Wall Panelling Calculator
How many strips do you need for wall panelling? Enter the wall and the number of frames and get equal spacing worked out for you, a cutting list that reuses offcuts, and an elevation drawn to scale. Shaker frames or board and batten, on standard MDF strips.
Last reviewed: 30 September 2026
Wall
Heights above the floor. Start above your skirting board.
Layout
Strips
Both sizes have a B&Q product page, listed below. Stock varies by merchant, so check before ordering.
5% is enough here because the cutting plan already reuses offcuts, so a bigger figure would count them twice. It is for slips of the saw and bad mitres.
How Many Strips Do I Need for Wall Panelling?
Most calculators only do the spacing: the frame width and the gaps. That is half the job. You also need to know how many strips to buy, and every frame is made of four pieces of two different lengths. For a 3.6m wall of four frames from 150mm to 1200mm the frames are 775mm wide, and the wall needs 16 pieces and 13.0m of strip. Packed into 2.4m strips with the offcuts reused that comes to 7 strips in the plan, 8 with 5% spare, 1 kit of 8.
How the Layout Works
- Equal spacing. For shaker frames, the frame width is the wall width, minus a margin at each end, minus the gaps between frames, divided by the number of frames. For board and batten, the spacing is what is left after the battens, shared out equally.
- Each shaker frame is four strips: a horizontal at the top and bottom, as wide as the frame, and an upright each side between them, the frame height minus two strip widths long. A frame must be at least 3 strip widths wide and tall, or there is no panel left in the middle.
- Offcuts are reused. Every piece from the wall is packed into strips together, longest first, so an upright and a horizontal often share a strip.
- Neighbouring counts. The results show the frame width at one or two frames either side of your choice, so you can pick the proportions you like.
What it does not do: it lays one flat wall in a single row. It does not plan corners, doors, windows or sockets, and it does not count top rails, capping or adhesive.
Strips We Use, With Sources
Both strips have a B&Q product page, and no product page means no dropdown entry. Stock varies by merchant, so check before ordering. Use Custom for other widths, lengths or pack sizes.
| Strip | Kit | Product page |
|---|---|---|
| 97 x 9 x 2400mm | 8 strips | Cheshire Mouldings MDF Shaker Wall panelling kit, 8 x 2.4m strips, 97 x 9mm (B&Q) |
| 97 x 9 x 1200mm | 6 strips | Cheshire Mouldings MDF Shaker Wall panelling kit, 6 x 1.2m strips, 97 x 9mm (B&Q) |
Common Wall Sizes: Strips Needed
Generated from the calculator above. Each wall is panelled from 150mm to 1200mm in shaker frames with 100mm gaps and margins, on 97 × 9 × 2400mm strips, with 5% waste.
| Wall | Frame Width (mm) | Strip Length (m) | 2.4m Strips | Kits of 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.4m wide, 3 frames | 667 | 9.1 | 5 | 1 |
| 3m wide, 3 frames | 867 | 10.3 | 7 | 1 |
| 3.6m wide, 4 frames | 775 | 13.0 | 8 | 1 |
| 4.2m wide, 4 frames | 925 | 14.2 | 9 | 2 |
| 4.8m wide, 5 frames | 840 | 17.0 | 11 | 2 |
| 6m wide, 6 frames | 883 | 20.9 | 13 | 2 |
Use the calculator for your own wall. The number of frames, the gap and the height all change the answer. Panelling a shower or bathroom wall instead? Our shower panel calculator lays out waterproof Hydrolock panels and counts the trims. Prefer slatted acoustic panels? Our slat wall panel calculator lays them out in 600mm panels and shares the offcuts. Planning a kitchen? Our kitchen worktop calculator counts the worktop boards. Finishing the panelling with a dado rail? Our dado and picture rail calculator counts the lengths.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I space shaker panelling evenly?
Work out the space left after the frames, then share it out equally. The frame width is the wall width, minus a margin at each end, minus the gaps between frames, divided by the number of frames. For a 3.6m wall with four frames, 100mm gaps and 100mm margins that is 775mm per frame. This calculator does the sum for you, and shows the frame width for one or two frames either side so you can pick the proportions you like.
How many strips do I need for shaker panelling?
Each frame is four strips: two horizontals as wide as the frame and two uprights between them. The uprights are shorter, so they can come out of offcuts. A 3.6m wall of four frames from 150mm to 1200mm needs 16 pieces and 13.0m of strip in all, which packs into 7 of the 2.4m strips. That is 8 with 5% spare, or 1 kit of 8.
Do the offcuts really get reused?
Yes. Every piece from the whole wall is packed into strips together, longest first. On 2.4m strips a 856mm upright leaves 1541mm, and a frame-width piece can be cut from that, so uprights and horizontals share strips. On 1.2m strips the same wall needs 17 strips, because each piece takes its own.
What is the difference between shaker and board and batten?
Shaker panelling is a row of rectangular frames, each made from four strips. Board and batten is a set of vertical strips spread evenly across the wall with the wall showing between them. Board and batten uses far less. The same 3.6m wall with eight battens needs 5 strips against 8 for the four shaker frames.
Can I use this for corners, doors or windows?
No. It lays one flat wall as a single row. For a room, do each wall separately and add the totals, and plan the strips round doors and sockets yourself. Top rails, capping and adhesive are not counted.
What strips can I use?
Every strip in the dropdown has a B&Q product page: Cheshire Mouldings 97 × 9mm MDF strips in 2.4m lengths (a kit of 8) and 1.2m lengths (a kit of 6). Use Custom for anything else, such as other widths, and check your merchant before ordering.
How much paint do I need for panelling?
The panelled area is the wall width times the panelling height, which is 3.78 m² for the example wall. The strips add surface area of their own, so allow extra. Use our paint calculator for the tins, and remember that MDF soaks up more paint on cut edges.