Crown Molding Spring Angle

Crown molding spring angle is the angle at which the crown molding sits off of the wall. The most typical crown molding spring angles are 52/38° and 45/45° crown molding. So how do you figure out your crown molding spring angle?

It’s simple take a framing square and set it so that one side is the ceiling and one side is the wall. Now take your crown molding and set it so that the detailed end, the bottom is facing along the wall and the top part is across what you’re calling the ceiling. Look at those measurements, if the ceiling measurement is less than the wall measurement then you have a 52/38° spring angle crown molding. If the measurement across the ceiling and down the wall are identical then you have a 45° crown molding.

If you don’t have a square you can use anything that has a square corner, a piece of paper a piece of plywood a table anything that you know that is a true 90° angle will work. Set the molding on top and mark the point on the wall in the ceiling now measure from your corner and again if they’re different measurements you have a 52/38° crown and if they are the same then 45° crown.

So why is this measurement important while? It really is only important if you’re cutting crown molding while laying flat on your compound miter saw. If you’re not then you don’t need to know the spring angle of your crown molding. If you are using a compound miter saw, and when you have your little crown molding cutting chart that has the settings listed on the chart, you’ll see that it’s going to ask you is your crown molding 52/38° or 45°.

Finally one thing you will notice is that if you have a compound miter saw their are going to be marks set on your miter and bevel that show crown molding settings. If you look around the 31° on the miter in the 33° on the bevel you’ll see these marks and those are set for a 52/38° crown molding which is going to be your most typical. So good luck and get to installing that crown molding.