Staircase wall panelling calculator
Set the stair pitch and wall size and get raked panels that follow the stairs, with an exact cut list and a material cost estimate — the hardest panelling to lay out by hand, solved automatically.
Open the planner →In the planner, switch on Stairs in the wall controls and enter your going and rise. No sign-up, no download. Your first wall is free.
Why stair walls are the tricky ones
A staircase wall is the hardest panelling job because the bottom of every panel sits on a slope while the top usually stays level or steps with the stairs — so no two panels are quite the same height, and the raked cuts need an exact angle. The planner takes the guesswork out: give it the stair geometry and it draws the rake line and keeps the panels even along it.
- Enter the wall width and height.
- Switch on Stairs and enter the going (tread depth) and rise (step height), plus the number of steps. The planner computes the pitch and draws the sloped baseline.
- Lay the panels along the rake. Panels stay evenly spaced and the planner reports the pitch angle so you can set your saw or sliding bevel.
- Read the cuts. The cut list labels the raked (angled) cuts separately from the square ones.
What angle will my stairs be?
Stair pitch comes from the going and the rise, not a fixed number. Most domestic staircases land around 35–42°. The planner calculates the exact angle from your measurements and prints it on the drawing, so the cut angles match your real stairs rather than a generic assumption.
Materials
The same MDF or timber profiles used for a flat wall work on a stair wall — the difference is the angled cuts, not the material. The planner keeps each profile separate in the cut list and prices it, with the raked pieces clearly marked.
What you get
- A scaled drawing of the stair wall with the rake line and every panel placed.
- A cut list that labels raked cuts and packs pieces onto your stock length with kerf and end trims accounted for.
- A material cost estimate in your currency, with a waste allowance you set.
- A printable build pack — drawings, cuts, a shopping list and fitting steps — to save as a PDF.
Staircase panelling FAQ
- How do you panel a staircase wall?
- Set the stair pitch from the going and rise, then run the panels so their bottoms follow the rake line while their tops stay level or step with the stairs. The planner draws the raked line and keeps the panels even along the slope.
- What angle should staircase panelling follow?
- It follows the stair pitch, set by the going and rise — most domestic stairs sit around 35–42°. Enter your going and rise and the calculator works out the exact pitch and labels the raked cuts.
- Can I get the raked cut lengths?
- Yes. The cut list gives the length of every piece and labels the angled cuts so you can set your mitre or sliding bevel to match the stair pitch.
- Is it free?
- Yes. Plan one wall, see the full layout, cut list and cost, and export for free. A one-time Pro unlock adds unlimited walls and removes the export watermark.