Even Spacing Calculator for Balusters, Spindles, Pickets, Shelves, Slats, Fasteners, Etc.

Even Spacing Calculator Sign

This equal spacing calculator will generate a list of even spacing options from two to a maximum number of dividers (balusters, spindles, pickets, shelves, slats, fasteners, etc.).

Plus, a printable diagram will be generated when you select a spacing option, including the near side, on-center, and far side measurements in inches, feet-and-inches, or metric (mm, cm, etc.).

If you are working with deck or stair railings and would like to evenly space posts and calculate baluster spacing and the number needed, please visit the Baluster Calculator.

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Even Spacing Calculator

Calculate even spacing for balusters, spindles, pickets, shelves, slats, fasteners, etc.

Special Instructions

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Selected Data Record:

A Data Record is a set of calculator entries that are stored in your web browser's Local Storage. If a Data Record is currently selected in the "Data" tab, this line will list the name you gave to that data record. If no data record is selected, or you have no entries stored for this calculator, the line will display "None".

DataData recordData recordSelected data record: None
Measurement:

Measurement:

Select Inches or Metric, which will change the entry fields to accommodate your selection.

Space width:

Space width in feet and inches:

Select the feet, inches, and fraction of inch distance between the two boundaries of the space the dividers will span.

If you want different widths for end gaps (say, for fasteners), follow these instructions:

  1. Subtract the end gap widths from space width before making your selections. For example, if the space width is 4' and if you want end gaps of 1/2" for fasteners, select 3' 11" for space width (4' - 1/2" - 1/2" = 3' 11").
  2. Since the measurements will now span between the two end gaps instead of between the two boundaries, select 2 fewer dividers in the spacing options dropdown. This is because one fastener will be placed at the start (0) and one fastener will be placed at the total space width, so you will be spacing two fewer fasteners.
Divider width:

Divider width in feet and inches:

Select the divider width in inches and fraction of inch (be sure to measure the divider width versus trusting the product label). If you only want center measurements for spacing fasteners, select 0 inches and 0 for a fraction of an inch.

Results in:

Results in:

Choose whether you want the result measurements to be displayed in Inches Only (18") or Feet and Inches (1' - 6").

Maximum dividers:

Maximum dividers:

Enter the maximum number of dividers you would want to be included in the generated spacing options.

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Spacing options:

Spacing options:

After clicking the Generate Spacing Options button, this dropdown menu will be populated with spacing options based on space and divider entries in the calculator's top section. Changing the selected option will redraw the diagram and update the near side, on-center, and far side measurements.

If you would like to save the current entries to the secure online database, tap or click on the Data tab, select "New Data Record", give the data record a name, then tap or click the Save button. To save changes to previously saved entries, simply tap the Save button. Please select and "Clear" any data records you no longer need.

Related Calculators

baluster calculator

Help and Tools

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How to calculate even spacing.

How to Calculate Even Spacing

If your tape measure includes markings for millimeters, these will produce the most accurate results.

Otherwise, if you are working with feet and inches, convert all feet, inches, and fractional inches to total decimal inches before doing the calculations. After the calculations have been completed, convert the equal spacing result to tape measurements (converters located beneath example calculation).

    Step #1: Measure the distance the evenly spaced dividers will be spanning (e.g., from post to post, the bottom of the top shelf to the top of the bottom shelf, etc.).

    Step #2: Measure the actual width of the dividers. If the width varies slightly, determine the average width. If you are spacing fasteners, the divider width will be zero.

    Step #3: Count the number of dividers.

    Step #4: Multiply the divider width (Step #2) by the number of dividers (Step #3).

    Step #5: Subtract the total divider width (Step #4) from the total space width (Step #1).

    Step #6: Divide the result in Step #5 by the number of dividers plus one (10 dividers will result in 11 spaces). This will leave you with the width of the equal spaces.

    Step #7: Add the space width (Step #6) to the divider width (Step #2) to get the on-center measurement needed to mark the dividers' placement.

Example: If the distance between two deck posts is four feet, and you have eight balusters that are one and three-quarter inches wide, here is how you would apply the above 7 steps.

    Step #1: The distance the evenly spaced dividers will be spanning is 4 feet, or 48 decimal inches (4 x 12 inches per foot).

    Step #2: The dividers' actual width is 1 3/4", or 1.75 decimal inches.

    Step #3: The number of dividers is 8.

    Step #4: Multiply the divider width (1.75 in Step #2) by the number of dividers (8 in Step #3) to get a total width taken up by the dividers of 14 decimal inches.

    Step #5: Subtract the total divider width (14 in Step #4) from the total space width (48 in Step #1) to get a total space width of 34 decimal inches (48 - 14 = 34).

    Step #6: Divide the result in Step #5 (34) by the number of dividers plus one (8 + 1 = 9), which equals 3.78 decimal inches (~ 3 3/4"). This means you will create 9 spaces of 3 3/4" with the 8 dividers.

    Step #7: Add the space width (3.78 in Step #6) to the divider width (1.75 in Step #2) to get the 5.53 (~ 5 1/2") on-center measurement to assist you in marking the placement of the dividers.

Example result from Even Spacing Calculator on free-online-calculator-use.com.

Feet, Inches, Fractional Inches to Decimal Inches

Use the following calculator to convert feet, inches, and fractional inches to decimal inches (rounded to four places).

Feet:
Inches:
Inch:
Decimal inches:

Decimal Inches to Feet, Inches, Fractional Inches

Use the following calculator to convert decimal inches to feet, inches, and fractional inches (rounded to nearest 1/16).

Decimal inches:
Inches only:
Feet and inches:
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Adjust Calculator Width:

Move the slider to left and right to adjust the calculator width. Note that the Help and Tools panel will be hidden when the calculator is too wide to fit both on the screen. Moving the slider to the left will bring the instructions and tools panel back into view.

Also note that some calculators will reformat to accommodate the screen size as you make the calculator wider or narrower. If the calculator is narrow, columns of entry rows will be converted to a vertical entry form, whereas a wider calculator will display columns of entry rows, and the entry fields will be smaller in size ... since they will not need to be "thumb friendly".

Show/Hide Popup Keypads:

Select Show or Hide to show or hide the popup keypad icons located next to numeric entry fields. These are generally only needed for mobile devices that don't have decimal points in their numeric keypads. So if you are on a desktop, you may find the calculator to be more user-friendly and less cluttered without them.

Stick/Unstick Tools:

Select Stick or Unstick to stick or unstick the help and tools panel. Selecting "Stick" will keep the panel in view while scrolling the calculator vertically. If you find that annoying, select "Unstick" to keep the panel in a stationary position.

If the tools panel becomes "Unstuck" on its own, try clicking "Unstick" and then "Stick" to re-stick the panel.