Shiplap Wall Calculator

Board count and material from wall dimensions.

Inputs

Wall width (ft)

Wall height (ft)

Board width (in)

Overlap (in)

Board length (ft)

Openings to deduct (sq ft)

Cost per board ($)

Waste factor (%)

%

Tab to move between fields

Results

Board rows (courses)

20

Net wall area (sq ft)96

Boards to buy44

Estimated nails400

Total coverage (sq ft)146.67

Board cost$198.00

Exposed Width (ft)0.42

How to Use This Calculator

Enter Wall width (ft), Wall height (ft), and Board width (in).
Set Overlap (in), Board length (ft), and Openings to deduct (sq ft).
Adjust Cost per board ($), Waste factor (%) as needed.
Review the Board rows (courses) result.
Use Net wall area (sq ft) and Boards to buy to inform your decision.

How the result changes with Wall height (ft)

Wall height (ft)	Board rows (courses)
2.9	7
7.65	19
13	32
18	44

What each input means

Wall width (ft): Width of the wall to cover with shiplap.
Wall height (ft): Height of the wall.
Board width (in): Nominal width of each shiplap board (common: 5.5 in for 1x6).
Overlap (in): Overlap at each joint where boards interlock.
Board length (ft): Length of each shiplap board.
Openings to deduct (sq ft): Total area of windows and doors to subtract.
Cost per board ($): Price per individual shiplap board.
Waste factor (%): Extra boards for cuts and waste.

What each result means

Net wall area (sq ft): Wall area minus openings.
Board rows (courses): Number of horizontal rows of shiplap.
Boards to buy: Total boards including waste factor.
Estimated nails: Brad nails needed (2 per stud intersection at 16" OC).
Total coverage (sq ft): Square footage of coverage from purchased boards.
Board cost: Estimated cost for shiplap boards.

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Wall width (ft) = 12, Wall height (ft) = 8, Board width (in) = 5.5, Overlap (in) = 0.5 = 8 input(s) provided
Calculate Board rows
Board rows
20 = 20
Calculate Net wall area
Net wall area
96 = 96
Calculate Boards to buy
Boards to buy
44 = 44

Engine last updated August 5, 2026. Checked against 2 independently-derived tests — how we verify calculators.

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