
Generated from the calculator above. Doors are 762mm with 69mm architrave and a 5mm reveal. Each cell is the cutting plan, then the perimeter plus 10-20%.
| Room | 2.4m Lengths | 2.7m Lengths |
|---|---|---|
| 2.0m x 1.8m, one door | 4 (4) | 3 (4) |
| 3.0m x 2.5m, one door | 5 (6) | 4 (5) |
| 3.5m x 3.0m, one door | 6 (6-7) | 5 (6) |
| 4.0m x 3.5m, one door | 7 (7-8) | 6 (7) |
| 5.0m x 4.0m, one door | 8 (9) | 7 (8) |
| Hallway 4.5m x 1.2m, two doors | 5 (6) | 5 (5-6) |
| 6.0m x 4.0m, door and 1.5m opening | 8 (10) | 7 (9) |
Frequently Asked Questions
How much scotia beading do I need?
Richard Burbidge's guide says measure the room's perimeter and add 10-20% for wastage. For a 5.0m × 4.0m room with one door that comes to 9 lengths of 2.4m. But the doorway takes a gap out, and the offcuts cover the short pieces, so the cutting plan needs 8. In the table below, the low end of that range is over the cutting plan in 10 of 14 cases. This calculator lays out each run between the corners and doors and cuts every piece from as few lengths as it can.
How do I fix scotia beading?
Richard Burbidge says to nail it every 30cm, into the skirting and never into the floor, so the floor can still move. Or use grab adhesive on the back, keeping it off the flooring. The calculator counts nails at one each end of every piece and no more than 300mm apart: 70 for the default room.
What happens at the door?
The scotia stops at the architrave, like the skirting, and Richard Burbidge finishes each end with a small return piece glued on with PVA. That is 2 return pieces for one door. They are a few centimetres long and come out of offcuts, so they do not change the lengths to buy.
Where do the joins go?
The calculator never cuts a piece shorter than 300mm and never puts a join within 300mm of a door. Those are the same rules as our skirting calculator, and they are our own. The corners are mitred, as Richard Burbidge says, and the cutting plan lists every piece and which length it comes from.
Does the length matter?
Yes. The default room needs 8 lengths of 2.4m or 7 of 2.7m. In a pack of 10 it is 1 pack, which leaves 2 spare lengths. Scotia usually has to match the floor, so choose the colour first.