A square-metre figure looks like the simplest way to compare timber cladding, but two rates can represent very different products and scopes. Species, grade, profile cover, board lengths, finish, accessories, delivery and project requirements all influence the real supply cost. This guide explains what sits behind timber cladding cost per square metre, why a generic online figure can mislead, and how to request quotations that can be compared fairly.
Why timber cladding square-metre rates vary
A timber cladding rate normally starts with the boards required to cover a square metre of finished wall. That sounds consistent, yet suppliers may calculate it using different assumptions. One figure may be based on a nominal board width, another on the actual face left visible after the joint or overlap is formed, and a third may include an allowance for cutting and rejected pieces.
The quoted scope can also vary. A board-only price is not the same as a package including battens, fixings, trims, coating and delivery. Installation, access equipment, wall preparation and design work may sit outside both. The first job is therefore to understand what the rate measures before deciding whether it represents good value.
For early budgeting, a square-metre rate is useful when the product and assumptions are clear. For ordering, the quotation should respond to the actual elevations, profile, lengths, finish, project location and supporting components rather than relying on a generic headline number.
- Check whether the rate uses nominal width or installed cover
- Confirm whether it is board-only or a wider supply package
- Separate material supply from installation and access costs
- Ask which allowances, quantities and delivery assumptions are included
Species, grade and sourcing
Timber species is an obvious cost factor, but the species name alone is not a complete specification. Canadian cedar, UK cedar, UK larch, imported larch, Thermowood, treated European redwood and Red Grandis each have different sourcing, processing and appearance. Within one species, grade can change knot content, colour range, grain, available lengths and the amount of sorting required for a particular visual brief.
A clear architectural grade may command a different price from a character grade with more knots and natural variation. Neither is automatically better. A refined contemporary home may justify tighter visual selection, while a barn, workshop or garden building may look more convincing with a lively British-grown board. Paying for a grade the design does not need can add cost without improving the intended result.
Availability matters as well. Stocked dimensions and standard profiles can be more straightforward to source than an unusual width, restricted length schedule or bespoke machining run. Ask for the precise species, origin, grade and finished dimensions behind each quote so apparently similar products are not treated as interchangeable.
Profile and installed cover
Installed cover is the width of wall actually covered by each board after its joint, overlap or designed gap is allowed for. A tongue-and-groove board may have a nominal width that is noticeably greater than its visible face. Feather-edge cladding needs an overlap, while board-on-board systems use two layers of timber. These differences change the linear metres needed for the same wall area.
Machining complexity can also affect the unit price. A simple rectangular board, rebated feather-edge profile, shadow-gap joint and bespoke multi-groove profile require different processing. Surface finish matters too: sawn, planed, brushed and textured faces can carry different production and coating requirements.
When comparing profiles, request a drawing showing finished board dimensions and installed cover. Use that same profile information for every supplier. A cheaper price per linear metre may produce a higher square-metre cost if the board covers less wall, while a wider board is not necessarily more economical once movement, fixing and project guidance are considered.
Board lengths, quantities and cutting allowance
Elevation dimensions influence the most efficient board lengths. A well-planned length schedule can reduce joints and cutting waste, but insisting on long or tightly selected lengths may restrict supply and increase handling requirements. Shorter stock can be efficient on walls broken up by windows and doors, provided the design permits the resulting joints.
Gross wall area should be checked against the actual layout. Openings reduce coverage, yet corners, reveals, cills, heads and local details create additional cuts. Very small openings are not always worth deducting at the first estimate because the surrounding boards still need to be ordered and trimmed. Complex façades generally need a more considered allowance than one uninterrupted wall.
A sensible allowance is project-specific. It should reflect profile, grade, board lengths, orientation, setting out and the opportunity to reuse offcuts. Rather than applying an unexplained universal percentage, ask how the quantity was built up and whether replacement pieces or future maintenance stock should be included.
Natural finish, coating and treatment
Uncoated timber intended to weather naturally may have a simpler initial supply scope than a factory-finished system, but that does not make it the right choice for every project. The decision should reflect the desired long-term appearance, exposure and tolerance for uneven transitional weathering. Fresh timber colours commonly move towards grey at different rates across sheltered and exposed elevations.
