Why Accurate Measurement Matters
Ordering too little means delays and extra delivery costs. Ordering too much wastes money. Getting your measurements right before you order is the single most important step when buying skirting boards or architraves.
What You'll Need
- A tape measure
- A notepad or phone to record measurements
- The dimensions of each room (length and width in metres)
- A count of doors and windows per room
Step 1 — Measure the Perimeter of the Room
Measure the length and width of the room in metres. The perimeter is calculated as:
Perimeter = 2 × length + 2 × width
For example, a room that is 4m × 3.5m has a perimeter of 15 metres.
Step 2 — Deduct for Door Openings
Each standard door opening is approximately 0.9 metres wide. Deduct 0.9m for every door in the room from your skirting board total, as skirting does not run across doorways.
Skirting metres = Perimeter − (0.9 × number of doors)
Step 3 — Calculate Architrave for Doors & Windows
Architrave frames door and window openings. As a guide:
- Each door requires approximately 5.4 metres of architrave (two verticals + one horizontal, both sides)
- Each window requires approximately 4.8 metres of architrave
Architrave metres = (5.4 × doors) + (4.8 × windows)
Step 4 — Add Wastage
We recommend adding 10% to your totals to account for cutting waste, mitred corners, and any mistakes. Our boards come in 3.05m lengths, so round up to the nearest full length.
Use Our Free Calculator
Don't want to do the maths yourself? We've built a free Skirting Board & Architrave Calculator that does it all for you. Simply enter your room dimensions, number of doors and windows, and it will instantly tell you exactly how many metres — and how many 3.05m lengths — to order.
→ Try the free calculator here
Ready to Order?
Once you have your measurements, browse our full range of premium moisture-resistant MDF skirting boards and architraves, available primed and unprimed, in a variety of profiles including Torus, Ogee, Pencil Round, Bullnose, and more.