French Cleat Wall Cut List: 8 ft of Cleats from One Sheet
One sheet of 3/4" plywood makes an 8-foot-wide French cleat wall with eight rows of cleats on 6" centres, covering 4 feet of wall height, plus two dozen short cleats for the backs of tool holders. It is mostly rip cuts, so the layout is about how many 3-1/2" strips fit in 48".
- Finished size
- 96" W × about 48" H of wall coverage
- 3/4" plywood, 4×8 ft
- 1 sheet · 80% yield
Assumptions behind every number
- 3/4" plywood measures 23/32", which is typical for US sheet goods. Parts that fit between two others subtract the actual thickness. Measure your sheet; if it differs, edit the sizes in the optimizer.
- Every layout uses a 1/8" saw kerf on every cut, run through the same optimizer as the app.
Cut list
3/4" plywood, 4×8 ft
| Part | Qty | Width × Length | How it's sized |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wall cleat bevel one edge at 45° | 8 | 3 1/2" × 96" | full sheet length |
| Holder cleat bevel one edge at 45° | 24 | 3 1/2" × 12" | one per tool holder |
Width × length is in inches, with length along the face grain. Parts marked "grain locked" are kept with the grain running their length in the layout.
Sheet and board layouts
This is the optimizer's output for exactly this list: 1 sheet of 3/4" plywood, 4×8 ft.
3/4" plywood, 4×8 ft: 1 sheet, 80% yield
Materials list
- 1 sheet of 3/4" plywood, 4×8 ft
- 2-1/2" construction screws, two per stud per cleat, about 100 for an 8-ft wall
- 1-1/4" screws and glue to attach holder cleats to tool holders
How it goes together
Every cleat is ripped 3-1/2" wide. Thirteen strips fit across a 48" sheet with a 1/8" kerf: 13 × 3-1/2" plus 12 kerfs is 47", which leaves a 1" edge strip.
After ripping, bevel one long edge of every strip at 45°. Wall cleats go up with the bevel facing up and toward the wall. Holder cleats are screwed to the back of each tool holder with the bevel facing down and toward the wall, so they hook over a wall cleat.
Screw the wall cleats into every stud with two 2-1/2" screws per stud, 6" on centre. Plywood is better than MDF here: screws hold in plywood edges and faces, and it does not crumble under load.
Build order
- Rip the sheet into 3-1/2" strips. Eight stay full length for wall cleats.
- Crosscut the remaining strips into 12" holder cleats.
- Bevel one edge of every strip at 45° on the table saw (blade tilted, fence set so the bevel runs edge to edge).
- Mark the studs, level the first cleat, and stack the rest at 6" centres with a spacer.
FAQ
How many French cleats can I get from one sheet of plywood?
Thirteen 3-1/2" strips, 96" long, with a 1/8" kerf. That is about 104 linear feet of cleat. This plan uses eight strips full length for the wall and cuts the rest into 12" holder cleats.
What thickness plywood is best for a French cleat wall?
3/4" (23/32" actual) is the standard. It gives a deep enough hook for heavy tools and takes screws well in both directions. 1/2" works for light holders but leaves a shallow hook.
Should the cleat be cut at 45°?
45° is the common angle: the hook is positive and holders still lift off easily. Steeper angles lock better but are fiddly to cut on a table saw.
What saw kerf does the layout assume?
A 1/8" kerf on every cut, which is a standard full-kerf table saw or track saw blade. With a thin-kerf blade the parts still fit; you just get slightly bigger offcuts.
Change a size, add a part or use up offcuts. The optimizer re-nests it in seconds.
Open this plan in EZNESTING →