Factory coating can add preparation, application and curing stages. The price depends on the selected system, colour, opacity, surface texture, number of coats and which faces or cut ends must be treated. A dark opaque finish on treated redwood is a different product from a translucent finish intended to retain some cedar grain.
Modified, preservative-treated or fire-treated products may also involve extra processing and documentation. Any treatment must suit the species, profile and intended application, and project-specific performance requirements should be confirmed by the relevant designer. Compare the actual finish specification rather than grouping every coloured or treated board into one rate.
What belongs in the complete supply package?
Cladding boards are only the visible part of the supply requirement. Depending on the project, the package may include battens or counter-battens, compatible fixings, membranes, insect mesh, cavity barriers, corner trims, closure pieces and finishing materials. Some items may be specified and purchased elsewhere, but they should still appear in the project cost plan.
Fixings vary with timber, treatment, finish, exposure and appearance. Their material, length, head style and quantity should follow the selected product guidance and project specification. Choosing a generic fixing allowance can create a false comparison if another quote includes a more appropriate or visually controlled option.
Delivery should be explicit. Postcode, load size, unloading arrangements, restricted access and programme can affect the final figure, particularly for long boards or phased commercial work. A South West delivery to an accessible Bristol site is a different exercise from reaching a constrained coastal or rural project in Devon or Cornwall.
Installation and project complexity
A material rate does not predict installation cost. Straight, accessible elevations with repeated details can be quicker to set out than a façade with numerous openings, returns, curves or changes of material. Vertical and horizontal arrangements also require different batten layouts and junction planning, while a two-layer board-on-board system uses more pieces than a single-layer machined profile.
Building height, scaffolding, mechanical access, storage, protection and site working hours can all influence labour. Renovation may uncover substrate repairs or inconsistent wall lines, whereas a new build may require close coordination with windows, roofing, insulation and façade trades. These are project costs rather than reasons to inflate the board price.
Keep supply and installation figures separate unless the quotation clearly defines both. This makes it easier to see whether a difference comes from timber specification, material quantity, labour method or site conditions. It also prevents a low board-only number being compared with a fully installed rate.
Maintenance and whole-life value
The lowest initial rate is not always the lowest-cost decision over the life of the building. A coating chosen to retain colour creates inspection and recoating requirements. Access to upper storeys, awkward courtyards or elevations above roofs can make future work more involved than maintaining a ground-floor garden room.
An uncoated façade designed to silver naturally avoids decorative recoating, but it still needs routine observation. Damaged boards, blocked ventilation routes, failed junctions and persistent moisture traps should be addressed. The expected maintenance approach should be agreed before choosing species and finish so the building owner understands the long-term commitment.
Whole-life value also includes visual suitability, available documentation and the likelihood of receiving a consistent supply. A product that fits the architectural brief, can be detailed properly and arrives in an efficient length mix may offer better value than a cheaper board that needs extensive sorting, waste or an unsuitable finish.
How to request a comparable timber cladding quote
Start with elevation drawings or clear dimensions, the delivery postcode and the intended programme. Identify the preferred species, grade, profile, board orientation and finish where known. If the specification is still open, explain the priorities: British provenance, controlled colour, natural character, low intervention, a particular shadow line or a budget range.
Ask each supplier to state finished dimensions, installed cover, quantity, length mix, cutting allowance and precisely what is included. Trims, fixings, battens, coatings, treatment, samples, documentation and delivery should be visible rather than hidden within an unexplained square-metre figure. Record whether VAT and installation are included when comparing totals.
The Cladding Centre can compare suitable species and profiles for projects across Bristol, Somerset, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall. Share your drawings, photographs or approximate dimensions through the quote page and the team can build pricing around the real project rather than an invented national average.
- Provide elevations, dimensions, postcode and programme
- Name the species, grade, profile and finish—or explain your priorities
- Request installed cover, board quantity and length assumptions
- List accessories, treatment, documentation and delivery separately
- Confirm whether VAT, installation and access are included
- Compare complete scopes, not isolated headline rates