Tool
Fret slotting template generator
Fret positions for any scale length, printed full size: 25.5 in, 24.75 in, 25 in, 650 mm, 628 mm, 34 in bass or your own, 12 to 36 frets, straight or multi-scale (fanned). The template runs over A4 or Letter sheets that join, with a millimetre scale along both edges, a check line, and a table of every distance from the nut and from fret to fret.
12th fret at 323.8 mm; fret 22 at 465.9 mm. The template takes 3 landscape sheets of A4, then a page with the table.
Print at Actual size or 100%, check the 100 mm line, and check the 12th fret with a steel rule before cutting.
Fret positions
d(n) = L − L ÷ 2n/12, from the nut to the centre of each fret slot, in millimetres.
| Fret | From the nut | From the previous fret |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 36.4 | 36.4 |
| 2 | 70.7 | 34.3 |
| 3 | 103.1 | 32.4 |
| 4 | 133.6 | 30.6 |
| 5 | 162.5 | 28.9 |
| 6 | 189.7 | 27.2 |
| 7 | 215.4 | 25.7 |
| 8 | 239.7 | 24.3 |
| 9 | 262.6 | 22.9 |
| 10 | 284.2 | 21.6 |
| 11 | 304.6 | 20.4 |
| 12 | 323.8 | 19.3 |
| 13 | 342.0 | 18.2 |
| 14 | 359.2 | 17.2 |
| 15 | 375.4 | 16.2 |
| 16 | 390.7 | 15.3 |
| 17 | 405.1 | 14.4 |
| 18 | 418.7 | 13.6 |
| 19 | 431.6 | 12.9 |
| 20 | 443.7 | 12.1 |
| 21 | 455.1 | 11.5 |
| 22 | 465.9 | 10.8 |
How to use the template
- Print and check. Print the PDF at Actual size. The line on the first sheet must measure exactly 100 mm (4 in for an inch template); if it is short, the printer scaled the page — the print scale calibration test tells you by how much.
- Join the sheets. Trim each sheet after the first along its cut ticks and lay it on the dashed guide of the one before, fret lines and scales running on straight. Tape the back.
- Verify. With a steel rule, check the 12th fret (half the scale length) and the last fret against the table. Only then fix the template to the fretboard blank, its centre line on the board’s centre line and the nut line at the nut.
- Mark or cut. Transfer each line with a knife and square, or saw through the paper along the lines with a fret saw matched to your fret wire’s tang.
Why the positions are exact
Every position comes straight from the formula, in millimetres, in double precision — not by stepping fret to fret, which adds up rounding errors — and the PDF is laid out in millimetres, so a printer at 100% puts each line where the table says. Each sheet carries the same cut ticks and guides as the poster splitter, and the millimetre scales along both edges continue across the joins, so a join that slipped shows at once.
Keeps these settings in the link. Useful for moving from a phone to the computer with the printer on it.
Frequently asked questions
How are fret positions calculated?
In equal temperament each fret shortens the vibrating length of the string by the same ratio, the twelfth root of 2, so the distance of fret n from the nut is d = L − L ÷ 2^(n/12), where L is the scale length. The older “rule of 18” divides the remaining length by 17.817 at each fret, which is the same ratio rounded; this page computes the formula directly, so no rounding error builds up along the neck.
Where should the 12th fret be?
At exactly half the scale length: 2^(12/12) = 2, so d = L − L/2 = L/2. On a 25.5 in scale the 12th fret is 12.75 in (323.85 mm) from the nut, and the 24th fret is at three quarters of it. Measuring the printed 12th fret against a steel rule is the quickest check of the whole template.
What scale length do I have?
Scale length is the distance from the nut to the saddle, nominally twice the distance from the nut to the 12th fret — measure the 12th fret and double it. Common figures are 25.5 in for Fender-style guitars, 24.75 in nominal for Gibson-style, 25 in for PRS-style, 650 mm for classical guitars and 34 in for basses. Any length from 250 to 1000 mm can be typed in, in millimetres or inches.
How accurate is a printed fret template?
As accurate as the print. Printed at Actual size (100%), the positions are placed in the PDF to well under a tenth of a millimetre; what goes wrong is printer scaling — “Fit to page” shrinks a page by a few percent — and sheets joined a little crooked. Check the 100 mm line on the first sheet and the 12th fret against a steel rule, and line the sheets up on their guides. The mm scales along both edges let you check any part of the template.
How do I join the sheets?
The template runs along landscape sheets, one after another. Trim the left margin of every sheet after the first along its small cut ticks and lay that edge on the dashed guide of the sheet before, so the fret lines and the scales continue straight across; tape it on the back. Then check the 12th fret again before using it.
What is a multi-scale or fanned-fret template?
On a multi-scale neck the bass strings are longer than the treble strings, so the frets fan out. Give the bass and treble scale lengths and the fret that should be square to the neck (often the 7th to the 9th, or the 12th): each fret line joins its bass position and its treble position, both from the formula, and the two edges are shifted so the chosen fret is perpendicular. The edges of the template stand for the outermost strings.
Does the template include intonation compensation?
No. The frets are where equal temperament puts them for the nominal scale length, which is how fret slots are cut. Intonation is set at the bridge, where the saddle sits a little behind the nominal scale length; the amount depends on the strings and the bridge, so follow the bridge maker’s advice. The saddle line on the template is the nominal scale length.
Can I use it for a bass, ukulele or mandolin?
Yes: the same formula holds for any fretted instrument in equal temperament. Type the instrument’s scale length (anything from 250 to 1000 mm) and the number of frets you need, from 12 to 36.